Joe Calzaghe
Joseph William Calzaghe CBE ( born March 23, 1972 in London - Hammersmith, United Kingdom) is a former Welsh boxer and world champion at super middleweight associations WBA, WBC, WBO and IBF.
In 46 fights undefeated, he ended his career in February 2009 and thus became the third European boxer Terry Marsh and next to Sven Ottke, which ceded as undefeated world champion. Calzaghe had the WBO title for over ten years, which is considered one of the longest title reigns of boxing history.
Amateur
Joe Calzaghe began at the age of nine with the sport of boxing and was throughout his 25 -year career of his father, Enzo Calzaghe, an Italian immigrant from Sardinia, trained. Calzaghe was 1991-1993 English welterweight champion, light middleweight and middleweight. He has denied according to the BBC about 120 amateur fights and thereby defeated Chris Byrd, among others. His last defeat dated from July 1990, when he nad the quarter-finals of the European Junior Championships in Usti Labem against Romanian Adrian Opreda lost.
Professional career
In 1993, the southpaw professional at super middleweight, first with Mickey Duff ( 1929-2014 ), then under Frank Warren, and quickly made himself carefully as he won his first nine fights by knockout in the first two rounds.
Winning the WBO title
In 1995, he secured the British super middleweight title. When, after the resignation of Irish Steve Collins 1997, the WBO title became vacant, Calzaghe got the chance to fight against Chris Eubank to this belt. Eubank, even long-time WBO champion, had lost the title to Collins in 1995. Calzaghe won the title on October 11, 1997 a clear win on points over twelve rounds.
As a result, the press argued about whether he or Sven Ottke was the true world champion in the class. Well-known names in his title defenses were Robin Reid and Richie Woodhall, both British ex- title holder of the WBC. In 2002, he was able to defeat the well-known, but battle-weary ex-IBF titlist Charles Brewer on points.
Against former WBA champion Byron Mitchell he was in 2003 for the first time in his career on the floor, against the 36 -year-old Kabary Salem in 2004 as well. Evans Ashira went with him to make ends meet, Mario Veit he defeated twice prematurely.
WBO - IBF Association
On 3 March 2006, however, he achieved a breakthrough in the United States than he could outclass the undefeated U.S. Olympian and IBF titlist Jeff Lacy completely and thus united the WBO and IBF titles. After a successful title defense on October 14, 2006 compared Sakio Bika Calzaghe put down the IBF belt, as he preferred to fight against the well-known through the first The Contender - Season American Peter Manfredo, instead of competing against his mandatory challenger Robert Stieglitz. In his victory by technical whacked against Manfredo on 7 April 2007 in the third round, Calzaghe had successfully defended his WBO belt at super middleweight for the 20th time and thus his record streak continued as the longest reigning boxing world champion. In this battle, he retired to a broken hand.
Fight against Mikkel Kessler for WBA and WBC title
In the next fight he met the also undefeated Danish WBA and WBC champion Mikkel Kessler, who is regarded as the best super middleweight in addition to Calzaghe. The long-awaited duel took place on 3 November 2007 in Cardiff and was won by Cazaghe over twelve rounds on points. Although Kessler was repeatedly recorded with his huge right hand percussion hits, Calzaghe dictated the action in the ring. Critically it was in the fourth and fifth round, when Calzaghe was hit by the right uppercut of the Danes. But the Welshman was unimpressed, and practiced with lightning attacks and the routine of twenty title defenses pressure on his opponent out. After the sixth round got these difficulties, endure the immense pace and was hit more often. Since Calzaghe's pro debut, nobody could adjust to his style and the fast pace of his strokes. After Lacy Kessler is the second previously unbeaten world champion, who has failed to Calzaghe. However, many experts believed in a victory for the 28- year-old Dane, which she founded with the age difference of seven years. But how in the world championship match against Jeff Lacy, Calzaghe could also in this fight defeat the much younger counterparts. Calzaghe was at this time in all the leading journals, such as the Ring Magazine as the number one and the measure of all things in this weight class.
2007 Calzaghe became BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Sportsman of the Year in the UK, was elected.
Fight against Bernard Hopkins at light heavyweight
However, this should be his last fight in this weight class, then he moved to the light heavyweight division to compete against the longstanding former middleweight world champion Bernard Hopkins. The duel against the already 43 -year-old Hopkins was on April 19, 2008 in Las Vegas, it was only the second fight Calzaghe outside the UK and the first in the United States. In the battle in which not an official world title was at stake, had already Calzaghe in the first round to the ground. It was not until middle of the fight he could dominate the scene stronger and won on points after twelve rounds in a 2:1 vote.
Last fight against Roy Jones Jr.
On 26 September 2008 Calzaghe put down the held of him for over ten years WBO title at super middleweight and announced that he will finish his professional career after a junior last fight at light heavyweight against Roy Jones. The originally scheduled for 20 September 2008 at Madison Square Garden, New York, scheduled fight had to be postponed to November 8, 2008, after Calzaghe had injured his right hand in training. Although Calzaghe, Hopkins had to go as it has already, even in the first round of the fight to the ground, he succeeded in the end, clearly and unanimously to beat Roy Jones on points.
On February 5, 2009 Calzaghe finally announced his resignation.
Achievements
- Amateur Record: 110 Wins - 10 Losses
- Professional record: 46 wins - 0 Losses
- October 28, 1995: British champion at super middleweight (1 title defense )
- October 11, 1997: World Champion WBO Super Middleweight (21 title defenses )
- March 4, 2006: World Champion IBF Super Middleweight (1 title defense )
- November 3, 2007: World Champion by the WBA and WBC Super Middleweight
Others
On 26 November 2008, the British Queen Elizabeth II Joe Calzaghe appointed "Commander of the Order of the British Empire".