Former world champion Tony Bellew has compared the resumes of Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch, while also naming a winner of their hypothetical prime-for-prime showdown.
While we will never know the true result of their fantasy fight, most would argue that Calzaghe’s Hall of Fame career was superior to that of Froch.
This is largely because he boasts the all-time record (21) for most consecutive successful world title defences at 168lbs, just five behind heavyweight legend Joe Louis’ pound-for-pound record.
Two of his most notable victories came against Mikkel Kessler and Jeff Lacy, while his light-heavyweight debut saw him outpoint a still-serviceable version of Bernard Hopkins in 2008.
Yet despite these high-profile performances, Bellew remains convinced that Froch crafted the more impressive resume during his own super-middleweight campaign.
Before losing to Kessler in 2010, ‘The Cobra’ had outpointed Jean Pascal for the WBC world title, which he defended with a stunning 12th-round finish over Jermain Taylor and a split decision triumph against Andre Dirrell.
Froch then eventually dethroned Lucian Bute after losing to Andre Ward, with further significant victories arriving against Kessler and George Groves.
But while believing that the Nottingham man generally faced a higher calibre of opposition, Bellew has told Fight Your Corner that Calzaghe would have ultimately beaten him.
“Carl has got a better resume than Joe Calzaghe, he has. I don’t think that he would have beaten Joe Calzaghe, but he has got a better resume than him.”
“Carl’s career, on paper, is better than Joe Calzaghe’s.”
Managing to defeat every opponent with a masterful southpaw style, Calzaghe eventually retired with an unblemished record of 46-0 (32 KOs).
