Calzaghe slams Ignorant America

Joe Calzaghe has sensationally criticised the state of American boxing with claims that he has never been given enough respect, until now.

Calzaghe is putting together the final preparations for Saturdays Super-Fight with the legendary Roy Jones Jnr. at Madison Square Garden, New York.

The Welshman said: “Americans can’t fight as well as they think they can. They have always been ignorant. That’s why they have never given me the respect I deserve.

“Things have changed. The US didn’t win one boxing medal at the Beijing Olympics, they don’t have one heavyweight world champ. In years gone by that was an unthinkable situation. The heavyweight division is dominated by Ukrainians and Russians.

“Boxing isn’t what it used to be for America but they still say ‘you have to fight in the states or you’re just another European fighter’. I feel the Europeans are now better than their American counterparts.”

Personally, I have to agree with Calzaghe here. Long gone have the days when the Americans have dominated a weight division, many of today’s champions are European, British or South American.

When you think back to the late 60’s and early 70’s, boxing was lit up by great American fighters. I’m talking about the likes of George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sonny Liston and of course Muhammad Ali.

Even in the late 80’s and 90’s, fighters from the states still controlled boxing with the likes of Sugar Ray Leonard, Evander Holyfield, Mike Tyson and even Roy Jones Jnr, who alongside Bernard Hopkins is the last of the greats.

It seems that Muhammad Ali was right on the money when asked whether fellow African-Americans should follow him into the ring when he said:

“I say get an education. Become an electrician, a mechanic, a doctor, a lawyer – anything but a fighter.”

It seems that these words have influenced a generation of African Americans – in particular, one Mr. Barack Obama!