16 years ago

Date: 8th November 2008

Venue: Madison Square Garden, New York

Title: Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Title

Promoter: Roy Jones Jr

Tv: HBO PPV

Joe Calzaghe
( 45 - 0 - 0 )
Weight: 174 1/2 lbs

Roy Jones Jr
( 52 - 4 - 0 )
Weight: 174 1/2 lbs

November 8th 2008. The Ring Magazine Light Heavyweight Title fight between Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr, billed as the "Battle of the Superpowers," was a highly-anticipated event held at Madison Square Garden. The fight was originally scheduled for September 20, 2008, but was postponed due to an injury Calzaghe sustained while training. The event drew a crowd of 14,152 and generated 225,000 pay-per-view buys.

With a relentless attack, Calzaghe, the light heavyweight world champion from Wales, kept his unbeaten record intact as he overwhelmed Jones through 12 rounds. Calzaghe won by unanimous decision, 118-109 on all three judges’ score cards, cementing himself as the No. 1 fighter in the division.

Jones, the 39-year-old former undisputed light heavyweight champion, only had a flash of brilliance in the first round, where he knocked Calzaghe down with a straight left to the nose followed by a slap with his right hand across Calzaghe’s face. But from the third round on, Jones looked like a fighter with his best days behind him.

Calzaghe, who had said he would retire after this fight, proved to be the better man, displaying a dominating onslaught throughout the rest of the fight. Jones insisted that he entered this fight rejuvenated and in the best shape he has been in years, but Calzaghe proved him wrong.

Scores:  Julie Lederman 118-109 | Terry O'Connor 118-109 | Jerry Roth 118-109

This was only Calzaghe’s second fight in the United States. His first was a split-decision victory over Bernard Hopkins in April. With this victory, Calzaghe cemented his position as one of the top fighters in the division, having beaten two legends in Hopkins and Jones. Despite criticism that Calzaghe has never beaten a big-name fighter in his prime, he has solidified his legacy as a two-division titleholder.