Not all will know Calzaghe's true worth

NEW YORK – Joe Calzaghe kind of got screwed.

Oh, he left Madison Square Garden on Saturday with The Ring magazine light heavyweight championship belt in his baggage after winning 11 of the 12 rounds in his bout with long-time pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr.

And he was being lauded by many at the post-fight news conference after a typically brilliant performance as the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world.

Yet, despite the acclaim, despite the adulation being directed his way, there was something missing.

Because the biggest wins in Calzaghe's career came over a 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins and a 39-year-old Jones, there will always be that nagging question: What would have happened if the fight would have occurred five, or even 10, years earlier?

Since he had the misfortune of being unable to land the prime bouts until the stars were past their primes, Calzaghe is never going to get the credit in U.S. boxing circles that he deserves. There will always be an asterisk of sorts next to his name.

Jones was the sport's finest fighter for a decade and had plenty of opportunities during that span, when he held super middleweight and light heavyweight titles, to fight Calzaghe. But Jones refused to fly to the U.K. to make it happen and, at the time, Calzaghe was fighting exclusively on the European side of the Atlantic.

And while there had been numerous talks between Calzaghe's then-promoter, Frank Warren, and representatives of Hopkins while Hopkins was in the midst of his reign over the middleweight division, which included a record 20 consecutive defenses, a deal never was reached.

So Calzaghe was never given the defining fight that would have marked him unquestionably as the greatest fighter of his era in his weight class. He wound up fighting guys like Robin Reid and Richie Woodhall, respectable fighters but not Jones and Hopkins.

Where all doubt would have been erased had he fought Hopkins, say, in 1998 and Jones in 1999, there will always be that tinge of doubt hanging around him.

This is a guy who since 2006 has dominated a pair of unbeaten super middleweight champions in Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler and then followed those victories by whipping future Hall of Famers Hopkins and Jones.

Calzaghe wouldn't even touch a question about his place in history Saturday, noting, "That's not for me, that's for you guys to say."

He was dumped on his backside in the first round Saturday by a jab and a right hand by Jones, but roared back to win each of the successive 11 rounds, making it look easy with his quick hands, agile feet and superb boxing instincts.

Jones conceded post-fight that Calzaghe was more of a man than he expected. Though he knew Calzaghe would throw about 100 punches a round, he didn't expect them to have much zip on them. He was shocked when they were hurting him, however.

"He won the fight, he definitely won the fight," Jones said. "Those pitty-pats were a little harder than I thought. … I couldn't figure him out."

In 46 fights, no one could and few came close. Calzaghe had his own unique style that hasn't been duplicated and probably never will.

There are a lot of kids who fall in love with slick boxers like Muhammad Ali or Sugar Ray Leonard and try to emulate that fancy style. And there are many others who love the brute strength and intimidating visage presented by someone like Mike Tyson and attempt to mimic that.

There is, however, little to mimic in Calzaghe's style. He slithers around the ring like a snake, and twists and turns away from punches like a contortionist. But when he's near his opponent, he fires his hands almost nonstop.

At times Saturday, it was almost as if he were battering Jones' head like it was a speed bag in the gym. He fired punches so quickly, Jones seemed aghast and unable to even conceive of a way to counter.

Calzaghe so impressed HBO executive Kery Davis that Davis said, "Joe was great and he fought a very Roy Jones style of fight." Given the high regard HBO has held Jones, that's the ultimate compliment.

Calzaghe has few challenges yet remaining. A bout with IBF champion Chad Dawson makes little sense, even though Dawson is a sensational talent in his own right. Dawson is little known and wouldn't represent much of a payday for the 36-year-old Calzaghe, who began his career 15 years ago and only recently began cashing the big-time paydays.

Calzaghe said at the post-fight news conference that he doesn't care for rematches, which would rule out bouts with Kessler and Hopkins.

And so that could mean that masterpiece against Jones – a diminished, washed-up version of Roy Jones, but still Roy Jones – will be the final act of a sensational career.

It's one that will land Calzaghe in the International Boxing Hall of Fame the first time he appears on the ballot.

But because of when he landed his biggest bouts, not enough fans are going to appreciate just how good Joe Calzaghe really is.