WBO Boxing Champion Joe Calzaghe To Host This Week’s ESPN2 Friday Night Fights

ByBoxing Press

Boxing’s current longest-reigning world champion, Joe Calzaghe, will wing over from Wales to the high definition studio at ESPN to make his debut as in-studio guest analyst on “ESPN2 Friday Night Fights” with award-winning host Brian Kenny, this Friday May 18, beginning at 9 P.M. EDT

Calzaghe (43-0, 32 KOs), from Newbridge, Wales, successfully defended the super middleweight title he has held since 1997, by stopping top-five contender Peter Manfredo in the third round of their April 7 fight.

Fought before 35,000-plus fans at Millennium Stadium — a European record for an indoor event — and millions of fans who watched it live on HBO — it was Calzaghe’s landmark 20th consecutive title defense, the most of any British champion and tied for fourth on boxing’s all-time list with Larry Holmes and Bernard Hopkins.

Up next will be world title defense No. 21 — the all-time record for a super middleweight — which would also put him a third-place tie with Sven Ottke on the all-time list.

“I can’t wait to be on the ESPN2 Friday Night Fights because I am such a fan of the show,” said Calzaghe. “I have watched Brian Kenny, Teddy Atlas and Joe Tessitore so long, I feel that we are already mates!

“I am also keen on sharing all the details about my future fight plans with America’s boxing fans so they know the true story on what has been happening behind the scenes of these negotiations.”

Calzaghe joins an impressive list of nearly 100 “ESPN2 Friday Night Fights” in-studio guest analysts, including: Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Joe Frazier, Miguel Cotto, Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather, Jr., and Rubin “Hurricane” Carter.

The 2006 ESPN2 Friday Night Fights season was the series’ most-viewed year ever as an average of 629,139 homes (.7 rating) tuned into each show. Additionally, the July 28 card was the network’s most-viewed boxing telecast ever (924,735 homes).