“I had a bit of a shaky start. He hit me with a good shot and I was stunned. I just didn’t see it coming. It was a case of deja vu [after also being put down in the first round of his last fight against Bernard Hopkins, and for the fourth time in his career]. But that’s what great champions are about. When they are put down they come back stronger and that’s what I did.”
– Welshman Joe Calzaghe after his unanimous points win over Roy Jones Jnr, the man Steve Collins always wanted, in their Light Heavyweight bout at Madison Square Garden, New York. As for anyone tssking about his hitting the canvas, remember Ali and Henry Cooper. Show me a fighter who’s never been on the floor and chances are he never took on a risky opponent. “It was an incredible performance,” said former world champion Barry McGuigan after the 36-year-old stretched his professional record to 46 and 0. Calzaghe is considering whether to retire. The once-indestructible Jones is proof that the best British fighter since WWII should quit while he’s ahead.
“…good to see that the financial crisis and the US Presidential election are out of the way and we can get back to worrying about the real issues.”
– AnFearRua.com regular ‘Sid Wallace’ on John ‘Scargill’ Gardiner’s ‘Prime Time’ chinwag with Miriam O’Callaghan, during which the Cork captain let slip, “We’re not interested in pay-for-play… at the moment.” Oops! You probably heard the text that went around within hours of Barack’s victory: ‘Obama Presidency in doubt – Cork hurlers unhappy with result’. See, there is a funny side.
“I’m not going to waste any time answering him. I admire his history but recently he has gone a bit senile.”
– Real Madrid President Ramon Calderon turns up the heat on Man U manager Alex Ferguson in their ongoing war of words. Well Fergie is drinking cups of tea with, rather than throwing them at, Arsene Wenger… A bit more docile might be a better description, perhaps.
“Why do we waste our time on these non-stories instead of discussing what’s really wrong here: that professional football in this country is on its knees and why are we not doing something about it?”
– Pat Dolan on the supposed Gary Dempsey scandal – a farcically overblown affair whereby the former Blues’ winger has been suspended by St Pats pending a probe into a €20 part-bet against his own team (in a match he wasn’t playing in). Dolan should have some interesting ‘After 8s’ to offer about the ‘League of Ireland’ when he doubles up with Andy Gray at Thursday’s Waterford United fundraiser. More next week.
“If you can’t pass the ball properly, a bowl of pasta’s not going to make that much difference!”
– Harry Redknapp on being asked if a change of diet is behind Spurs’ suddenly insatiable appetite for, er, success. His predecessor had put his players on a continental culinary crash course after deeming them borderline fatties when he arrived.
