Say it ain't so, Joe

Retirement, really?

Just when light heavyweight champion Joe Calzaghe was receiving the credit his illustrious career deserved, he ended it. Until his decimation of Jeff Lacy in March 2006, boxing fans outside of Great Britain were relatively apathetic about the Welshman.

Now he calls it quits after a pair of less-than-satisfying performances. He was awarded a questionable split decision over Bernard Hopkins to capture the 175-pound crown last April and followed it up with putrid promotion leading into his November slaughter of Roy Jones Jr.

And these were his only appearances on U.S. soil, the same country Calzaghe lambasted for its inablity to resurrect "a dying sport."

Come again?

He was ripped by some of the most respected boxing writers for his comments. Kevin Iole, Michael Rosenthal and Tim Smith, among others, had scathing responses for the Pride of Wales. And deservedly so. ESPN's Dan Rafael wrote the following:

So, Joe Calzaghe said this week that boxing is dead, huh? Way for him to crap all over the sport that made him rich and famous. Boxing is far from dead, but if it's not what it once was, part of the reason is because of fighters like Calzaghe who think they're also businessmen and are so egotistical that they think they can be also be a top promoter, yet have no clue. Maybe if Calzaghe, whose own company supposedly co-promoted his November fight with Jones but really did squat, hadn't dumped experienced promoter Frank Warren, the fight wouldn't have tanked so badly. If boxing is dead, why in the world did De La Hoya-Pacquiao do 1.25 million PPV buys and generate $70 million in TV revenue and a nearly $17 million live gate? Calzaghe might be a great fighter, but he's no rocket scientist.

You would assume a fighter of Calzaghe's caliber would reinforce his diatribe by proving his presumption in the squared circle. He's the champ and has a right to cash in his chips, but the the top 4 light heavyweights live in the U.S. and three are American-born citizens.

Other than Hopkins (No. 1), who, Joe, have you faced? Chad Dawson wants a shot. Glen Johnson has been begging for a bout for years, so badly that he recently wrote an open letter. Antonio Tarver rounds out the group, and as easy a target as he is now, he's still rejected.

So who's killing the fight game? Calzaghe refused to fight in America until recently, marched around a WBO trinket for years and won't see Hopkins' demand of a rematch after a title match that easily could have gone the other way.

On second thought, I withdraw the “come again” plead. Just go away, Joe. You've made your money and gained publicity, each at the expense of Lacy's popularity and HBO's budget – both unquestionably American products. Until then you were just another foreign fighter who wouldn't cross the pond for fear of losing a home-field advantage.

Really, if boxing's demise was imminent, how did January's Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley fight garner the largest attendance for any event held at the Staples Center? Why did Kelly Pavlik's Feb. 21 middleweight championship defense set for the Chevrolet Centre sell over 5,000 tickets in only 12 minutes while country superstar Carrie Underwood drew a crowd of 5,500 into the 7,000-seat venue?

As Oklahoma State football coach Mike Gundy said: “Get your facts straight.”

Enjoy your retirement while the Sweet Science thrives.