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Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr.

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Battle of the Superpowers
DateNovember 8, 2008
VenueMadison Square Garden, New York City, New York,U.S.
Title(s) on the lineThe Ring light heavyweight title
Tale of the tape
Boxer United Kingdom Joe Calzaghe United States Roy Jones Jr.
Nickname "Pride of Wales" "Junior"
Hometown Newbridge, Caerphilly, U.K. Pensacola, Florida, U.S.
Pre-fight record 45–0 (32 KO) 52–4 (38 KO)
Age 36 years, 7 months 39 years, 9 months
Height 6 ft 0 in (183 cm) 5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Weight 174+1⁄2 lb (79 kg) 174+1⁄2 lb (79 kg)
Style Southpaw Orthodox
Recognition The Ring
Light Heavyweight Champion
WBC
No. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
The Ring No. 3 ranked pound-for-pound fighter
2-division world champion		 WBO
No. 1 Ranked Light Heavyweight
WBA/IBF
No. 2 Ranked Light Heavyweight
WBC
No. 5 Ranked Light Heavyweight
The Ring
No. 6 Ranked Light Heavyweight
4-division world champion
Result
Calzaghe wins via 12-round unanimous decision (118-109, 118-109, 118-109)

Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr., billed as Battle of the Superpowers, was a professional boxing match contested on November 8, 2008, for the Ring Light heavyweight championship.[1][2][3]

It ultimately proved to be Calzaghe's final professional bout, as he announced his retirement on February 5, 2009.[4]

Background

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After Calzaghe's split-decision points victory over Bernard Hopkins (see Bernard Hopkins vs. Joe Calzaghe), and Jones's victory over Félix Trinidad, the two signed to fight each other for the Ring magazine light-heavyweight championship of the world. After having been originally scheduled for September 20, 2008, the fight was rescheduled when Calzaghe injured his wrist in training.[5] The bout was then rescheduled for November 8, 2008. The fight received considerable media coverage, including the HBO pre-publicity series, 24/7, in three episodes.[6]

The fight

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The fight did not start well for Calzaghe, who was knocked down in the first round.[2][7] Replays showed the knockdown was caused by an accidental forearm by Jones (a two-punch combination). However, he composed himself and went out strong in the third round. In round 6 Jones landed a thunderous uppercut that had the crowd on their feet. But in round seven Calzaghe opened a cut above Jones's left eye.[7][8] Jones was clearly having difficulty as the blood completely impaired his vision.[7] Essentially Calzaghe remained dominant and in control, something that was reflected in the judges' scorecards as he outclassed Jones. The fight continued all the way to the end of the twelfth round, when all three judges awarded Calzaghe the UD win by a wide margin, each scoring the fight 118-109.[7] Unofficial scorecards from media ringsiders ranged from 118-109 to 117-110 in Calzaghe's favour.[9]

Aftermath

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After the fight there were calls for Calzaghe to retire at the top. Former heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis felt that Calzaghe had nothing left to prove in the world of boxing.[10] Ricky Hatton and David Haye echoed this view by saying there was nothing more Joe could achieve,[11] though double light-heavyweight champion Chad Dawson challenged the champion to one last fight before he retired.[12] In the end, Calzaghe chose to retire, telling the BBC,

It was a difficult decision but I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve in boxing. I've been world champion for 11 years. I've got no other goals to go for. That's why I am calling it a day.[4]

Joe was also challenged by the then undefeated British boxer Carl Froch.

Undercard

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Confirmed bouts:[13]

Broadcasting

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Country Broadcaster
 Hungary Sport 1
 Poland Polsat
 United Kingdom Setanta Sports
 United States HBO

References

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  1. ^ "Joe Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr". boxrec.com. BoxRec. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  2. ^ a b Dirs B Joe Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jr BBC Sport, 9 November 2008
  3. ^ "Calzaghe pummels Jones in unanimous decision". 9 November 2008.
  4. ^ a b "Undefeated Calzaghe quits boxing". BBC Sport. 2009-02-05. Retrieved 2009-02-06.
  5. ^ "Calzaghe injures right wrist, calls off Jones fight". 22 July 2008.
  6. ^ Joe Calzaghe vs Roy Jones Jr HBO Boxing, 8 November 2008
  7. ^ a b c d Hassan N Joe Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jr BBC Sport, 8 November 2008
  8. ^ "Calzaghe does it again". Sky Sports. 10 November 2008.
  9. ^ Gregg Roughley (9 November 2008). "Joe Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jr - as it happened". theguardian.com. The Guardian. Retrieved 2 September 2024.
  10. ^ Calzaghe should retire now - Lewis BBC Sport, 9 November 2008
  11. ^ "Yahoo UK & Ireland - Sports News | Live Scores | Results".
  12. ^ Dawson targeting Calzaghe fight BBC Sport, 11 November 2008
  13. ^ "BoxRec - event".
Preceded by Joe Calzaghe's bouts
8 November 2008 		Retired
Preceded by Roy Jones Jr.'s bouts
8 November 2008 		Succeeded by
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