No Ordinary Joe - Boxing Book Review
Published May 26, 2009 by Boxing Capital
'No Ordinary Joe' is an extremely apt book title – after all, rather than being an ordinary Joe, Welsh Future Hall of Fame Boxer Joe Calzaghe is one very special Joe indeed.
Despite being a loyal and avid British boxing fan, I’ve had something of a love-hate relationship with Calzaghe. I first saw him impressively demolish Mark Delaney at a hostile Brentwood Leisure Centre back in 1996 to take the British Title and was immediately impressed. That first impression was further compounded when he boxed superbly to take the vacant WBO Title against ‘Simply The Best’ Chris Eubank. Although Eubank was past his best, the way a young Calzaghe floored Eubank early and gritted out a win marked him as a star of the future.
Thereafter I soon became disgruntled as Calzaghe went on beating a raft of distinctly average challengers with only the odd flash of brilliance or excitement, such as against Omar Sheika and Byron Mitchell. I actually became frustrated thinking Calzaghe could retire unbeaten without really facing any genuine, world class opposition. I began to hope someone would beat him because I didn’t want to hear about him retiring unbeaten for years when in my opinion, fights against David Starie and Rick Thornberry didn’t make you into a ring legend.
Along came power punching American Jeff Lacy and I felt certain he was the man to end Calzaghe’s unbeaten run – as it turned out, I couldn’t have been more wrong. Calzaghe quite simply put on the best display of boxing I have seen in my life, dominating a brave Lacy from start to finish with breathtaking speed and accuracy. That fight and subsequent wins against Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins means I am now one of the biggest Calzaghe admirers going; I even travelled to Cardiff and Las Vegas to see watch his victories against Kessler and Hopkins.
To hear the book chronicle Joe’s journey really was an excellent read. Although the book makes a slow start based around Joe’s upbringing, his humble surroundings set the backdrop for the man he is today – an intelligent, grounded family man without need for any arrogance.
The book charts Joe’s progress from day one through to winning the title against Eubank, impressing the world against Lacy and finally, stopping an overmatched ‘Contender’ in Peter Manfredo Jr. in front of a bumper crowd at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. We gain an insight into the Calzaghe team and there are some fascinating situations. We also hear Calzaghe talk of Frank Warren in glowing terms, which only adds more intrigue – I can’t help wonder what happened for that relationship to sour? Time will tell I guess.
Then, there is the remarkable man that is Joe’s Father, Enzo Calzaghe. Enzo has led a colourful life from playing in a band up and down the country to becoming a boxing trainer of numerous world champions from a ‘shack’ in Newbridge, Wales. Reading about Enzo Calzaghe ordering Mike Tyson to smile (yes, 'the' Mike Tyson!) had me laughing out loud and made me realise that Enzo really is a fearless, hard man. No doubt that mentality has been instilled in Joe and helped him become the aspiring ring legend that he is today.
One of the best bits of the book is the way after each fight an extract from a newspaper article is printed. Refreshingly, these extracts offer an honest opinion on the fights even when Joe hasn’t been at his best, such as against Kabary Salem and Evans Ashira.
Another nice touch is the Foreword by ‘Sugar’ Ray Leonard. ‘Sugar’ saw Joe fight for the first time against Jeff Lacy (at actor Eddie Murphy’s house in true Hollywood style!) and immediately became a fan. Other comments in the book from fight luminaries such as Super Middleweight legends Nigel Benn and Chris Eubank also make great reading.
The books stops short of the final chapter in Joe’s career in which he has gained global recognition with wins over the aforementioned Kessler, Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. but for me, this only adds to the quality of the book. Having formed a real affinity with the fighter through his struggles to gain recognition throughout the book, knowing that it all ends spectacularly well is a better ending than hearing Joe relive it himself.
An all round highly entertaining read – get past the first couple of chapters and you won’t want to put the book down.
Judges Scorecard - 8/10
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