Joe Calzaghe 7/2 to knock Roy Jones Jr out at the Garden

Joe Calzaghe v Roy Jones Jr, Setanta Sports 1, Free Bets, Best Odds

Joe Calzaghe has fought 42 of his 45 fights in the United Kingdom but any doubts over whether he could deliver in America were quashed when he beat Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas seven months ago. In contrast, Roy Jones Jr has lost three of his last six fights and critics are convinced that he is past his best. The stage is set for the Welshman, a 1/3 favourite, to win what could be his final fight but can he end it perfectly with a knockout victory? Here’s what the stats say:

Will there be a knockout victory?

» Calzaghe has won two of his three fights on foreign shores by knockout but he required a split decision to overcome Hopkins in Nevada earlier this year.

» Five of Calzaghe’s last six fights have gone to a decision as have each of Jones Jr’s last three since he lost successive fights by knockout in 2004.

» Calzaghe has won just one of his last three fight’s against Americans by knockout (33%) whereas the overall percentage of his victories that have come by knockout is 71%.

» None of Jones Jr’s 52 previous fights have ended in a split decision. Calzaghe’s fight with Hopkins earlier this year was only the second time he had ever triumphed by split decision.

» Two of Jones Jr’s last three defeats have come by knockout and only one of the four fights he has lost have gone the distance.

» However, the American’s last three fights in New York have all been decided by decision.

Round betting

» The Welshman’s last seven knockout victories have all come before the seventh round so if he hasn’t got the job done by then, his best chance of winning will be by decision.

» The longer the fight goes on, the more chance there is of Jones winning. Four of Jone’s last seven knockout wins have come in the tenth round or later.

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Posted: November 7th, 2008 by Michael Lintorn |