Calzaghe forgets past glory to focus on Bika

JOE CALZAGHE has banished memories of his greatest night as he prepares to defend his IBF and WBO super-middleweight titles against Cameroon’s Sakio Bika in Manchester on Saturday.

The 34-year-old Welshman returns to the ring for the first time since his sensational March victory over Jeff Lacy, which ranked as one of the finest performances by a British fighter.

Calzaghe’s success shunted him up the pound-for-pound rankings, earned him a lucrative deal with American cable giants Home Box Office, and turned him into a global boxing icon.

But he insists it is time to stop reliving that win and concentrate on a future he hopes will lead to super fights before he hangs up his gloves.

Calzaghe said: “I could not have written a better script, to fight the best fight of my life on the biggest night of my life, but there are other things to be done and Lacy is in the past now.

“We have all got to get over the Lacy thing. I have got a big fight next Saturday, and in boxing you are only as good as your last fight.”

Calzaghe has proved a master at remaining focused for so-called lesser tests during his phenomenal reign as champion stretching back 18 defences to the night he beat Chris Eubank for the title in 1997.

And while Bika certainly does not arrive on these shores with the hype afforded America’s next big thing Lacy, he boasts a strong enough record to persuade Calzaghe not to change his winning habits.

Calzaghe has big plans including a possible unification fight with the winner of Saturday’s WBC and WBA title clash between Mikkel Kessler and Markus Beyer in Copenhagen.

A dominant display from Kessler, who has won his 37 professional fights, would make the clash a realistic possibility for next year.