Joe Calzaghe Leaves His Comfort Zone By Jake Donovan (April 15, 2008) Send this page to friend Give us your feedback It's been the same script in the ring throughout the legendary career of Joe Calzaghe. For over fourteen years, the Welsh southpaw has campaigned in the same weight class (super middleweight), in the same region (all of his fights in Europe, all but two taking place in the UK) and with the same trainer (his father, Enzo Calzaghe). The last part is all that remains true heading into this weekend's clash with Bernard Hopkins. For the first time in his career, Calzaghe fights in a new weight division and continent. The undefeated super middleweight king makes his debut in the light heavyweight division and in the states, with the fight taking place at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Nevada (Saturday, HBO, 9:45PM ET/6:45PM PT). For the first time in his career, Joe Calzaghe leaves his comfort zone. Nothing stays the same in life. Some things may appear routine, but change eventually enters the equation somewhere along the way. It's necessary, and often for the better. After fourteen years, Calzaghe believes his career has reached the point where change is necessary. “The way I look at it is I need to fight somebody that I can get motivated for, “explains Calzaghe, who’s shown a penchant in the past for fighting to the level of his competition, which despite his undefeated record (44-0, 32 by way of KO) hasn’t always been a good thing. “At super middleweight, there’s nobody at all there. After Kessler, like I said, going over (to the United States) and to win in (Hopkins’) backyard with everything in his own circumstances as regards to the weight and location, I’m going to be there. “And that in and of itself, I’m challenging myself also, and that’s a mark of a true champion.” But there are also times when too much change can ruin a good thing. For years, Calzaghe had the benefit of his team calling all of the shots. Any big fight – which prior to 2006 had been way too few and far between – was to take place in the UK, where Joe enjoys a huge following. By his own admission prior to the Peter Manfredo Jr. fight a year ago, traveling to the states was a luxury but never a necessity. Whether or not he ever crossed the Atlantic would have no bearing on his having already earned a spot in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, in his first year of eligibility. Then came the superfight with then-unbeaten Mikkel Kessler last November. Kessler held two alphabet titles at the time and was universally regarded as the greatest threat in the division to snatch Joe’s 0. It was supposed to be the toughest challenge of Calzaghe’s career, but in the end it became just another in a long line of dominant performances. It came about because Joe trained his heart out to make it look easy. The question afterward became, what to do for an encore – and where to it. “After the Kessler fight I had to sit down and say, “How am I going to sit better at this moment” and how to finish my career off with meaningful fights - meaningful for myself, something that gets me excited.” He’d receive all of the motivation he needed a month later, when travelling to Las Vegas for the Floyd Mayweather-Ricky Hatton super fight. Golden Boy Promotions served as lead promoter of the event, with the legendary Bernard Hopkins among the all-star squad as both fighter and executive. Calzaghe and Hopkins met up prior to the weigh-in, giving the media a treat by jawing at one another. In an instant, speculation of a long rumored bout once again surfaced, though one that had become an afterthought in the minds of most. Hopkins, now 43, has been flirting with the idea of retirement ever since his pair of controversial losses to Jermain Taylor in 2005. And chances were slim that Calzaghe would leave the UK or the super middleweight division, much less both at the same time. Then came the disparaging remark heard ‘round the world. I’ll never lose to a white boy. It was that one seven-word phrase that would guarantee both another seven-figure payday. Though many took offense to the comment, Calzaghe insists it was nothing more than the necessary motivation he needed to try something new before calling it a career. “People say I was upset or offended. No I was not offended by white guy comment and all this bull****. My skin is thicker than that, I’m not bothered. I know its all part of the game. “But (Hopkins is) a smart guy, and that sold the fight.” An added incentive was the realization that, despite the fight taking place thousands of miles away from his Cardiff, Wales home, he wouldn’t necessarily be at a hometown disadvantage. “The sight of all the thousands, thousands of fans making the trip for Hatton - I had a buzz off of that and I wanted to get a bit of that before I retired because it’s really the one thing missing from my record.” Two things if you include the advancement seven pounds (or ½ stone in Calzaghe’s corner of the world) north. But as much as he takes comfort in knowing thousands of fans from the UK will make the trek to Sin City to make him feel at home, he also firmly believes that, despite a career spent at super middleweight, light heavyweight has always been a natural fit. “I’ve not done any weights program, I’ve not done anything to what I normally change,” insists Calzaghe. “The only difference is I’m not up starving myself as much to make 12-stone (168 lb). “Twelve-stone has always been difficult for me. I honestly believe it drains my punching power. I’ve always been a big puncher. I think the last few years, the last few pounds to making 12-stone just made me struggle. There’s nothing, no transition really, just more carefully making the weight. My natural weight is about 14 stone, so all I’m doing is getting to 12-7 (175) instead of 12.” All that leaves is the simple task of facing Bernard Hopkins. That would be the same Hopkins who terrorized the middleweight division for over ten years. It’s the same Hopkins who swore he’d never fight beyond his 41st birthday, yet still lingers, making life miserable for fighters and referees sharing his ring space. In Hopkins, Calzaghe faces one of the sport’s master fighters. Once upon a time, Hopkins was as close to a complete fighter as you could find in the sport. A high work rate, an ability to break down his opponents, just as effective by fight’s end as he was in the beginning, and always made sure if and when the time came to bend the rules, that he was where the referee wasn’t. The last part hasn’t changed, but Father Time has had something to say about the rest. To throw 30 punches per round is a lot for today’s version of The Executioner. He can still break down and outlast a fighter, but he has to do so by keeping the fight at his pace. That means more clinching and often stripping the fight of any ebb and flow. It means more fouls, subtle or otherwise, on the inside and just out of the referee’s immediate line of vision. It’s ugly as hell, but it still results in his arm being raised by night’s end. It’s also far different from any style Calzaghe’s seen in his fighting lifetime, quite a statement considering the wide range of fighter’s he’s faced in over 25 years as an amateur or pro. But as far as Joe’s concerned, it’s just one more change to which he needs to adjust. “I don’t think Americans realize what I can do. I can box and fight, so I adapt to whatever means I need to do in the fight. Maybe he’ll run from me, maybe when he’s losing and stops trying to fight, who knows. He’s very good at what he does. He can be a bit of a dirty fighter as well, and I’ve seen him – he ties you up on the inside, you can throw the shoulder in, he’s very clever.” He’s also mastered the art of adjusting to southpaws, boasting an undefeated record (9-0-1) against such types. Though Calzaghe argues, none were as good as the guy Hopkins meets this weekend. “I know he’s beaten quite a few southpaws, but obviously as you will find out, I’m a totally different southpaw to anything he fought before. I just concentrate on what I’m going to do, I don’t care what he’s going to do. Whatever he’s got, I’ve got better. I can fight, box, I should imagine the fight will have a boxing match and a fight in there. It will be both. It’s going to be both.” Besides, Calzaghe’s proven in the past to know a thing or two about how to deal with right-handed fighters. “How many southpaws has he boxed? I boxed 37 right-handers. So you’ve beaten eight or nine southpaws, but I’ve beaten 37 right-handers. So that must mean I’m better with right-handers than he is with lefties.” Of course, nothing is that cut and dry, especially with these two future Hall-of-Fame entrants. Both boast unique styles, which has really been Calzaghe’s point all along. “At the end of the day, he hasn’t fought me. When you talk about left-handers, you’re talking about southpaws, and I’ve told them about some of that myself. Is it going to be a completely different thing altogether? I’m not a Winky Wright… a blown up light middleweight that just goes into a shell. As you’re going to see, I’m not Antonio Tarver. Regards to how he performed with southpaws in the past, I couldn’t care if he knocked them all out in the first round because things are going to be totally different when he steps in with me as you’re going to see on the 19th.” The one thing that hasn’t changes is Calzaghe’s confidence. What he also doesn’t plan on changing is the number of losses on his record – zero. After all, too much change can ruin a good thing. “I’m always confident no matter who I fight. I’m a winner, a champion, undefeated for 17 years, well 18 years this year. I rise up to every challenge and the harder the challenge the better the performance. So it’s the same as always, I’m 100% confident I’m going to win this fight.” For Questions or Comments E-mail Jake Donovan Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums