CHAMPION CALZAGHE BY TKO 3 OVER CONTENDER MANFREDO
By Frank Gonzalez, Jr.
Sharkie’s Machine
By Frank Gonzalez Jr.
April 7th, 2007
“Champion Calzaghe By TKO 3 Over Contender Manfredo”
Saturday at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff Wales, in front of a huge
crowd of 35,000, WBO Super Middleweight Champion, Joe Calzaghe (43-0, 32
KO’s) made his 20th successful title defense over journeying American,
Peter Manfredo Jr. (26-4, 12 KO’s)
Fluidity, agility, excellent timing and impressive speed make Calzaghe
one of the most impressive fighters on the planet.
Manfredo has done well in capitalizing on his newfound fame resulting
from his participation in the television “reality” series, “The
Contender,” where he made it to the Contender Championship fight and
built a good fan base with his ‘blue collar’ approach to the sweet
science.
In the first round, there was some feeling out for a few moments but it
was Calzaghe who had the upper hand in landing punches and controlling
the tempo of the action. Manfredo could barely land a punch. He tried to
get inside and wait for Calzaghe to finish punching but Calzaghe never
finished punching until he managed to step out of Manfredo’s range. 10-9
Calzaghe.
In round two, Calzaghe moved in and out, jabbing and landing combinations
at will. Manfredo couldn’t get into any kind of rhythm and hardly landed
anything. When he got close to landing, Joe wrapped him up and forced him
to reset. This round was best called, the Poker and the Poked. 10-9
Calzaghe.
In the third round, Calzaghe started fast and overwhelmed Manfredo, who
could only block. Calzaghe was peppering the hell out of Manfredo, who
spent most of the round covering up while Calzaghe punched continuously
and was far too fast and too smart for Manfredo. It was clearly a
mismatch and Calzaghe was having it all his way. At one point, Calzaghe
had Manfredo up against the ropes and was punching non-stop. Manfredo
wasn’t throwing anything back but he didn’t look hurt so much as
outmatched. The referee, Terry O’Connor stepped between them and ended
the fight.
* * *
I thought the stoppage was terribly premature but there was nothing to
indicate that Manfredo had a sliver of a chance to even be competitive.
But it was a “Championship” fight and it was only the third round. As
unlikely as it was that Manfredo would’ve fared any better, the stoppage
took away any chances he might’ve had. Maybe this was best for Manfredo,
because now he can go back home and though he lost, at least know he
didn’t quit against the main man in the division.
During the post fight interview, Manfredo said the stoppage was
definitely premature. He said he wasn’t hurt and that he was just waiting
for Calzaghe to stop punching so he could start. He said Calzaghe was
landing a lot of pity-pat punches. When asked about Calzaghe’s prospects
against Kessler, Bernard Hopkins or Jermain Taylor, he said that any of
those guys could beat Calzaghe. I agree that the stoppage was a bad one
but I doubt Hopkins, Kessler or Taylor can beat Calzaghe, who is
amazingly athletic and skillful at 35 years old. But we’ll never know
until they fight.
Calzaghe was gracious as ever during his interview, crediting Manfredo
with becoming a Star from his “Contender” experience and to a degree,
defending Manfredo as a credible opponent. It was a tough sell. He spoke
of fighting Hopkins or Taylor but when asked about fighting Kessler,
turned the microphone over to his promoter, Frank Warren, who said
Kessler’s camp rejected an offer recently, etc, etc. Calzaghe offered
that Kessler is the next Jeff Lacy, who many said would come and kick his
ass, but in the end was exposed. Joe said he’d expose Kessler just the
same.
In many minds, Joe Calzaghe is the best in the Super Middleweight
division. IF he defeats unbeaten WBA, WBC Champion, Mikkel Kessler, it
would be closer to a fact.
Mikkel Kessler is undefeated at 39-0, 29 KO’s. Calzaghe is 43-0, with 32
KO’s. What the hell are they waiting for? The structural problems with
this sport need emergency address. If you have been following the
168-pound division, you know these two guys are the most logical match-up
but somehow, money and politics seem bent on preventing this fight from
materializing.
Kessler is a very crafty fighter with an even less impressive resume than
Calzaghe has but what he does have—is two of the major title belts in his
possession. If Calzaghe beat him, he’d have three of the four pieces of
the title and then, watch out—we’d be close to having one unified
Champion in this sport of ours! It could go either way though and if
Kessler were to win, he’d have three pieces. Which of the two would be
quicker to go after the IBF title and claim the true title of Champion?
Congratulations to Joe Calzaghe. His speed is his power. He has excellent
agility and boxing prowess. He reminds me of a real life version of Errol
Flynn, who played the boxer in the movie, “Gentleman Jim.”
The ring is the source of truth in boxing. Peter Manfredo Jr. is simply
not ready to win a major title yet. At 26 years old, he still has time to
develop and possibly have a respectable career. Though he didn’t do well
against Calzaghe, he has added some critical experience to his resumé.
Hopefully it pays off in the future. Manfredo’s next fight should be
against someone on his own level, like maybe Jeff Lacy (22-1), Sam
Soliman (33-9) or Librado Andrade (24-1) or Sakio Bika (22-2). Maybe
those guys could fight each other and whoever stands out gets a shot at a
number one contender.
