Buzz missing from Calzaghe build-up
"Bring back promoters," cracked a weary British journalist as he joined the rather unruly weigh-in outside a side entrance on Friday afternoon.
Sports hacks, accustomed as they are to wafting aside paying punters and marching into venues with nothing more than a regal flash of their credentials, can turn into rather precious loves when asked to stand in line.
But there can be no denying it has been a bitty old build-up to with nothing super about the promotional side of things.
Indeed, there has emerged an overall impression this week that we'd be hearing the words "what fight?" a lot less if - whisper this quietly - Don King had been in charge,
And one of the abiding memories will be the sight of venerable on the blower in the press room at the Marriott Marquis Hotel with nothing but an unlit cigar for company. It must have seemed like his world had ended.
It is the job of a sports journalist to relay to the public the excitement and crackle of the event, but if no one's around to light the fireworks, there aren't likely to be too many bangs.
Jones and Calzaghe, who split with Frank Warren after his fight with Bernard Hopkins in April, decided this was one party they would be in charge of.
"You don't need bad mouthing to hype a great fight like this," said Calzaghe a couple of days ago, but sluggish ticket sales have rather disproved that comment, with plenty of tickets are up for grabs on the eve of the fight.
Calzaghe and Jones, who apparently sealed the fight with a text message, have negotiated a 50-50 split of the proceeds, but you can't help wondering if the proceeds would have been rather more if they had an experienced ring master cracking the whip. At least he might have put a few more posters up.
At the weigh-in, you would be more likely to see the two business partners fall into a loving embrace than indulge in a spot of pre-fight fisticuffs, and the decision to sell only 80 tickets to the public - there were plenty more Calzaghe fans locked outside - was frankly bizarre.
Jones, who took to the scales in a tea cosy hat, a pair of boxer shorts and tennis socks, looked like he'd just padded in from his kitchen after fixing some breakfast.
Some noted that he looked slightly ill at ease, while Calzaghe was as relaxed as ever, mugging to his fellow Welshmen in the crowd and jigging playfully from side to side during the obligatory face-off.
Jones shook his head when Calzaghe promised he'd still be undefeated on Sunday morning, but he didn't look entirely convincing.
Back on Calzaghe fans raised camera phones high above their heads and slapped their hero as he headed for his limo, and every one of them had no doubt that Jones was heading for a drubbing.
"There is absolutely no way Jones is going to win this fight," said Jamie from Cardiff. "Joe's too fast, too fit and throws too many punches. Jones should have hung them up years ago."
"Calzaghe's going to get messed up, man," countered one of the few Jones fans in attendance, "where the hell is anyway?"
But his mate didn't seem so sure, smiling apologetically, shaking his head and repeating "Roy's going to get whupped" over and over again, as if preparing himself for the trauma.
But at least they knew why they were there, unlike most of the Americans on the fringes of the scrum. "Who is this guy anyway?" said one young lady for the second time as she snapped away with her camera. "Joe Calzaghe." "Jo Cal-WHO? I thought it was one of the ."
Still, look where hype got - a rancid encounter that will live short in the memory. You never know, Saturday night could end up being a nailed on classic.
Hello. I have been working for the ³ÉÈË¿ìÊÖ for more than a decade now and cover almost all sports. It would be good to hear from you - just don't be nasty or my mum might get upset.
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Comment number 1.
At 8th Nov 2008, callcentremunkey wrote:Oh dear Ben, what a shame - no celebrities for you to smooze with. Perhaps writing an insightful article about THE FIGHT ITSELF could be called for?
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Comment number 2.
At 8th Nov 2008, engftypakcrktwoeisme wrote:I agree with you a little but since I am a regular user of Boxing 606 - I'm a little overexposed to it.
Just wanted to ask what was meant by he looked ill at ease?
Cheers
oh and :P First Post if the mods slap it in on time!
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Comment number 3.
At 8th Nov 2008, Vox Populi wrote:Ben Dirs is probably comparing it to Hatton v Mayweather. Which lets face it, fight aside, was a circus.
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Comment number 4.
At 8th Nov 2008, Glaucon wrote:'Where the hell is Wales anyway' : As if that's an insult but a 'typical' piece of ignorance from another philistine across the pond!
Whether or not the fight has been promoted well or not, you can guarantee when the fight is about to start, there willl be millions of eyes on the ring around the world.
And do these two really need the cash anyway? I doubt it.
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Comment number 5.
At 8th Nov 2008, spudseven wrote:C'mon Ben you can do better than that.......
a tired piece of writing, maybe its time to think about joining these two in retirement if you can't get out of this predictable rut and give us something stimulating.
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Comment number 6.
At 8th Nov 2008, lightother wrote:can't believe anyone cares!!! what a sad end to Joe's career!
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Comment number 7.
At 8th Nov 2008, sensationalbodhran wrote:Is anyone going to watch it? No-one in New York has heard of Joe and Roy retired 6 years ago.
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Comment number 8.
At 8th Nov 2008, lightother wrote:I've seen more comments on a bog door!
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Comment number 9.
At 8th Nov 2008, boils wrote:well asking a random woman on the street who Joe Calzaghe is is hardly going to get a great response except from a journalistic point of view.
Joe isn't even a huge name in the UK. in Wales yes, but overlal in the UK I'd say the 'general' public don't particularly know who he is.
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Comment number 10.
At 8th Nov 2008, gay fish wrote:I'm going to watch it if I can stay up. I think it will be a good fight and very much looking forward to it. I think the promotion for this fight has been the equivalent of damien hirst selling his art direct to whoever wants it without a gallery in the way that the fighters will get the financial benefits. Why a ring master (as Ben refers to it) would be needed is completely a moot point as then you get the kind of scenes we have had before Hatton fights with multiple swearing and stupid pushing matches between the various psychophants in each camp. Just watch the youtube videos of Jones talking about the fight and it is very refreshing.
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Comment number 11.
At 8th Nov 2008, Bring_back_Gus wrote:Joe C is a little unfortunate. He is a a genuinely nice guy with an equally nice style. However nothing Joe has to offer has the guarantee of excitement.
He is undountedly a great fighter and anyone that can go theough their career undefeated has to be up near the top.
Joe's main problem, aside form the above) is that he has fought the greats when they are a little past their prime (Hopkins/Jones).
Not his fault, but to me that is what separates Leonard/Haggler/Duran/Hearns/Ali/Mayweather/D Le Hoya from the rest.
No disrespect to Joe but I think he really has to make a catchweight fight with one of the three currents named above....
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Comment number 12.
At 8th Nov 2008, Observer321 wrote:The reason for the "Lack of Buzz' is simple.
Calzaghe has never fought a Solid opponenet in his Prime, and has always gone into fights as the favorite and with some advantage.
Even against a 43 year old passed it Hopkins, he only won by a controversial SD.
RJJ is a legend. No Doubt. But he is passed it. His career died a few years ago.
Like Calzaghe said himself a few years ago. RJJ is passed it and there is no point in facing him.
Now RJJ is over the hill and even been KO's, Calzaghe knows he can beat him so has decided to face him.
I'm disappointed in Calzaghe, he has so much talent, but wasted his best years defending one Belt, and never went Prime v Prime against World-Class or Legend opponnents.
He may retire undefeated, but there will be a massive question mark on his career.
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Comment number 13.
At 8th Nov 2008, Daze wrote:I always get a bit dissapointed by the anti-calzaghe comments. With the never fought a fighter in his prime comments. Admittedly, for a few years that was a valid arguement but since his fight with Jeff Lacy and then his fight Mikkel Kesler that arguements gone.
As for Hopkins, maybe not at his very best but he made Pavlik look like an amateur and Pavlik was the one legitimate fight that Joe could have taken in his own division.
I'm sure if the fight was Hopkins vs Jones jr the Americans would love it no matter if there was a promoter or not. It's just unfortunate that the American audience only recognise American fighters as 'great' and Joe will never get the rocognition he deserves.
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Comment number 14.
At 8th Nov 2008, JobyJak wrote:How do you always get these jobs Ben?
You were at Hatton Mayweather and Hopkins Calzaghe, when all you do is spew up other writers' rhetoric.
My license fee has spent thousands on you being there and all you care about is that other promoters would've treated you better.
Who cares that Don King didn't promote it? Only you pompous journalists that think you're above the average boxing fan and expect a red carpet treatment from reporting the fight.
True boxing fans know and care about this fight. That is all that matters!
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Comment number 15.
At 8th Nov 2008, bendirs wrote:engfty - Just that, he looked ill at ease, not quite right, as if he didn't really want to be there.
Subterranean - I'm not comparing it only to Hatton-Mayweather, I was also at the Calzaghe-Hopkins fight and have been involved with plenty of build-ups back in the UK. It just hasn't caught fire.
spudseven - "Tired piece of writing?" Do you want me to make out everyone's going crazy for the fight over here in New York when that simply isn't the case? Some might call tha tired, others might call if giving you an honest view of the atmos over here.
Gerrards - But that's the whole point surely -yes the fighters will get the financial benefits, but they won't be as high because fewer people are going to be watching it in the arena than perhaps could have been and fewer people are going to be watching it on TV. Promoters don't promote for the hell of it, they do it to raise interest in the fight and thus raise more revenue for their man.
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Comment number 16.
At 8th Nov 2008, ftladder wrote:For the lady who does'nt know where Wales is, it is a county in Western England. ;)
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Comment number 17.
At 8th Nov 2008, sensationalbodhran wrote:It hasn't caught fire because Joe is a nobody in the US of A and Jones has been finished since 2003.
This is two friends pretending to fight each other for a large sum of money which they are spolitting down the middle.
Why didn't they fight 7 or 8 years ago?
The best Super Middleweight of the last twenty years was Ottke of Germany. How come Joe never fought him?
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Comment number 18.
At 8th Nov 2008, bendirs wrote:"The best super-middleweight of the last 20 years was Sven Ottke"? That has to be a wind-up, he wasn't fit, to paraphrase Larry Holmes, to carry Calzaghe or Jones' jockstrap. His nickname should have been Robin Hood he stole so many fights.
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Comment number 19.
At 8th Nov 2008, AmirObviouslyKhant wrote:I tuned in to Yahoo Boxing's website last night at 9pm to watch the weigh in and was a left a little confused. There was this stage, and a load of people around the back and sides of it, I assume they were making the final preparations to the ring, lighting and seating etc etc before the fight. However, at the time, I thought I would have to wait at least 30+ minutes for the usual large banner which you see at all the big weigh ins which usually has a picture of both fighters going head-to-head, the date of the fight, and the sponsers/TV networks. But, none of that.
And, no crowd. (?)
The whole thing looked very under-promoted, and cheap. I was expecting to hear the roaring crowd we saw at the Hopkins/Calzaghe weigh in, but this was very subdued at quite frankly, boring. Obviously there was never going to be any pushing or shoving, as both fighters have shown great respect for one another. It's just, when it comes to the big fights, I always get hyped for the weigh-in, as it's always interesting to see how the fighters look, both physically, and mentally (if you see what I mean).
Now, imagine if this was just a few hours away, on the evening of what could (should) have been Calzaghe vs Pavlik. Oh man, would I be hyped or what!
I don't feel very excited.
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Comment number 20.
At 8th Nov 2008, TommoK99 wrote:Any idea roughly what time (UK time) the fight will start tonight?
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Comment number 21.
At 8th Nov 2008, DMRawlings wrote:about 0415 i think.
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Comment number 22.
At 8th Nov 2008, Ichi_1 wrote:"The best Super Middleweight of the last twenty years was Ottke of Germany. How come Joe never fought him?"
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You either must be:
A. German and therefore brainwashed.
B. A person with an IQ of under 10.
C. One of these types who looks at numbers on a sheet and judges boxers merits on those without actually having seen any of their fights.
Which one is it?
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Comment number 23.
At 8th Nov 2008, Ichi_1 wrote:And for those not in the know. Ottke is one of the last living examples of human propaganda in sport.
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Comment number 24.
At 8th Nov 2008, Galed07 wrote:ftladder (16)
I love the "Wales is a country in the west of England". Is this a put on, normal english contempt for anything not English, or simply ignorance on someones´ part?.
Gwyn Williams
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