Joe Calzaghe, the undefeated boxing legend, has picked Charles Brewer as the hardest puncher he faced in his career. The Welsh fighter made this surprising choice in a recent interview with The Ring Magazine, despite having fought big names like Roy Jones Jr, Bernard Hopkins, and Chris Eubank.
Calzaghe ended his career with a perfect 46-0 record, including 32 knockouts. He held the WBO super middleweight title for over a decade, from 1997 to 2008. He also unified the super middleweight division in 2006 and grabbed The Ring light heavyweight title in 2008.
Known for his fast hands and high punch output, Calzaghe beat some of the best in the business. His list of wins includes Chris Eubank, Jeff Lacey, Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins, and Roy Jones Jr. But when asked about the hardest hitter he faced, Calzaghe didn't pick any of these famous names.
"Kessler hit hard, but I'd probably go with Charles Brewer. My game plan was to outbox him, but Charles Brewer I had seen knock out lots of guys."
Calzaghe vividly remembers his fight with Brewer:
"I remember in the first round he came out and whacked me right in the solar plexus. If you watch the tape, you see me take a deep breath and then go toe to toe for the rest of the fight. He buzzed me up a few times in that fight. Heavy-handed and dangerous from the first round till the 12th."
Charles 'The Hatchet' Brewer, from Philadelphia, had a solid career himself. He challenged for the world title at 168 pounds twice, losing to both Calzaghe and Mario Veit. Brewer retired in 2005 with a record of 40 wins (28 by knockout) in 51 fights.
It's worth noting that while Calzaghe names Brewer as the hardest hitter, he was knocked down by other fighters during his career. Byron Mitchell, Bernard Hopkins, and Roy Jones Jr all managed to put Calzaghe on the canvas, but he doesn't consider them his hardest punchers.
Even after retirement, Calzaghe's legacy continues to spark debates. A potential matchup with Carl Froch never happened, and fans still argue about how it might have gone. Frank Warren, Calzaghe's former promoter, sides with his fighter without hesitation when this topic comes up.
Calzaghe's choice of Brewer as his hardest-hitting opponent shows that in boxing, it's not always the most famous names that leave the biggest impact. Sometimes, it's the lesser-known fighters who pack the biggest punch.
