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In every sport that’s played, the participants will always carry the hopes of their nation in their selected sport. It has been proven at times that nothing can be more daunting that getting involved in an already tough test whilst you carry the hopes of the entire nation, and what can be more daunting whilst doing it in front of tens of thousands of people in a ring with someone who is literally trying to knock you out cold and crush the dreams of your people?
Joe Calzaghe is boxing’s longest reigning world champion; he has been carrying the hopes and dreams of his nation for over a decade. The Current undisputed super-middleweight champion was tipped to achieve greatness in his amateur days, and even more so when he turned pro.
As an amateur, Calzaghe had an outstanding record of roughly 120 rights with only 9 losses. It was a disgrace he was not taken to the Olympic Games as he seemed the hot favourite to bring home the Gold.
Last night in front of over 50,000 in attendance and the millions of people watching around the world, Calzaghe entered the toughest test of his career when he met the undefeated and highly rated WBC and WBA Super-middleweight champion Mikkel Kessler.
Once again, Calzaghe had the hopes of the nation on his shoulders and truly one of the greatest sportsmen to have ever come from Wales entered a must win fight. Anything other than a win would be unthinkable and devastating to Calzaghe and the nation, as people from all over the UK came to cheer him on in this his most definitive fight, something that can stifle entire teams, let alone one man who has to do it all on his own.
Calzaghe put on another master class by ripping the Dane’s WBC and WBA belts away from him and sending him home “crushed and devastated”. After 12 gruelling rounds of world class boxing, Calzaghe showed why he is one of Wales’s most loved and followed sons as true to the champion he is, walked through vicious uppercuts and venomous jabs to secure himself as the greatest super-middleweight of all time by beating the ferocious Dane decisively.
This was Joe’s 44th professional fight to date and still remains undefeated with 44 wins, destroying every major threat put in front of him, sending them all home disheartened, disillusioned and empty handed, it’s no wonder the “Great Americans” made unrealistic demands to make sure a fight with him was never going to happen.
Calzaghe is five more wins away from equaling the heavyweight legend Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 straight wins with no losses, and four more title defences from joining Joe Louis as the fighter to make the most successful consecutive world title defences of 25 as Joe now stands at 21.
As a true ambassador of the sport, Calzaghe has done more than everything asked of him in the game. He is known for what he has done in his sport and nothing more. Unlike some sports persons who chose to live the high life and live a life fuelled with alcohol and drugs, fast cars and speeding tickets, Joe has remained humble by enjoy a quiet life filled with family and hard work to achieve his greatness.
If this is not a role model you want your children to follow, then what is? If this is not someone who epitomises everything about what a true great sportsman is all about, then what is?
We have seen former boxer Henry Cooper get the title of Sir for being the first man to put Cassius Clay on the floor, and as memorable as that was, it is a minimal achievement to what Calzaghe has done.
If the knighthood was to elude Calzaghe, it would not just be criminal to himself, but his father, who has trained Joe his entire professional career, his friends and family who have supported him, and the entire nation of people who have placed their dreams on his shoulders to carry them and make them a reality.
