Sharkie’s Machine
By Frank Gonzalez Jr.
April 7th, 2007
“Champion Calzaghe Stops Contender Manfredo In 3”
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 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 resume.
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.
* * *
Comments can be emailed to dshark87@hotmail.com