Roy Jone's Jr. - Joe Calzaghe: History's Mirror

“I don’t want to be remembered as a beaten champion.” – Rocky Marciano

It was October 26^th 1951; Rocky Marciano fought Joe Louis at Madison Square Garden.

Marciano was at the peak of his powers against Louis, who was in the twilight of a fabled career. Even at this stage, Louis was more dangerous than most and pushed Rocky.

Marciano would win by knockout in the eighth.

Rocky knocked Joe through the ropes and this win would be a stepping stone for Marciano.

Rocky left the ring in tears and made his way to the dressing room. Many thought Marciano was crying due to the elation of the win.

However, they were wrong.

Marciano was crying because he had knocked out a man he respected and idolized. He felt that the public would also vilify him for mauling an American hero.

The sentiment of that fight is almost a mirror of the Calzaghe/Jones fight.

The fight started with a flurry, after Jones knocked down Calzaghe I was looking forward to a great bout.

However, as the rounds went on, Calzaghe wore down Jones’s and began to overwhelm him. It was at this stage where I began to feel depressed with the fight.

Most people grew up watching Roy Jones and awing at his ability.

Watching him getting cut and beaten made the fight almost unwatchable at the end. It harked back to past champions who fought too long.

The hands just didn’t do what the mind wanted them to.

Roy Jones’s should retire now and maybe so should Calzaghe. Even though the analysts were calling for a fight with Chad Dawson, Calzaghe should maybe follow Marciano’s example and bow out at the top.

Nobody wants to see another shining star fall.