Sugar Ray Leonard, the boxing legend, thinks Joe Calzaghe would've stood toe-to-toe with the best fighters of his era. Leonard shared this view back in 2007, putting Calzaghe in the same league as some of boxing's greatest names.
Leonard's career spanned two decades, from 1977 to 1997. He grabbed world titles in five different weight classes and was part of the famous 'Four Kings' alongside Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns, and Roberto Duran. Leonard's the only fighter who beat all three of these boxing giants.
In 2007, Calzaghe was getting ready to defend his WBO super middleweight title against Peter Manfredo Jr. That's when Leonard spoke up about the Welsh boxer's skills.
"Joe has got great punching power and has all the attributes you need," Leonard said. "He would have held his own against all the greats I fought, like Marvin Hagler and Thomas Hearns. And he would hold his own with the others like Bernard Hopkins. He has the talent and heart."
Calzaghe's career backs up Leonard's high praise. He held onto his WBO super-middleweight title for a decade, defending it 20 times. In November 2007, he had his biggest win yet, beating Mikkel Kessler to add the WBC and WBA belts to his collection.
After that, Calzaghe moved up to 175lbs. He capped off his career with wins over Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins. Then, in early 2009, he hung up his gloves for good, retiring undefeated.
Leonard's last big win came against Duran in the super middleweight division. So when he talks about how Calzaghe would've done against the greats, he knows what he's talking about. His words put Calzaghe right up there with some of boxing's biggest names.
