Mr Calzaghe Page #8

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In really deep psychological ways.

It made me feel that

I got to be a father.

I knew that enough is enough.

I changed from trainer; become a father.

I didn't want to keep fighting

until I couldn't fight no more-

I wanted to Hght with

something left in the tank.

I to/d my dad the next

fight's gonna be my last one.

Who better to face than another

American ring legend, Roy Jones Junior.

A man the same size as Joe,

but when he steps into a ring,

he looks 6'6" because of his

extraordinary Wingspan and reach and speed.

Roy is ready.

He's more ready now than he's ever been

in the fights that I've trained

him for the last, the last 18 years.

There was no one else,

really. No one of that stature.

SO fall who's QOf U7645 and 0, mate?

Who's got the 45 and 0?

Stand up and praise Joe

Calzaghe. He's got 45 and 0.

And then on the fight night,

it's gonna be 46 and 0.

Put your hands together

for Joe Calzaghe, thank you.

To Hnish off my career fighting one the

greatest Hghters there's been, that's it!

And Fighting in Madison Square Garden, you

know, that's all the motivation I need.

On Saturday night, you're

not gonna see a good fight,

you're gonna see a great fight.

No one wants to miss the end

of what has been an extraordinary,

and, remember, unbeaten career.

But there's a fear that

the great Welsh champion,

the Italian Dragon might

lose his last fight.

Ladies and gentlemen,

from the Mecca of boxing,

Madison Square Garden,

New York City, USA.

Introducing first,

from Pensacola, Florida,

a future hal/ of famen

Roy Jones...

Junior!

Introducing the Fighting

pride of Newbridge, Wales,

former undisputed Super

Middleweight World Champion,

and reigning, defending,

undefeated Light Heavyweight

Champion of the World,

Joe...

Calzaghe!

Twelve rounds of boxing

for the Light Heavyweight

Championship of the World.

Okay, gentlemen, we went

over the ru/es in the dressing room.

Obey my commands at all times and

protect yourselves at all times.

Touch 'em up, when the bel/

rings, come out fighting.

Okay, gentlemen.

Box!

Joe Ca/zaghe, Roy

Jones Junion herein New York,

for the Ring Magazine Light

Heavyweight Championship of the World.

I don't Know that Roy

Jones ever fought anybody

that was faster than he was

until he got in the ring with Joe.

And I'm not sure that Joe ever fought

anybody who was faster than he was

until he got into the ring with Roy.

Okay, break.

Foul; five, six, seven, eight...

I, like, literally thought

my dad was Superman.

I thought he was like, invincible.

We were in a frenzied state of terror.

That it could all come undone, you know,

on the biggest stage of the boxing world.

There's blood on

the bridge of Ca/zaghe's nose.

Calzaghe has to dig out of a hole.

I can't put the

winning method in his life,

in his heart while he's boxing.

That comes from himself, personally.

It's something that creeps in his mind.

"I shall not lose. "

COMIVIENTATORZ Calzaghe unfazed.

Goes out with his hands out low.

Throws one punch at a time

and Calzaghe throws six.

Calzaghe showboating in

the centre of the ring.

Never before have you seen that

with an opponent against Roy Jones.

Roy Jones Junior was

the ultimate showboater

He could do everything.

He could knock a man out five feet away

across a ring with a punch they never saw.

So, Joe begins to showboat.

He rolls his shoulders, he

shuffles, he does everything.

And Ca/zaghe is

standing in front of Roy Jones

with his hands down, showboating.

it's abundantly

clean at least with body language,

Ca/zaghe is trying to portray

to the audience and to the judges

that he has weathered the storm.

He has dominated round three.

Another

left hand by Calzaghe,

follows it up with a

couple of body shots.

Another flurry by Ca/zaghe.

Roy maybe momentarily hurt.

He's hurt, he's hurt...

Blood above

the left eye of Roy Jones.

Joe was sticking his face out.

He was sticking his face

out and just, just...

Screwing with Roy's brain, and Roy

had done this for years to people.

Roy has

never; never experienced this,

and I think that the fact

that Joe can do this all night.

And then I was watching that,

I thought that's jazz. That's

It's smooth, it's silky, it's sneaky,

it's syncopated, it's just, it's just jazz.

Calzaghe dropping

his hands and staring at Jones

and watching the blood

flow, and going back to work.

He did everything but

knock Roy Jones Junior out.

And he probably was

there for the taking.

Why didn't Joe knock him out?

Maybe because he wanted to

savour those last 36 minutes.

It was as if he was

saying, "/ 've loved this,

I want you all to see me be doing everything

I can do here today and it's goodbye. "

And it was as if my life was

flickering through, like, all my career;

like where I started.

I was counting down

the rounds in my head.

Just looking round thinking,

Look where I am.

To finish on my own

terms, money can't buy that.

Money can't buy that.

Very few fighters go

out on their terms in that way.

I can literally name on five fingers

the fighters in my era that have

gotten out with their faculties,

with their money, and with their pride.

I give him a lot of credit.

And it says a lot

about his sense of self

and the understanding he had,

that he had more than half his

life still to live, after boxing.

People still talk about him,

and people kind of still

want him to be around,

you know, and there are not many

people that once they go away,

you know, the only thing people

will start talking about is,

just like, you know, "I wish

he was still here", you Know.

That's a big achievement.

If I had flags, I would put

the flags out. It was really...

Well, you see now I've just...

It was unreal seeing my dad after

all he's done, really be appreciated.

I just fe/t like that

was the best moment ever.

So proud of him, like, that's

probably my proudest moment ever.

I respect him as a father

for what he's done for us.

Nobody knows what my

dad went through to get,

to get there, from a little kid.

That's, that's what I feel, you Know.

You wanna come in, Joe?

Never happened, it wasn't

us, it couldn't be us, no way.

Look at the memories,

that's there, it's us.

Oh, he's my best friend and a

great dad, and he's an awesome trainer.

I couldn't pay him back

for the way he brought me up

and also for instilling

that animal in me

that I become in the ring,

who refused to be beat,

refused to be knocked down.

If you get knocked down,

you get back twice as bad.

That Was me.

Refuse to lose.

That was instilled

in me, so thanks, Dad.

Oh, it's been a brilliant ride,

and I'm a happy man now and I'm

thankful for everything I've got.

Nothing's come close to the

family, children and health.

Nothing matters unless you got that.

You'/I never be forgotten.

What you are is eternal.

Hey, listen, Joe put in a lot of work.

He fought a lot of tough guys. He um...

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