"Fuck all!" - The power of positive profanity

Time to eat some crow.

I had no idea Calzaghe was that good.

Granted he had made 17 title defenses so I knew he was an exceptional fighter. But I truly thought that he would not be able to hold up against the wrecking ball from Florida, Jeff Lacy.

I'm glad I didn't put any money on this one :)

Calzaghe easily outmaneuvered and outpunched the highly touted American in what was probably the most masterful performance by a British boxer ever, if not certainly in recent memory.

Lacy, whose hammering fists nearly decapitated fellow Americans like Scott Pemberton and Rubin Williams, had no answer for Calzaghe. By the middle of the second round, his facial expression said it all. The fight was, for all purposes, over. Calzaghe was too much and Lacy could only swing for the fences.

Most boxing pundits will cite Calzaghe's superior ring generalship as the primary reason for him winning this bout. I think this is only partially true.

His determination and will power were simply greater than Lacy's. After the first round, Calzaghe returned to his corner and the conversation between himself and his father, Enzo, went something like this.

Joe "His power is shit. Fuck his power".
Enzo "Fuck all..."
Joe "Fuck all! He's shit!"

Ah, the power of positive profanity. There was very little in the way of ring instruction in Calzaghe's corner. Just a few "fuck him!" and a lot of "fuck all!!"...I guess that "fuck all" is the British equivalent of our Ebonic "Fuck dat!"...Point is, Lacy was highly touted in all circles with tons of hype that I still, quite frankly, feel was deserving despite the defeat. But it mattered little to Calzaghe. Refusing to believe in the hype, he pumped himself up in the corner, using the power of forceful language to psych himself up. His punches weren't textbook but he never tired, threw tons of shots and just pummeled Lacy from pillar to post. His determination to impose his will was simply greater than Lacy's.

Whether or not the fight should have been stopped is point for debate. Some pundits may say the fight should have been stopped sometime after the eighth round when Lacy was hopelessly behind on points. I take my hat off to Lacy and his corner as they never stopped trying. The damage will be more psychological than physical, however. I'm not certain if Lacy will recover psychologically from the beating he took.

There is now talk of Calzaghe taking on Jones, Tarver or Glen Johnson.

He would destroy the shell of Jones within five rounds. Tarver would be a more difficult fight than Lacy because of his height but, again, I think Calzaghe would outwill the passive "Magic Man". A fight with Johnson would be a barnburner as they both have similar "Fuck all" mindsets. I'd favor Calzaghe because of his superior speed.

Its hard to explain why Calzaghe has been underrated for all these years. Sometimes its those guys out of the spotlight whose star shines brightest of all, we just don't notice it...