CANELO VS. THE GREATS
CANELO vs. JOE CALZAGHE (at super middleweight) Calzaghe quickly came of age during a baptism by fire against wily veteran Chris Eubank (UD 12) for the vacant WBO super middleweight title in 1997. The Welshman won the other major 168-pound belts and earned The Ring championship
gets the decision with his eye-catching power shots.” Mizzone: “This is an interesting one. As much as Calzaghe fought the right guys at the right time, he always found a way to win. The question is: Can he handle Canelo’s power and come- forward style? I am going to call this one a draw.” Rotonda: “Joe is a southpaw who has incredible stamina, throws wild combinations and is real agile in the ring. Canelo brings raw power in both hands, incredible head movement and a wealth of experience against top opposition. My concern with Joe in this fight is I don’t think he can actually hurt Canelo, so in order for him to win this fight, he needs to pitch a shutout. He cannot afford to take any big shots. Joe more often than not finds himself in situations where he is trading shots with his opponents, and I think that backfires here. I have Canelo catching him at some point in the fight and getting a stoppage win.”
savage ring savvy in three super middleweight title defenses that he mixed in with an astounding seven non-title bouts in just under 18 months. Toney was a throwback fighter in terms of his ring craft and his ring activity. His final successful title defense vs. rugged former light heavyweight beltholder Prince Charles Williams (KO 12) is a perfect example of Toney’s punishing prime. Bottjer: “There are times when Toney makes Canelo miss with every punch in his combinations. They fight in close, yet it’s tactical. Canelo is just a bit more consistent and wins a close decision.” Mizzone: “I see Canelo having an easier time with Toney, with Canelo’s come-forward style. I see Toney down from a body shot in the third round but getting up. Canelo by 12-round unanimous decision.” Rotonda: “Both have granite chins and both are very good defensively. I can see Toney frustrating Canelo with his movement and counterpunching. I think stylistically this is not a favorable fight for Canelo; he is going to have a much more difficult time landing clean on Toney than people realize. I am going with a decision win for James Toney.”
but the cerebral Bay Area boxer came of age during the Super Six World Boxing Classic 168-pound tournament that began in 2009. Ward bested (in order) Mikkel Kessler (TD 11 – to win the WBA title), Allan Green (UD 12), Sakio Bika (UD 12 – outside of the tournament) and Arthur Abraham (UD 12) before unifying belts with WBC ruler Carl Froch (UD 12) in the final to earn the vacant Ring Magazine championship. Ward was a consummate technician with underrated toughness and a mean streak that occasionally manifested with sneaky (and effective) roughhouse tactics. Bottjer: “For once, Canelo experiences frustration. He can’t solve Ward, who is as unpredictable with his punches as a jazz player in full flight. The fight is not good for anybody, except for Ward, who takes a decision.” Mizzone: “This may be one of the easiest to pick. I think Ward would box circles around Canelo, like what Bivol did to Canelo. Ward by 12-round unanimous decision.” Rotonda: “Stylistically, two high- level fighters with completely different styles. I don’t think we’re looking at the most exciting fight in the world, but I think we would see why Andre Ward is known to have such a high fight IQ. Ward has been in with big punchers; I don’t think he would physically break Canelo down, but I think he would stay on the outside and box his way to a decision win.”
en route to 21 title defenses over a near
11-year period. Charles Brewer (UD 12), Byron
Mitchell (TKO 2), Jeff Lacy (UD 12) and Mikkel Kessler (UD 12) are among Calzaghe’s notable 168-pound victories. An indefatigable volume puncher, Calzaghe was a cerebral southpaw with fast hands, fluid footwork and fighting heart.
Canelo would have a hard time hitting Jones. Jones in his prime was a bad man. I would have to go with Roy by 12-round unanimous decision.” Rotonda: “Both of these guys in their prime, this would have been one of the biggest fights in the history of the sport. Roy always did such a good job at fighting tall, also great at switching it up
Bottjer: “Fascinating match. Quantity vs. quality. The quantity man (Calzaghe) adds a huge boxing IQ, and the quality man was never outboxed in this weight class. Calzaghe lands more, but there’s no argument when Canelo
Canelo: 2-0-1
between orthodox and southpaw. On the other hand, Roy leaves himself open for counters, which is super dangerous considering Canelo’s ability to counter his opponents. I can see Roy dominating the fight on the scorecards, and ultimately fatiguing late in the fight, where Canelo will catch him and score a stoppage win.”
Canelo 2-1
CANELO vs. JAMES TONEY (at super middleweight)
Ward: 3-0
Toney’s whirlwind middleweight title reign – consisting of six defenses in 15 months – was special, but the quick-tempered Michigan native came of age during his super middleweight run that took off with his brilliantly brutal defeat of defending IBF beltholder Iran Barkley (TKO 9) in early 1993. The 168-pound weight limit was healthier for Toney, who battled the scale at middleweight. The surly counterpuncher displayed
(Canelo win)-(Legend win)- (Draw) Bottjer: 6-6-0 Mizzone: 6-4-2 Rotonda: 5-7-0
CANELO vs. ANDRE WARD (at super middleweight) Ward, who claimed gold at the 2004 Olympics (the last American male boxer to do so), took a few years to find his pro legs at middleweight,
Questions and/or comments can be sent to Anson at elraincoat@live.co.uk, and you can follow him on X @AnsonWainwr1ght.
Jones 2-1
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