Joe Calzaghe, the undefeated boxing champion, recently shared his thoughts on a hypothetical fight with Andre Ward. The Pride of Wales met up with Ward and discussed how a match between them might have played out.
Calzaghe retired in 2008 with a perfect 46-0 record. He dominated the super-middleweight division for over a decade, defending his WBO title more than 20 times. The Welsh fighter also claimed the Ring Magazine light-heavyweight title before hanging up his gloves.
During his career, Calzaghe beat some of the best in the business. He took down Jeff Lacy, Sakio Bika, Mikkel Kessler, Roy Jones Jr, and Bernard Hopkins. His southpaw style, good chin, and awkward fighting made him a tough opponent for anyone.
"I'm a southpaw; I've got a good chin; I'm just awkward in a fight, man. I give everybody a nightmare. I'll tell you what, brother, let's just say [it would have been] a draw."
Calzaghe said this during a recent meeting with Ward. At first, he made a case for why he'd win, but then diplomatically suggested a draw.
Ward, also retired and undefeated, had a stellar career himself. He beat top fighters like Carl Froch and Mikkel Kessler. Ward was known for getting in close and landing sneaky body shots.
The timing of their careers makes this matchup purely hypothetical. When Calzaghe retired in 2008, Ward had only 16 fights under his belt and hadn't won a world title yet. Ward went on to have a great career, capping it off with two wins over Sergey Kovalev in 2016 and 2017.
Both Calzaghe and Ward are in the Hall of Fame now. Fans and experts often compare them to other legends in their weight classes. Calzaghe, in particular, goes down as one of the best British fighters ever.
While we'll never know how a fight between them would have gone, it's fun to imagine these two undefeated champions facing off in their primes.
