Former WBO super-middleweight champion Billy Joe Saunders once shared his views on the outcome of a fantasy clash between Joe Calzaghe and Carl Froch.
Both Calzaghe and Froch enjoyed considerable success throughout the course of their respective professional careers, winning multiple versions of the world super-middleweight title along the way.
Welsh great Calzaghe is widely considered to be one of the greatest British fighters of all time, remaining unbeaten during his tenure whilst producing legacy-defining wins over the likes of Roy Jones Jr, Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins.
As for Froch, the Nottingham-native shared the ring with some of the best super-middleweights of his generation, including the likes of Andre Ward who he locked horns with in the final of the Super Six Boxing Classic back in 2011.
In a resurfaced feature with The Daily Mail, Billy Joe Saunders didn’t hesitate to back Calzaghe to reign supreme over Froch, as he claims the Welsh great would have knocked out his domestic rival.
“It would have been a good fight, but there would have been only one winner: Joe Calzaghe. He fought the best and he beat the best. He was a slick southpaw with speed and strength, and a good boxing brain. Froch is strong, but Calzaghe beat strong fighters, such as Jeff Lacy, with ease.
“I’ve got no other option than to say that Calzaghe would absolutely smash him. Calzaghe had the power and skill to knock him out late. Calzaghe was a fast starter, unlike Froch, and I think Calzaghe would have too much for him.”
One of the best wins of Calzaghe’s tenure came in March of 2006 when he outclassed highly-rated American fighter Jeff Lacy over 12-rounds to unify the WBO and IBF world titles at 168lbs.
Calzaghe ended his glittering professional career with two outstanding away wins against Jones and Hopkins, walking away from the sport with an unblemished record of 46-0 to his name in 2009. He has said if he could face one other man it would be Froch, and both have made their own cases for why and how they would win over the years.
