Will Calzaghe swan song be a lame duck? by James Slater Jun 25th 2008

With his undeniably great boxing career winding down towards its conclusion, Joe Calzaghe has been quoted as saying how he feels his taking on Roy Jones Junior in his very last bout will be a great way to finish. Will it, though? For two reasons, such a fight could be one that does detriment to the legacy of "The Pride of Wales." Jones, no way near the pound-for-pound standout he was when he appeared almost invincible back in the late 1990s - early 2000s, has succeeded in putting himself in the position to be able to get as meaningful a fight such as one with Calzaghe. Back when he was being KO'd back to back by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson the thought of him even boxing again - against anyone - looked doubtful. So all credit to Jones for coming back to get reasonable wins over Anthony Hanshaw and Felix Trinidad. But does this really qualify him as a credible opponent for Joe? What if Calzaghe blows Jones away in quick time? Will this be the great way to go out the super-middleweight and light-heavyweight king refers to? Will it mean all that much if Joe does away with the veteran, is what I'm saying? Going out on a veritable farce, in front of a crowd who know they will not be seeing their hero in action again will surely please no-one. Then there's another strong possibility of how the fight could unfold. With the recent vintage of Jones proving how adept he is at boxing negatively and in virtual survival mode only in a number of fights, the Floridian has done his share of spoiling so as to see the finish line. What if his fight with Joe turns out to be nothing more than a hugging match? Calzaghe has gone on record as saying he feels his performance in his last fight, against Bernard Hopkins, was not his best - due in large part to "The Executioner's" propensity to clutch and grab at every opportunity. Now Calzaghe is willing to give us the final chapter of his superb career against another fighter who, if things get hot, will almost certainly do the same thing? The more I look at a Calzaghe-Jones fight, the more I see a less than glorious night for Joe. No, there is very little chance the 36-year-old will lose - not to a Jones whose punch resistance is at the very least unreliable today. But he will, in my opinion, only win in one of two ways. Either he will blow Jones away in a manner that will have many fans screaming farce, or he will be hugged all night as Jones' only goal will be to hear the final bell. Just why Joe Calzaghe sees a fight between he and Jones as a "perfect way to finish," and a fight that would be a "spectacular event" is beyond me. Yes, Joe has more than earned the right to both go out as he sees fit AND pick up what he may well feel is an easy, yet huge, payday. But it would be a crying shame if "The Welsh Dragon" were to exit the sport with either the most boring fight of his entire pro career or a Peter Manfredo-esque embarrassment. As dedicated to winning and then defending his world title(s) as he's been for over ten long years, Calzaghe deserves to go out in a fan-friendly, satisfying to everyone, blaze of glory. I fear a Roy Jones Junior bout will not bring this.

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