By Scoop Malinowski

For years and years many wondered just how good of a boxer is Joe Calzaghe? Well there is no question anymore.

Roy Jones and Joe Calzaghe created a spectacle of a fight unlike any we have ever seen before, with their unique and surreal moves and maneuvers, like an amazing light show, non-stop blinking flashes of pugilistic artistry. Despite his ordinary Joe appearance, Calzaghe is phenomenally tough, smart, athletic and determined. You cannot discourage Joe Calzaghe. Can’t seem to hurt him either. Jones landed a head-snapping jab and then a right forearm in round one. Joe fell and appeared limp for an instant, as if, Oh my gosh, it would be a first-round knockout. Getting hit with a Jones forearm might feel like being clubbed by a two-by-four, considering the sturdiness of the rock solid Pensacola man’s physique.

Calzaghe got up and simply got stronger from that adversity. Jones had his one and only opportunity but could not land the significant follow-up. Super Joe gradually began to dominate the battle. By round three or four, Jones seemed to be out of ideas. Roy landed some scattered full force blows but nothing could stun or even bother Joe. Joe just kept on performing his mastery, in and out, tremendous punch output, mixed with smiling, taunting, and showboating. “I out-Roy Jonesed Roy Jones,” Calzaghe told us after the fight. “I knew fighting Roy would bring out the best in me.”

Joe showed his enthusiasm and excitement about being in New York to battle the legend of Roy at his Monday workout. Never have I seen a boxer so happy and thrilled and inspired in a workout during fight week, with second place going to Tito Trinidad when he bombed out Ricardo Mayorga. He may be 37-years old but Joe exudes an external passion, joy and zest for the sport unlike any other.

Even as he walked into Madison Square Garden on fight night in his street clothes, Joe mixed in some shadowboxing and showboating as he listened to his i-Pod. And it carried into the ring. Jones came in first and in demeanor looked like the RJ of the glory days. Then Joe came out to a much louder ovation of applause. The visitor had the majority of the nearly-full Madison Square Garden crowd behind him. Everyone was standing now. In awe of what we were about to see. As Michael Buffer announced Joe Calzaghe, even Roy Jones, pacing on his side of the ring, banged his gloves together about a dozen times. He was applauding Calzaghe too. There was no shortage of mutual respect in the ring on this night.

The fight lived up to all expectations and offered more. Both are so creative and unorthodox in their artistic aesthetic styles, so there were many amazing frenzies of attacks and combinations clashing against each other over and over. Joe never stops coming, never stops attacking. Nothing Roy tried could change that. It was a quality of fisticuffs that first class professional boxing hasn’t painted in a long time. To my eyes, this fight was more exciting than Hagler-Hearns for the first three rounds, because Calzaghe and Jones appear (as their exceptional records indicate) to be superior gladiators. The action was spectacular in it’s own way. Hagler-Hearns was more one-sided for Hagler who was too strong for The Hitman. I don’t know. Maybe I’m going over board again, like Wally Matthews says.

By the middle rounds, Jones, almost 40 but still an amazing physical and athletic specimen, seemed to settle in a survival mode, hoping for the one mistake to seize upon. But it never came. In the second half, Jones began to look strangely ill, enduring a battering and a nasty cut. One ringsider thought Jones was “out of it” for a few rounds, but somehow managed to keep fighting and complete the fight. Jones’s will is still phenomenal. He will never ever allow himself to get knocked out again. That seems to be his #1 objective and goal now, even over winning.

Dozens of fans began to exit after round ten. I wouldn’t say the Jones magic was gone but it was nullified and neutralized by the better fighter, on this night. Even Roy Jones’s most avid supporters knew it and didn’t want to see any more. One media member tried to compare it to Holmes-Ali or Ali-Berbick but that was nonsense. Roy has a lot more left than Ali did at the end. It’s very hard to compare Calzaghe-Jones to any other historic fight…it was so unique in so many ways.

“I was enjoying the fight. I felt I was in control after the first round. I used my combination punching, in and out.”

“The toughest people I ever saw were in Wales,” said a ringsider. “Before World War II we were in in Wales. And I never saw so many tough people in all my life. They would always fight each other too. If they had a dispute, they would go and settle it with a fight.”

It’s hard to comprehend how good and how special a fighter Joe Calzaghe is. For one thing, he doesn’t even look much like a fighter. And he is such a nice guy with a pleasant personality, he more resembles a chef or shoe salesman than a Hall of Fame boxing champion.

But that’s where the next stop for Joe Calzaghe might be, Canastota. 46-0, 32 KO’s. Defeats of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. in the same year. With a style and substance unlike any other. The man from Wales is now officially among the all-time greats of the ring.

Notes: Hatton vs. Malignaggi may be off. That’s the word from one well-connected insider on the scene on Saturday night…In the house were Michael Douglas, Osi Umenyiora, LL Cool J, Lennox Lewis (who received the loudest applause than any other boxer announced), Evander Holyfield, Bernard Hopkins, Iran Barkley, Doug Dewitt, Andre Berto, Mikkel Kessler, and Brooke Shields.

“The judge who scored the Salita-Campos fight 120-108 should never be allowed to judge a pro fight again.” I thought Dimitry Salita won the fight, his technique and execution looked better, he threw and landed quite a few more punches, but to fill out a scorecard for this 120-108 was outrageous. New state commissioner Melvina Lathan should suspend the judge in question - Robin Taylor.

Zab Judah failed to impress again with his points win over Ernest Johnson. I’m tired of Judah’s act. He was once a fine prospect with loads of skills and potential but he is now a journeyman.

Keep your eyes on super middleweight Daniel Jacobs, now 12-0 with 11 KO’s. We like this young American boxer a lot, both in the ring and out. Jacobs is from the same area of Brooklyn as Riddick Bowe, Mike Tyson and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad - Brownsville.

Some reporters are already questioning Joe about facing Chad Dawson to which the response was: “I just got out of the ring 15 minutes ago. Let me enjoy this. I’m so happy with what we achieved this year. Chad Dawson is a good fighter.”

Roy Jones did not make an appearance at the post-fight press conference but sent a statement congratulating Joe’s performance. Jones also told Max Kellerman in the ring that Calzaghe was the better man and better fighter tonight.

As Jones left the ring, many of his fans crowded the tunnel area and cheered him. Jones looked proud and happy and responded to the heartfelt support with his index fingers, both communicating that, Hey I lost tonight but I still feel like Roy Jones, #1.

Calzaghe was still ebullient when he left the ring about ten minutes later. He acknowledged and strutted and danced for his flag-waving supporters, with his Grant boxing gloves still on his fists. Maybe he forgot to or didn’t want to take ‘em off. It may be the last time Joe Calzaghe ever wears gloves in a pro fight ever again. Father Enzo said later he wants this to be Joe’s last fight.