It's Britain vs. America at super-middleweight this weekend as John Ryder tackles Daniel Jacobs, live on DAZN.
This Saturday's fight is the insiration for our latest fantasy battle as we put Joe Calzaghe in the ring with Andre Ward.
Who would come out on top in this hypothetical meeting between two all-time greats who retired undefeated?
Here's our take on how it would all pan out.
Joe Calzaghe
A successful amateur who blazed his way through the professional ranks during British boxing’s glory period, Joe Calzaghe arrived on the big stage in 1997 when he defeated Chris Eubank to become world champion. It was a performance that was intended to be a platform for marquee fights, but those events would have to wait for the latter stages of his career as his WBO reign was littered with what ifs and frustration.
Arguably the finest super-middle fighter of his era, Calzaghe’s quest to prove that point endured numerous obstacles as he failed to secure fights with star names around his weight class for a variety of reasons. Testing himself against the bulk of the WBO’s rankings instead of the sport’s leading names, it was difficult to understand just how great Calzaghe could be.
In 2006, boxing fans got their answer. A masterclass against Jeff Lacy, America’s latest hope, gave Calzaghe the credit that had been missing. Follow up wins against Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins added to his legacy before he signed off from the sport in 2008 with a dominant victory over a faded Roy Jones Jr.
Andre Ward
America’s last male Olympic gold medalist in the boxing ring, Andre Ward’s professional success took a seriously long time considering his amateur exploits. Coming up in the sport quietly, Ward’s maiden chance to demonstrate his world class talent occurred in 2009 when he entered the innovative Super Six World Boxing Classic.
A huge underdog for success in the competition due to his limited experience at the highest level, Ward made a mockery of pre-tournament predictions as he turned in a superb performance to defeat Mikkel Kessler. His win over Carl Froch in the final was done with expert precision as he confirmed his dominance at super-middleweight.
Moving to light-heavyweight in the latter stages of his career, Ward was pitted against Sergey Kovalev in a fight that would see the victor emerge as the sport’s best fighter. The Oakland fighter got off the floor in the second round to emerge victorious via a controversial points verdict, but he slammed the door on the rivalry shut seven months later as he stopped the menacing Russian in eight rounds before walking away from the sport.
The Fight: Calzaghe vs. Ward
The speed and relentless of Calzaghe going up against the accuracy and brain of Ward. A case can be made for both fighters due to the standard they fought at when at their best. For large portions of his career, Calzaghe was too good for his opponents when they were overmatched, but against Hopkins, one of boxing’s best ever fighters, the Welshman demonstrated he was at home at the sport’s most elite platform as he performed admirably despite how close the contest was.
Until he fought Kovalev in 2017, Ward had been one of boxing’s most formidable fighters. Against quality names such as Froch, Arthur Abraham and Chad Dawson, Ward barely lost a session and there was never a moment in his career where you thought he was ever in danger of losing his precious undefeated record.
Who wins? DAZN's prediction
Taking a few rounds to work out Calzaghe’s ferocious work rate combined with his southpaw stance, Ward could deter the meanest intentions of his opponent and take the middle rounds.
A late flurry from Calzaghe, knowing he’s behind on the cards, could narrow the margin, but it would be Ward who maintains his unbeaten run by a slender margin as Calzaghe endures the first loss of his career.