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“I’m looking forward to this fight and I’m okay that it takes away the comfort zone of me staying in Wales by having to go out to Germany. The adversity will help me get pumped up to knock out Mario Veit once again.”–Joe Calzaghe.
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British-based world champions don’t travel all that much when defending their titles, so it was surprising when it was announced that WBO super middleweight boss Joe Calzaghe would be going to Germany for a second meeting with Mario Veit. Calzaghe had already punched |
Veit’s ticket about as authoritatively as possible, stomping the incredibly tall German in short order way back in 2001. That was in the friendly confines of Cardiff, Wales however, and now, the unbeaten southpaw will have to make the dreaded trip to Europe’s heart of boxing darkness. Last month, Calzaghe was completely prepared to face Brian Magee in the former IBO titlist’s hometown of Belfast, Northern Ireland, but a complex situation involving the WBO and a European television company scrapped that pairing at the last minute. Mario Veit was not responsible for the cancellation, but at the time, an enraged Calzaghe swore that he would take his frustrations out on the German. Those feelings have fuelled what the thirty-two-year-old Welshman is calling a perfect preparation. “My training has been good because I was in camp eight to ten weeks for what would have been the March 18th fight with Brian Magee and I was in great shape for that one,” Calzaghe said. “Unfortunately, due to circumstances, that fight got cancelled the day before it was to happen. I didn’t want to continue training straight through for this fight with Veit because that would have been nineteen weeks and I could have over-trained. So, I took a week off, got into training gradually after that and picked it back up again. I feel good, I feel fit and I’ve been sparring with a couple of decent fighters; Neil Linford and another guy from Scotland, those are the two fighters I’ve been sparring with the last couple of weeks. It’s been okay, sparring has gone good and I’ve really been looking forward to fighting now.”
Even though Calzaghe utterly destroyed Veit within a round during their first meeting, he really isn’t sure what he’ll find once the bell rings. Veit has run his record to 45-1 and is coming off a career best win with the stoppage of former IBF titlist Charles “The Hatchet” Brewer to retain his WBO Interim belt this past November.
In contrast, the WBO champion has possibly never looked worse than in his most recent outing a unanimous decision against tricky U.S. based veteran Kabary Salem in October of last year. “The funny thing about all of this is that I don’t really know how well Veit can fight because our first meeting was over so quick I never really learned anything of him,” recalled Calzaghe. “And he didn’t really find out anything about me except that if I catch him clean I can knock him out. I imagine he’ll be very tight and will move quite a bit early on to avoid getting caught so I have to make sure that I keep the pressure on. Because he’s the taller fighter, I’ll try to punch at range with combinations to body and head, hopefully causing him some damage.”
If Calzaghe is successful as expected on his German holiday, a host of intriguing bouts await. The rumors have been swirling that promoter Frank Warren is close to putting the finishing touches on a mouth-watering match-up with IBF strap-holder Jeff Lacy in the fall. Another possibility is that an all-British showdown could be on the cards, possibly held in Sheffield, England. “Clinton Woods is the IBF champion and I see a fight between us as being a stepping stone,” remarked Calzaghe. “Because if I win that title I think I’d get big fights off of it. But, it’s the same old scenario that’s happened in the past with me. These fighters call me out for ages but then when they do win a title, they’re not interested in fighting me. Work that out for yourself, but it’s frustrating.”
In the past many boxers have gone to Germany for title fights and have come away convinced that they were denied a victory by means other than their opponents. While there has been no shortage of dodgy decisions in countries such as the U.S. and Britain, for example, Germany has developed a bit of a reputation for the unexpected outcome. While Calzaghe is well aware of that history, he also has faith in his promoter but also his own abilities to decide the winner of the bout. “I’ve spoken to Frank Warren and he’s got concerns that we’ll be treated fairly because he knows what can happen,” he said. “I’ve been told there will be one German judge and two from America, with an American referee.
“I feel okay about that but all I want is to be treated fairly. I’m not expecting things to be made comfortable because I know that I’m going over there to fight and obviously they want their fighter to win. At the end of the day, I’m looking forward to this fight and I’m okay that it takes away the comfort zone of me staying in Wales by having to go out to Germany. The adversity will help me get pumped up to knock out Mario Veit once again.”
Richard Eberline can be reached at richardeberline@fastmail.fm
