Carl Froch gives Joe Calzaghe a 10/10 rating for boxing ability

Carl Froch has given Joe Calzaghe a perfect 10/10 for boxing ability, placing the former Welsh champion above his own initial rating of 9.5. Froch’s assessment focused on Calzaghe’s skills rather than the achievements attached to his unbeaten career.

Calzaghe held the super-middleweight division for a decade and made 21 consecutive successful world title defences. His reign ended with a unanimous decision over Mikkel Kessler, another unbeaten champion at the time. The result followed Calzaghe’s 2006 victory against Jeff Lacy, a powerful American many believed could end the Welshman’s run.

Instead, Calzaghe dominated Lacy and unified the 168lb division. He later moved to light-heavyweight, where he took the Ring Magazine title from Bernard Hopkins by split decision. Hopkins was 43 but remained a competitive fighter when the bout took place.

Froch was the WBC’s mandatory challenger at super-middleweight around that period, but Calzaghe vacated the belt rather than face him. Froch then fought Jean Pascal for the vacant title and won it in 2008. Their careers therefore never produced the meeting that had interested British boxing supporters.

Calzaghe finished with a 46-0 record after beating Roy Jones Jr by unanimous decision. Froch said the Welshman’s combination of speed, durability and stamina made him too difficult to overcome, while also acknowledging that Calzaghe’s overall skill set was generally considered superior to his own.

Froch initially placed himself and former undisputed heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis at 9.5. He then reconsidered his position and said Calzaghe should probably receive the same mark, before settling on 10/10 for the Welshman. Froch’s only professional defeats came against Kessler and Andre Ward.