Preview: Joe Calzaghe v Byron Mitchell

By Ben Carey

25.06 - Joe Calzaghe is eager to prove that he is the no.1 super-middleweight in the world. Is his latest challenger about to produce a nasty surprise?

After comfortably brushing aside the inept challenges of Miguel Jimenez and Tocker Pudwill, Joe Calzaghe faces a far sterner test for the 13th defence of his WBO super-middleweight title in America's former two-time WBA champion Byron Mitchell in Cardiff on June 28.

Considering that the original plan was to feed the Welshman a shot Thomas Tate and then WBA middleweight champion William Joppy, Mitchell, for once, is about as credible a substitute opponent as you're likely to get. Unlike Calzaghe, the American is not afraid to unify the world super-middleweight title, nor is he afraid to step into an opponent's backyard. Mitchell's overseas forays have been largely unfruitful, however. In March he deservedly dropped a split decision in Germany to the unbeaten Sven Ottke in a WBA/IBF unification showdown. Mitchell finished that fight strongly though and even hurt the German in the final round.

With a Calzaghe-Ottke match about as likely as David Beckham announcing that he wants to play for Stockport, Calzaghe must make an emphatic statement against Mitchell to convince his detractors that he is indeed the best super-middleweight in the world.

Although the Welshman is once again squaring off against a fighter who has already been beaten by Sven Ottke, a convincing win for Calzaghe should dispel the myth that the German is the world's premier 12 stone operator. Is the heavy-handed Mitchell any less of a threat than what he was to Ottke in March? Was anyone labeling Charles Brewer as being "shot" after he slugged it out for 12 rounds with Calzaghe last April? Did Calzaghe not hand Brewer and Tocker Pudwill a pair of one-sided beatings in contrast to Ottke's unimpressive victories over the same challengers? The key word in this argument is how, not when. I've yet to come across anyone who's prepared to tell me that Ottke's performances have been more impressive than Calzaghe's.

Whilst Calzaghe would gain respect for being prepared to face Ottke in Germany, he certainly wouldn't receive any for beating him. The only surprise that would stem from a Calzaghe win on foreign soil would be that he wasn't robbed by the judges, not by the fact that he would be triumphing over a fellow undefeated champion to unify the super-middleweight titles. In the unlikeness of it ever happening, Ottke would never be a defining fight for Calzaghe for the simple reason that nobody outside Germany would expect him to lose. Nor should Calzaghe waste his time on establishing domestic bragging rights with Howard Eastman, a fighter who has seemingly built his reputation on the back of losing, deservedly, to the poorly regarded William Joppy. Hang in there this rant is going somewhere.

For Calzaghe to land a truly defining fight and the respect that comes along with it he has to face and beat a top-rated American. A victory over Bernard Hopkins, even allowing for the fact that he is a middleweight approaching 40 would far outweigh wins gained over the other current 12 stone champions Ottke and Marcus Beyer. What better way then for Calzaghe to attract a top rated American by beating, you've guessed it, an American. Byron Mitchell may not be highly regarded but at least the former WBA champion is a known quantity. If Calzaghe can do a thorough job on Mitchell and become the first person to stop the "Slama from Alabama" in 29 paid outings then surely his stock would go up in front of the Showtime television cameras.

Byron Mitchell looks tailor made for Calzaghe. Slow and predictable and possessing a workrate that even Eamonn Magee could sustain, it is highly unlikely that the challenger will be able to cope with the champion's swarming attacks and sheer volume of punches thrown. Mitchell will struggle with the avalanche of pressure that Calzaghe is going to subject him to, minute after minute, round after round. The only thing that remains to be seen is whether Calzaghe can hand Mitchell his first stoppage defeat.

Considering that he was dropped twice in the opening round by the blown up middleweight Julio Cesar Green and also floored by Manny Siaca in a WBA title defence prior to that then the omens look good for Calzaghe. Having said that the Welshman's 28 knockouts from 35 fights (all wins) paints a deceiving picture that he is a puncher in the strictest sense of the word. The WBO champion relies more on sheer accumulation of shots than being blessed with concussive power. For anyone who begs to differ I would urge them to go back and watch the tape of Calzaghe's impressive twelve round hammering of the suspect chinned Charles Brewer. Calzaghe chucked everything bar the proverbial kitchen sink at Brewer that night. Not only did he remain on his feet, at no time was the challenger on the verge of being stopped. It is difficult to make a case for Mitchell's chin being worse than Brewer's. Another long distance job cannot be discounted then.

If that turns out to be the case Mitchell will remain dangerous to the end. The former champ is one puncher whose power remains a factor from the first minute through to the last. In 1999, trailing 98-91 (twice) and 98-92 on the scorecards after ten completed rounds, Mitchell sensationally knocked out long reigning champion Frankie Liles in the eleventh to capture the WBA title for the first time. After drawing and then losing his title by unanimous decision to Bruno Girard in Paris in 2000, Mitchell received another opportunity to reclaim his old title after being paired with Manny Siaca for the then vacant championship in March 2001. Once more Mitchell saved the best till last by knocking out Siaca in the final round. In their rematch Mitchell floored Siaca in the first but was dropped himself in the 12th only to survive to the finish and take a disputed split decision. Mitchell came perilously close to losing his title in his second defence in a real up-and-downer with Julio Cesar Green. After being down twice in the opening round, Mitchell somehow managed to rally to stop Green in the fourth. The official verdict said that Green was stopped on cuts, but in truth after absorbing Green's best shots Mitchell came storming back and was on the verge of stopping his weary challenger when the intervention came. Whatever his limitations as a boxer Mitchell is one fighter who never knows when he is beaten and is always just one punch away from dramatically turning a fight on its head.

Mitchell's power is meeting one of the best chins in world boxing in Calzaghe's. The Welshman has never been floored in 35 professional bouts and is quite prepared to take a shot in order to give two back. Only a booming right hand by Chris Eubank in the last round of their 1997 bout appeared to get Calzaghe's attention. In more recent times the champion slugged it out in the centre of the ring with Charles Brewer who is one of the most respected punchers in the super-middleweight division. Brewer's best effort, a right uppercut in the closing moments of round 7, appeared to briefly stun Calzaghe but normal service was soon resumed with the champion utterly dominant. In spite of this Mitchell is arguably the biggest puncher that Calzaghe has faced. The champion may take the plaudits for his granite chin but this is also testimony to the fact that he can be nailed cleanly. Robin Reid highlighted this notably in 1999 when he enjoyed much success against Calzaghe with the right hand. Whilever Calzaghe is prepared to stand and trade with Mitchell a stunning upset is not beyond the realms of possibility.

I get the feeling though that Calzaghe is in the mood to deliver a memorable performance in front of his home supporters. The WBO champion also seems frustrated as his career has failed to ignite after his entertaining victory over Charles Brewer. The champion looks a million miles away from landing a career defining fight at this moment in time. Is it any wonder though that his career has stagnated when you consider that three of his last four opponents have consisted of Will Mcintyre, Miguel Jimenez and Tocker Pudwill?

Calzaghe has hinted that the Mitchell fight could be his super-middleweight swansong. Now 30 years old the Welshman now struggles to make the 12 stone weight limit and is said to be contemplating a move up to light-heavyweight (12 stone 7lbs). I have my doubts as to whether this will happen. The only fish worth frying in the light-heavyweight division are Roy Jones who is currently preoccupied with humiliating full blown heavyweights, and WBO champion Darius Michalzcewski who will never venture out of his adopted Germany. Stalemate. At a push Calzaghe could challenge the recently crowned WBC and IBF champion Antonio Tarver. But Tarver is far from being a big name and would Calzaghe really be prepared to give up his WBO title and some routine paydays to fight him? I'm not so sure.

I feel Calzaghe will be beating up on some overmatched super-middleweights for a little while longer yet. Normal service should be resumed against Byron Mitchell on June 14. Appearing vulnerable early and slow out of the blocks in championship class a less than alert Mitchell could be taken out early. Although in the light of the Brewer fight it is conceivable that Mitchell could last the distance I think a more realistic prediction is a Calzaghe stoppage, possibly very early.

I'll leave you with one final thought. What price on Jeff Lacy being Calzaghe's defining fight in 12 months time? Assuming Calzaghe hangs around at super-middleweight the 26-year-old Lacy, who went 14-0, could prove to be the man to provide Calzaghe with the kind of challenge that he so desperately desires. Lacy is an American prospect who is making rapid progress. Already he is talking about title shots, and with television paymasters Showtime keen to push him, a fight with Calzaghe could be an attractive and lucrative proposition in a year's time if fought on American soil.