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If it was Muhammad Ali he was aping in Madison Square Garden, where he taunted another age-depleted opponent to defeat, there is a better role model for Joe Calzaghe from the boxing pantheon. The Welshan should take his lead from Roberto Duran and resoundingly declare "no mas".
He should say no more and end his career because the sleight of hand he is trying to pull on an admiring but sceptical public is too transparent. Regardless of that startling unbeaten record, despite every attempt to persuade us to the contrary, Calzaghe has never proved he has the greatness to which he lays claim and never will.
What he did prove against Roy Jones Jr, as he often has before, is that he is a brave, skilled, resilient and formidable fighter. But historic greatness is more elusive and only the credulous will believe he has that on the strength of a "career defining" fight that precisely replicated his last of those, against Bernard Hopkins.
Again the Welshman met a man who five years ago would have brutally exposed his limitations, much as Floyd Mayweather shone a torch on Ricky Hatton's last December but now fights from memory. In each case, the remembrance of glories past was clear enough at first for the old boy to inflict a first-round knockdown on which he would have once have capitalized. No longer, though, and Calzaghe was allowed to recover and win on points.
If the victory was far more clear cut than against Hopkins, who went down only by a rather dubious split decision, all that reveals is that of the two Jones is far the more badly shot fighter. About Calzaghe it told us nothing.
Lennox Lewis, who has advised Calzaghe to retire (some chance with more millions to be made from stupid rematches and with Rocky Marciano's 49-fight unbeaten record to be eclipsed), is the reference point. He could never establish his greatness because the two truly great heavyweights he defeated - Mike Tyson and Evander Holyfield - were so far over the hill when he met them that the wins were meaningless.
So it was for Calzaghe with the beefed-up Sunshine Boys of the light-heavyweight division. The fact that Joe knew he could taunt Jones with impunity, doing an ersatsz Ali Shuffle and holding his chin out and his arms at his sides, told the story. He made this match not for the challenge it posed but for the chance it offered to pose as a better fighter than he is.
Greatness is a nebulous quality that lives in the eye of the beholder more than the record books but in boxing it derives only from giant strides made against the mightiest opponents.
For Ali, it came from beating Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier and George Foreman at their murderous peaks, and for Ray Leonard from outwitting Duran, Tommy Hearns and Marvin Hagler when they, too, in their different styles, were lethal foes.
Calzaghe never had the chance, or never cared to accept it, to test himself in this way.
Instead, he has sought to affect greatness with tiny, cautious, incremental steps against the overrated (Jeff Lacey), the mediocre and the faded.
He has made a huge fortune and been voted Sports Personality of the Year and deservedly so. But don't be bamboozled by the hype surrounding a facile defeat of one who undoubtedly belongs among boxing's greats and who, like Hopkins before him, was beaten not by Calzaghe but by the merciless passage of time.
Wenger's creating new invincibles
Glancing at the Premier League table, the eye is caught not by the ruling quadropoly duly reasserting itself at the top, but the startling sight of 11 teams finding themselves within three points of one another in what threatens to be a captivating season at the bottom.
For all that, the weekend's highlight was, of course, a breathlessly old fashioned Big Four meeting between Arsenal and Man United which, although it ended 2-1, had the flavour of a 5-5 draw from the early 60s era of the 2-3-5 formation.
What a cussed, perverse team Arsene Wenger has created, and what merriment their addiction to ridiculing expectations, by losing when expected to win and vice versa, provides.
The sight of them charging forward in added time, having seen their lead halved by one late goal and seemingly poised to reprise the collapse against Spurs by yielding another, was glorious.
I am starting to suspect that Wenger's refusal to bolster his squad with a couple of grizzled veterans may have less to do with arrogant intransigence than his intention to display absolute condfidence in his toddlers, and expose them to the heat of battle until the required steel is forged, however long that takes.
Certainly you could not watch their exuberant swagger on Saturday, when everyone expected them to be thumped, without sensing that in a couple of years a dash of mature cynicsm will complete the formula and make Arsenal close to invincible once again.
Botham's demented for blast at Aussies
Nominal ownership of those incinerated bails has already been decided, declares Ian Botham, and the Australians need not bother turning up for next summer's Ashes at all. I paraphrase but only slightly. "I do believe we'll win quite comfortably," said Sir Ian, citing the weakened Aussie bowling line-up as primary cause for this demented bullishness.
Botham has a point, with only Brett Lee remaining from an attack denuded of Glenn McGrath and Shane Warne, and it is also true that the Aussies are struggling in India, where they may lose a series for the first time since 2005 today.
Even so, this is the most insanely cocky challenge to a touring side's ego since Tony Greig promised to make the West Indies "grovel" in the Seventies. I need not remind you of how that series ended but as an omen for the summer of 2009 many things about the scoreline are not good.
Brit ladies are a net profit now
With Andy Murray playing his first match in the Tennis Masters Cup in Shanghai today, attention turns very briefly to bizarre developments involving our women.
Over the weekend, not only did Anne Keothavong win an event in Poland but Laura Robson took her first senior title . . . an unglittering affair in Sunderland, perhaps, but a notable achievement at 14 and a step on the road to challenging Justin Rose as our leading South African-reared sports star in succession to the above-mentioned Tony Greig.
As for Murray, with Roger Federer (half-South African; how do they keep doing it, the bleeders?) nursing a bad back and Rafael Nadal absent injured, he has a gilded opportunity to snaffle tennis's most lustrous prize after the majors and if so he will have every chance of taking Novak Djokovic's No3 ranking at the Australian Open in January. Strange days indeed for British tennis. Most peculiar, mama.
Reader views (12)
Mathew and Jac are right,
Fair enough Joe has a perfect record, fair enuogh he has beaten all who have been placed before him. He is undoubtedly the British boxer with the best record, but for him to be remembered as one of the true greats of boxing he really should have taken on Hopkins and Jones many years ago. For me a boxing great has that something special that Calzaghe just hasn't got. A career record of beating nobodies in the WBO division and past-it greats looking for that one last payday, doesn't quite cut it for me.
- Mark, Muswell Hill, 15/11/2008 17:16
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Calzaghe is THE Best fighter Britain has ever produced, he has a great chin, a good punch and stamina to burn, he's an intelligent fighter and ring crafty. His record is perfect and he has fought everyone that's around. Top man!
- Stuart, Jersey, 13/11/2008 13:46
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Scuse me... You can only be better than the opponents at the time. Joe has fought everyone of note. Not his fault that there was no Frazier / Ali ? Sugar Ray Leonard equivalent. Who else should he... could he fight?
Perhaps it's the average standard of boxers over the last ten years that your really moaning about.
More recognition of his achievements please.
- Glennda, Berkhamsted. UK, 13/11/2008 11:53
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Matthew:
Right on. The whole truth and nothing but the truth about Joe C. I have admired him, probably because he is a fellow Brit, but always thought I saw weakness in Joe, rather than the greatness which the Brit media obviously craved. From afar, his career achievements seem to have been carved and crafted, whittled from desire rather than by bloody-nosed effort. This is not to say he does not have the heart, but true greatness in a brutal sport is a defining characteristic for which you never have to search. It smacks you right in the kisser -- every time. Paraphrasing an American political put-down, I have seen Rocky Marciano, and you, Joe, are no Rocky Marciano.
- Jac Mills, knoxville, tennessee, 12/11/2008 14:40
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Matthew is right about Calzaghe. You Welshies don't like it, but it's true. Greatness is relative to your opponents - records are one thing - but they mean nothing when measuring "greatness". Having said that, He's a top guy, and a great boxer - just not one of the greats!
- Simon, Epsom, Surrey, 12/11/2008 13:55
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As much as I'd love to buy into what Botham is saying I can't help but recall how horrendous England can be on their day (yesterday and the whole sorry Stanford debacle aside!)
- Mickey, Billericay, 12/11/2008 13:03
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3 points about today's column Matthew:
1. On Calzaghe I agree with everything you say. Just wanted to develop it a bit further. In the old days and certainly when Ali started boxers just had one world title to fight for so they fought the best around otherwise they wouldn't be world champion. For years now though with the plethora of boxing organisations, fighters just pick out who they think they can beat, put it on as a world title in one of the organistions and become 'world champ' collect the money and stay unbeaten...and then they carry on like that. You hardly ever get the World Champ fighting the next best contender because they don't have too. That's why I lost interest ages ago.
2. On Arsenal sorry I disagree. I know you love Wenger's side and you talk of the promise that will blossom in a couple of years. The problem, and we've seen it happen time and time again, is that if Arsenal again finish this season without a trophy (I suggest they will finish fourth) then there will be an exodus of the young stars who will leave for the riches and glamour - I reckon Fabregas for example is at serious risk in this regard. So it'll be back to square one again.
3. On Laura Robson something's gone awry with your research...she is Australian reared, not South African!
- Nick, London, 10/11/2008 22:11
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If a boxer fights undeafeted for 15 years and 46 pro fights, unifies the super-middleweight division, becomes a two-weight champ, fights and wins in Vegas and New York, beats 6 former world champions as well as a few "next big things" all in an attack focussed unorthodox south paw style isnt a great then I'm willing to call Matthew Norman a great sports journalist. By the way Mat - Jeff Lacy was only overatted after being completely demolished by Calzaghe - before this you media boys called him the new Tyson. Calzaghe is the greates ever Bristish boxer. He has nothing left to proove.
- Nathan Hall, Wiltshire. Emgland, 10/11/2008 17:59
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If Calzaghe was English everyone would be crowing about how great he is - much in the same way that Lewis Hamilton is now, ahem, supposed to be the greatest driver that has ever lived!
Joe is an all time great, no question.
- David Jones Jnr, Cardiff, 10/11/2008 16:31
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Mathew Norman is the best sports writer in the country. There, I've said it. Didn't want to, coz I'm a Gooner, but when the man knocks us, he's usually got a point. And although he's a Spu...can't even bring myself to write the word...fan, he obviously loves the game. Sometimes, its easy to mock Wenger but if he goes, just try watching Wigan v Stoke every week.
- Gaz, london, 10/11/2008 15:08
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Got to agree with Matthew Norman. Calzaghe is a very good fighter, one of the best Britain has seen, but to be cast as a true great, you need to beat, or at least engage other great boxers, at their peak. Whether by accident or design, Joe hasn't managed that. And I'm of no doubt that had he fought Hopkins or Jones Jnr at the peak of their careers, he would not have beaten them.
- Bob, London, 10/11/2008 14:06
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It looks to me a bit like the author just doesn't like Calzaghe that much. There are many out there including all those who thought Calzaghe could only prove himself by fighting Pavlik who was later exposed as a very limited fighter by the seemingly ageless Hopkins. Pavlik V Calzaghe would have simply been a repeat of the Lacy fight.
The fact is that Calzaghe has fought and beaten every fighter put in front of him including several current or former world champions. Don't forget that many fighters avoided him like the plague for years and he fought Eubanks for the world championship because Steve Collins preferred to retire.
To suggest that Calzaghe was awarded a dubious decision against Hopkins is absurd. Hopkins was tiring fast and only managed to complete the fight by cheating and taking extended breaks to rest his tired body. The only judge who voted for Hopkins was Adalaide Byrd who comes from Hopkins home town of Philadelphia.
- Ashley Smith, St Austell, UK, 10/11/2008 12:46
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