Joe Calzaghe - interviewed by James Davies

Q: What made you take up boxing and did you have any heroes you wanted to emulate when you stepped in the ring or any early influences that inspired you?


A: My Dad got me into boxing. We had a local gym so I started boxing when I was 10. Sugar Ray Leonard, Tommy Ernst and obviously Ali were fighters I liked and guys who influenced me.


Q: When did you fist realise you were a good boxer? Did you get into lots of fights at school and find out that way or…?


A: No not at all. I won my first British school boy title at 13. Being the best at 13 encouraged me and I had the dream that if I trained and worked hard I’d be a world champion.


Q: You have had many magnificent moments in the ring. What is your proudest moment and do you have any regrets?


A: There are two moments that stick out to me. Firstly winning the world title in a tough fight against Chris Eubank and then there’s the Jeff Lacey fight. I was the underdog going into the bout but it was probably the best performance I have ever made.

Regrets, I mean I’ve been injured a lot but that’s not a regret. I’m undefeated for 17 years so as far as boxing goes I don’t have a lot of regrets.


Q: What’s the secret to your success?


A: I don’t know. It’s difficult to say. I train tremendously hard and I believe I’ve got the ability and the skill to beat any opponent.


Q: You have had some tremendous fights throughout your illustrious career so far. Who’s been your toughest opponent and why?


A: Eubank was my toughest fight. I wouldn’t say he was the best guy I’ve fought but he was the toughest fight. It was my first ever 12 round fight. I had knocked everyone else out before three rounds before I fought Eubank, so I was knackered after 5 against him. I kept plugging away but he’s a tough customer. I put him on the floor after like 15 seconds, but he kept on getting up and smiling at me. I was pretty relieved to hear the final bell and win the world title.


Q: Is there any boxer from the past that you would have liked to have fought? If so who, and why?


A: I don’t know. Not really.


Q: What’s the hardest thing about being a boxer and what would you be if you hadn’t become a boxer?


A: The hardest thing is the fact it’s one on one combat. But the dedication, commitment and losing the weight for a fight is hard too. People don’t realise what you go through before you enter the ring.

I have to make 12 stone for a fight when I’m usually 14 stone. So I have to train twice or sometimes three times a day, and starve myself before a fight. That’s probably harder than the fight itself. Fighting’s easy.


Q: What’s it like to perform in front of thousands of people and do you ever get nervous?


A: I never get nervous for a crowd. I just get nervous about the fight. For my last fight I had 35,000 people there and people ask me “are you scared that there are 35,000 people watching?”, but you don’t see them, and you don’t really hear them either. The crowd doesn’t bother me. You could put a million people there and I wouldn’t be nervous.


Q: What advice would you give to any young aspiring boxers who want to become if possible, the next Joe Calzaghe, and how would you like to be remembered?


A: Just train hard and keep dedicated. That’s all really. I mean if you do that you’ll know if you’re good enough.


Q: What’s next for you and do you have any more goals and ambitions?


A: At the end of the day I want another two or three big fights. I want to fight Kessler, Jermain Taylor, Hopkins - the big names. I’m not interested in anyone else. I want to be remembered as a great fighter who fought the best boxers while I was around. I’ve beaten six former champions and always cried out for the biggest fights, but a boxer can’t always fight who he wants as there’s a lot of politics involved. But hopefully I can go out, win my next two or three fights and then call it a day. Then I’ll leave it for the public to decide.