Boxing Profile: Nine Years Not-Out For King Calzaghe

By Gregg Davies

WBO and IBF super middleweight champion, Joe Calzaghe, makes his 19th defence this Saturday night at Manchester’s MEN Arena against Cameroonian, Sakio Bika.

The reoccurrence of a hand injury has stifled the Italian Dragon’s progress following his impressive win over Jeff Lacy in July, but the Welshman is now ready to return, and has his eyes on equalling Bernard Hopkins’ record of 20 successful title defences, possibly against The Executioner himself.

“It would be fantastic if Hopkins could come back and fight,” stated Calzaghe, “that would be worth half a dozen defences itself. The fight will be my dream at this stage in my career. I think it would be one of the best fights in the last 10 years, except I don’t think he wants to fight.”

First, however, his attentions are solely focussed on Saturday’s opponent Sakio Bika, and Calzaghe had complimentary words for his Australian-based counterpart.

“He’s a good fighter,” said the champion, “he’s strong, he comes forward, he likes to try and land big punches and that’s good for me. I always fight better against authentic fighters and I don’t think he’s going to stand back, he’s going to come to fight and you will see a great fight.”

However, the Welshman was quick to rule out any remote possibility of defeat, commenting: “He is going to be in for a big shock if he thinks he is going to come over and win the fight. I will make sure I take the fight off him straight away, the same way I did with Lacy.

“I am looking forward to winning by a knockout. I haven’t knocked somebody out for a little while.”

After the destruction of Jeff Lacy in July, the prospect of facing Sakio Bika is neither as testing nor as glamorous, but Calzaghe is preparing for his next bout with the same meticulousness.

“I don’t look beyond any fight,” he said. “It doesn’t matter who is on the opposite corner to me, I always respect every opponent, and I realise that anybody can be beaten, including myself.

“I train like a challenger, if not a champion. I train in the same gym, run up the same mountains and try to keep the same mindset. I realise that you are only as good as your last fight, and if I look beyond this guy he’s got a chance of a lifetime. If I let my guard down for one second and I don’t train like I should then that’s when you get beat. And I don’t want to get beat.”

At 34, Calzaghe is beginning to enter the tail end of his successful career, and revealed that he may compete in just four more bouts before retiring.

A meeting with either Mikkel Kessler or Markus Beyer at super middleweight could form part of this ‘final-four’, as well as making his debut in the US – with Winky Wright and Jermain Taylor the likely adversaries.

“I don’t want to fight beyond the age of 36,” stated Calzaghe. “I have been doing this since the age of nine, a long time, and I would like to get out at the top. I am the best and I enjoy being a champion and I have always wanted to be the champion.

“Nobody knows in this game, the next fight could be your last fight.”

October 11 marked Calzaghe’s ninth anniversary as champion – the longest reign in the sport – after defeating Chris Eubank in 1997. 18 title-defences later, and the Welshman is showing no signs of relinquishing his crown just yet.

Courtesy www.frankmaloney.com