Calzaghe looking to emulate Honeyghan in Vegas

JOE CALZAGHE is looking to emulate one of the great feats of British boxing when he fights Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas in April.

Calzaghe is hoping to mark his first workout in America at the age of 35 with a performance for British fans as devastating as the one which saw unfancied Lloyd Honeyghan dismantle Don Curry for the undisputed welterweight title in the gambling city back in 1986.

Calzaghe said: “Lloyd Honeyghan went out there and took apart one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in Don Curry. That’s what I’m looking to do, a Lloyd Honeyghan.

“Get out there. Take things in my stride and do the business. A ring’s a ring. It doesn’t matter if it’s Wales, England, Italy, Las Vegas. I’m pretty chilled out. I don’t let things get in the way of me.

“Yeah, he’s going to try to wind me up but I’ll just take it in my stride,” he said.

Calzaghe is undefeated in 14 years as a professional but has been criticised in some quarters for being reluctant to fight outside Britain.

However, he is the undisputed world super-middleweight champion, and while he is stepping up a division to take on 43-year-old Hopkins for the Ring magazine light-heavyweight belt on April 19, he insists he needed the new challenge, although an estimated £5m (€6.7m) payday also helps.

He said: “I need a bit of nerves, a bit of excitement to get me up. A challenge. Maybe if Hopkins came over to Wales I wouldn’t be that motivated but with me going there with three American judges and an American referee, that is a challenge in itself. I love a challenge.”

Calzaghe, who insists he wants just two more fights before retiring, intends to spend two weeks training prior to the fight in Las Vegas. The fight at the 18,000 capacity Thomas and Mack Centre will be shown live on Setanta Sports but is not pay per view. Up to 5,000 tickets will be on sale in a fortnight to British fans.

Calzaghe demonstrated all his boxing prowess against Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler last year when he was voted BBC Sports Personality of the Year, but he is ready to box or slug it out against an opponent who is renowned for being awkward.

He said: “I always go to entertain, never to spoil. Unfortunately Hopkins does not fight with that same mindset. If he comes toe to toe it’s going to be a war and a hell of a treat for the fans. If he runs it could be frustrating for the fans and myself. I’m prepared for anything.”

He went on to reveal his obvious contempt for Hopkins, saying: “He calls himself a champion and a legend but I don’t think he’s a legend. He’s lost four fights. On the 19th April we’ll see who the legend is. He’s not a legend, not in my eyes.”