Super Middleweight/Joe Calzaghe (43W-0L-32KO’s) vs Peter Manfredo Jr. (26W-4L-12KO’s)
- Apparently reality TV is not always a reality. Under perhaps the brightest spotlight in his life, thanks in part to his victory in the reality television series “The Contender” was Peter Manfredo Jr. who lost a very lopsided affair. To Manfredo’s benefit, the fight was clearly stopped prematurely but there was no mistaking that he was well on his way to being stopped at some point. Joe Calzaghe came out very tactically and a bit stiff in the first round but as the fight went on he loosened up and after a while we began to see the speed that has been synonymous with his name throughout his 20 straight title defenses which remain unparalleled in the sport of Boxing. Like the first fight of this fight card, the 3rd round was the charm as Calzaghe’s brutal assault forced the referee to step in and put an end to the fight. Manfredo didn’t appear to be hurt but according to the referee it was his lack of response to the punches that signaled the need for the stoppage. What next for Calzaghe? Good question as Jermaine Taylor, Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, and Mikkel Kessler all stand in line with hopes of being next. After the fight Team Calzaghe stated that they will discuss the options and see who wins their upcoming fights before making that decision. For a Calzaghe who is 35 and counting, either one of the quartet could be dangerous.
Welterweight/Amir Kahn (12W-0L-9KO’s) vs Steffy Bull (24W-5L-1Dr, 5KO’s)
- Amir Kahn showed alot of fight fans who’ve never heard or him exactly why he’s quickly becoming a household name as his fast hands and ability to connect at will proved to be too much for the well over matched Steffy Bull. It took Kahn two rounds to master his strategy but when he realized how he would go about his attack, it didn’t take much effort from there as he landed often with stiff jabs and hooks that left Bull visibly gasping for air. After a culmination of shots in the 3rd round the action was stopped when Kahn sent Bull to a knee for good. Still in need of experience by way of more rounds, Kahn will take a few more low profile fights but soon enough he will undoubtedly land himself in the midst of an already loaded Welterweight division.
