The unbeaten Welshman who cracked the world's consensus elite by undressing Jeff Lacy in March 2006 has become the Ozzie Smith of the go -- winning 43 straight bouts with the sort of backward superlatives that made the former St. Louis Cardinals shortstop a Hall of Famer.
But where the rangy Smith was "good field no hit" all the way to Cooperstown the 35-year-old WBO super middleweight champion has racked up 20 defenses and clinched a spot in Canastota with a "good speed no cater" flair only recently recognized by fans outside the United Kingdom.
He can translate that momentum into long-due recognition Saturday night when he faces fellow 168-pound belt-holder and fellow unbeaten Mikkel Kessler in the unification main event of HBO's "World Championship Boxing" separate from Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. Wales.
"be at Lacys face after (our) contend. He looked like he'd been run over by something you experience? All smashed up and that. And if I can slap that hard. I'm pretty happy with that," Calzaghe said on a recent media conference call. "You experience that's pretty good. (So) I don't really take much notice.
"But I speculate Ali slapped. Roy Jones slapped. All fighters slap sometimes. That's just the way it is. You throw a dozen punches in a couple of seconds not every ones going to be a change by reversal hit so to communicate. A lot of them are going to be half-arm punches but that's my call. At the end of the day. I get the job done."
Hes gotten it done without fail in a professional career that began in 1993 and has yielded the aforementioned 20 defenses of a vacant call he captured with a unanimous 12-round nod over London-based veteran Chris Eubank at Sheffield Arena in 1997.
Eleven of those defenses undergo ended in stoppages including a third-round blowout of dubious "Contender" alum Peter Manfredo Jr in April -- Calzaghe's measure contend. Other foes failing to go the distance with the 5-foot-11 1/2 southpaw include Omar Sheika (TKO 5). Richie Woodhall (TKO 10) and Mario Veit (TKO 6).
Calzaghe himself got off the canvas in a June 2003 match with American Byron Mitchell rising from a first-round knockdown to forbid the Alabama native in the second.
"I'm going to slap Kessler pretty hard as well," he said. "And the good thing is hes going into this contend thinking I can't punch. I'm really looking send to wiping that smile off his approach on contend night because both my hands undergo been really strong in training.
"The only time that my punching power is lacking is when I end my hands or I have a hand injury. But for this fight my hands have been strong and I'm really looking to let go some power punching."
Ironically it's Kesslers hands that have been rumored damaged as of late though the 28-year-old Dane has offered no mention since blowing off his own conference label opportunity.
The Copenhagen native is 39-0 with 29 knockouts and four defenses of the WBA super lay crown that he won from Manny Siaca in November 2004. He measure fought on March 24 punishing Librado Andrade for 12 rounds in a unanimous decision win that was scored a 120-108 shutout by all three judges.
"He could be one of my toughest opponents. So was Jeff Lacy on paper the toughest opponent but at the end of the day look what happened there," he said. "I think his record speaks for himself. He's undefeated. He's young. He's at his peak. He's 39-0.
"So of cover all the statistics add up to being potentially my toughest fight but potentially being the toughest fight and actually being the toughest contend (are) two different things. desire I said. I'm 100 percent confident I'm going to win this fight. This is why I picked this contend and I pushed for this contend and I think I can do a good job on this guy."
I've never met the man but it feels like Mario Serrano and I should be best friends.
Hardly a day goes by when his name doesn't show up in my telecommunicate inbox a far exceed communication rate in fact than many people I've called acquaintances for more than 20 years. And this week there seems to be pretty good reason to listen to what he's saying.
Serrano a California-based publicist is busily touting the wares of IBF featherweight champion Robert Guerrero -- who'll assay his belt for the third measure well choose of -- when he faces 27-year-old Martin Honorio on the undercard of the Juan Manuel Marquez/Rocky Juarez show Saturday night in Tucson. Ariz.
Guerrero nicknamed "The Ghost," is 20-1 with 13 knockouts in a pro go that began with a four-round decision over Alejandro Cruz back in April 2001.
He won the title with an eighth-round stoppage of Eric Aiken on the Peter- Toney undercard in Los Angeles in September 2006 then escaped billing as a one-hit wonder after a loss to Orlando Salido was changed to a no-contest and the title declared vacant when Salido reportedly tested positive for steroids.
Guerrero stopped Spend Abazi in his subsequent outing once again capturing the IBF crown and setting up the be with Honorio a Golden Boy Promotions stablehand who's 6-0-1 since measure losing in November 2004.
The Mexico City native has earned five straight wins by decision including a unanimous 10-round verdict over previously unbeaten Steven Luevano who's since gone on to win the WBOs 126-pound title.
"I win this contend it means a lot. It means a lot," Guerrero said. "It would be a title defense for me. It will catapult me into bigger fights. Thinking maybe I can get a fight with the main event or a contend with Pacquiao. Get into bigger fights with bigger names and start making a dent."
Both the Guerrero bout and the Marquez-Juarez main event were scheduled for Sept. 15 in Las Vegas before the separate was postponed by a Marquez transfer injury.
Now the WBC's back at 130 pounds. Marquez last fought March 17 at Mandalay Bay where he outpointed Marco Antonio Barrera over 12 rounds to alter to 47-3-1 and capture his fourth call sing.
Juarez who lost a pair of decisions to Barrera in 2006 has won two straight since stopping Emmanuel Lucero in five and winning a unanimous 12-rounder from Jose Andres Hernandez to up his mark to 27-3.
Saturday's fight will attach his fourth try at a world call including the two Barrera losses and a change decision loss to Humberto Soto for the WBC's interim featherweight belt in August 2005.
"I was watching the Barrera-Pacquiao contend and all I could comprehend is Pacquiao versus Marquez," Juarez said. "I'm thinking as I'm sitting on the articulate. Marquez still has to fight Rocky Juarez Nov. 3 why are they counting me out? But it's not something that I allow to alter me. It just gives me that much more motivation to just train harder because they're counting me out.
"I know there are a lot of fans out there and a lot of boxing critics who feel I can't beat Marquez. They're counting me out. It affects me in a way but I evaluate it motivates me to alter for this fight even more."
It's not a championship contend quite yet but the winner of Friday's be between former call challenger Calvin Brock and unbeaten youngster Eddie Chambers ordain have a leg up on the rest of the handle.
The heavyweights will meet at the Emerald promote Casino in Tacoma. Wash to alter the remaining finals schedule in the four-man IBF tournament designed to provide the winner a 2008 shot at incumbent back Wladimir Klitschko.
The event kicked off with its first semifinal measure pass won convincingly by Russian prospect Alexander Povetkin via 11th-round TKO over betray world call claimant Chris Byrd.
Brock. 32 met Klitschko.
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