{source south wales bbc news}


Welsh boxing king Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirement from the ring.

The undefeated super-middleweight and light-heavyweight champion has called time on his glittering career three months after defeating American legend Roy Jones Jnr in his last fight.

The 36-year-old's future has been the subject of much speculation, with Calzaghe refusing to confirm he was to hang up his gloves.

But he told the BBC: "It was a difficult decision but I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve in boxing.

"I have been world champion for 11 years and I have got no other goals to go for. Tht's why I'm calling it a day."

And the Newbridge fighter admitted the wishes of his family had played a major part in his decison to quit.

"I had a long think with my family," he said. "My children wanted me to give up, plus my mum. That's why I called it a day and will go on to do something else."

Asked if he would consider coming out of retirement, he said: "My decision is to retire. I've been boxing for 25 years and, like I said, I've achieved everything I want to achieve.

"You can never say never in this game, but I can't see myself boxing again. There's loads of things I want to do. I'm proud to be one of only a few fighters in history to retire undefeated."

Calzaghe, whose final career record reads 46 wins from 46 fights, now plans to concentrate on charity work and a career in boxing promotion.

Let's not forget he pretty much hand picked his own opponents and didn't fight a top fighter in their prime, but you can't argue with the record. He'll be known as a great in Britain, but that's about it.

How can you say that? He challeged quite afew fighters in they're prime years ago and was knocked back by them. Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins declined to fight him on multiple occasions before doing it for a big pay day at the end of they're career's.

You being serious?

Kessler is now one of the top fighters, being built up for greatness Calzaghe beat him.

Lacy was being bigged up as the next big thing in America, Calzaghe smashed him (All in Wales, granted, but he did want to go to America at the time, but Lacy and America said he was overhyped, and came over to 'put him in his place'.

Hopkins is currently one of the best ranked pound for pound fighters in the world, Calzaghe beat him, by a considerable margin when you consider how dirty Hopkins was. It was also in America, with all American judges.

Jones Jr refused to fight Calzaghe for years and years, then once Calzaghe beat Hopkins in America and the Americans started talking about him like most of us do, Jones called him out, and got demolished.

Calzaghe is known as a great in the boxing world, especially Britain because he is easily better than any other.

Your post couldn't be any further away from the truth. They are all coming out saying they want some of Calzaghe now, because arguably, only Pacman is better than him, which means they will get lots and lots of money.

So he had made the right decision, his fights would only have been for money, as there is nobody worthy of fighting him out there right now, just fights that people are making up (some mental like Froch) so he doesn't retire and money keeps coming in.

i personally would have liked to see him continue on and surpass marcianos record, but still have to respect his decision and pay tribute to probably the best fighter ever produced on these shores

Shame he's retired, loved watchin any of his matches.

Sporting keeps beating me to the rants so I'll just agree with him!


Loved watching the Lacy/Kessler fights - shame no American's would box him whilst in their prime as he would of proved his worth, not that he has to, America is hardly the the be all of boxing at the minute......

All this just to avoid getting knocked out by Carl the Cobra Froch......

Long live King Carl, hope to see him knock Kessler out at some point this year, his last fight has to be one of the best fights ive seen in ages....

Calzaghe will go down in history as a great on both sides of the Atlantic, i hope he sticks to his retirement though, never nice to see people like Holyfield embarrassing themselves for the cash years after retiring!

Yes.



Take a close look. I even bolded it for you.

Personally I can't stand boxing. It's the most boring 'sport', other than golf and darts maybe I've ever seen, but I do read show fight reports, as I do with any sport and any hyped events. When it comes to down to day and era of opponents, though, well, it's subjective.

I think people praise him too much. Don't argue with an opinion; you'll only look ridiculous.

Edited by forum moderator sporting, at 08:48 Sat 7/02/09 (GMT)

So you don't actually watch boxing, or like it? You just conform to what a load of magazines say? Ow well - never mind.......


LMAO @ Mike - Froch's last fight was one of the best I've seen in a long time - he was awsome! Don't think Calzaghe would destroy him as much as everyone thinks, Froch can take a punch and quite gladly give them.

I resonate your feeling on the retirement thing - I thought Lennox Lewis was going to fall foul to that when all the boxing world wanted to see him fight again and destroy Vlad - glad he's never done it!



I hate to be the 'clever' one and point this out - but didn't you just argue with an opinion?


Good look, Joe - enjoy your retirement

EDIT: I bolded it out for you, to make it clear, am nice like that!

Edited at 07:21 Sat 7/02/09 (GMT)

I was first to respond to a media article with an opinion on a forum, which y'know, is what they're there for. Sporting ripped my post up with his opinion on the topic as if to talk down to me; that he was right and I was wrong on, well, what was a subjective debate, so to speak.

So, no, I didn't argue with an opinion. My first post was my own opinion and my second was backing my opinion up, not by fact, but by further opinion.

Also, I don't mean to be the 'clever' one but 'luck' isn't spelt 'look'. ;)

Now as I did mention at before his record is nothing short of impressive so let's not take this full scale. My opinion is that he isn't as good as people say he is, your opinion is that he is. How good his opponents were at the time is again, subjective, and so let's leave this thread to take its natural course.

If you don't contest the opinion you think is wrong, then what is a debate? Telling people not to argue/dis-agree with someones opinion looks ridiculous, not the other way around.

Do you think that was speaking down at you? I think that your opinion was and still is very far off the scale, I dis-agreed, didn't mean to speak down at you.

You then say you don't like the sport and you go by media reports, that's not your opinion ! You might aswell post the media article. Let me put it another way, if you were Joe Calzaghe, one of the best fighters seen, and someone said to you, well you aint that good because I read the fight reports, and amazingly, believe it or not, the Americans hated him for a very long time , epsecially after he smashed Lacy. The Brits were not taken in by him really either for a while. Make your own opinion

Also, I don't mean to be the clever one, but mistakes in 1_eye posts are sooo rare, that he probably meant to say 'look'

Anyway, to go back on topic somewhat. Maybe the pool of fighters are not as great as the past, but in the current pool of fighters, he fought the best, and has won convincingly since becoming a champion. It's absolute crap people saying he aint as good as his record, because he has not fought a Ali or something, you just have to watch his fights and work ethic to see how good he is.

Name a fighter that hasnt......the boxing game is alledgedly full of 'hand picked' fights.....Promoters are reeling it in

And media articles are someone's opinion are they not?



I was going for the double meaning, don't think I quite hit it......

(You see the double meaning there, eh, EH??????)

Right, so you don't argue with an opinion...



Are you sure you don't argue with an opinion?



Good luck to Joe Calzaghe! Would have been a shame if he'd carried on and lost a fight.

I like the word opinion but three in a sentence??? I like personal views just as well

lmfao!

shame hes retired, great fighter!

if he had 1 more fight, he could of lost, that would destroy his record.
so i think he's done the right thing.

regardless of what he achieved there will always be miserable little people trying to knock him. he chased hopkins for years and b hop pulled out of two arranged fights, but people ignore this as it doesnt fit in with their narrow view of anyone they dont like. and as for froch i like him as a fighter but how can he criticize someones record when hes beat a part time profesional, in jean pascal whos a policeman by day. this was an excellent fight and i reckon the cobra could go on to do great things but he needs to achieve something truly impressive before he has any credibillity in slagging of joe.

How about knocking out an ex-world champion in his first title defence and doing it in the American's backyard

Not sure why he is still calling out Calzaghe though, Joe obviously doesnt fancy it, he wants to retire undefeated and fighting Carl will ruin that record for him
Next up will be either Bute or Kessler, probably not until 2010 though, I think he will have to do a mandatory title defence first before he goes after a big pay day. If he wins those fights then maybe Kelly Pavlik will move up a weight for a shot at him!

Exciting times for Froch, great finish last night after a disappointing start. Got to remember that hardly anybody, particularly Brits, take their first defence away from home territory (It was only the 2nd time hes been away from the UK as well), and nerves played a part in the stuttering start.

Excellent finish though and loved the referees quote- "It doesnt matter is there is 14 seconds or 1 second left, my job is to make sure the fighter can go home to his family."

ITV4 right now if you wanna see it