Calzaghe will end career ‘on a high’

ENZO CALZAGHE has pledged his son Joe will not fall at the last hurdle of his professional career when he faces Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden early tomorrow morning.

Joe Calzaghe has insisted he will bring the curtain down on a so-far unbeaten 45-fight career after he faces former eight-time, four-weight champion Jones at light-heavyweight. Father and trainer Enzo said: “The road has been long, and we’re getting to the final hurdle.

“He will not, under any circumstances, fail on the last hurdle. As long as Joe turns up as Joe Calzaghe at the top of his game, I’ve got no problems.”

Calzaghe senior believes his son’s determination to finish his career without a defeat could make the difference.

“As far as Joe is concerned, he’s after one thing only. He wants to retire undefeated. That’s the key, the passion, his goal to be undefeated. It’s the dream he’s always had. That — when push comes to shove, concerning characters, hearts and souls — is what will be scrutinised (in this fight).

“Roy’s a great fighter; I’ve nothing bad to say about him. He’s a guy I’ve admired for 10 years; he’s ‘walked the walk and talked the talk’; he’s done it. But I will question only one thing. When it hits the fan, when his heart is going to be searched and his mind questioned, will he come up short? I think against Joe Calzaghe he will.

“He’s the same class as Joe. But will he find that extra bit of zest, that goal that’s in front of him to say ‘I will not be defeated, I will go down 10 times but I’ll get up’.”

Calzaghe senior cited Jones’ consecutive knockout defeats in 2004 to Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson as evidence to back up his argument.

“Glen Johnson’s a great fighter. But he was a middleweight. Tarver hasn’t set the world alight. It wasn’t a flash knockdown — he was absolutely put to sleep. To me that means either he’s got a weak chin or weak resilience — and deep down, in his own heart, he’ll know what he’s made of. Talk is cheap. But he’ll be searching deep, deep for something he’s never felt before — a heart.”

Calzaghe has already had his soul searched, his father claims, in his first world super-middleweight title fight against Chris Eubank in 1997 — and was not found wanting in taking a 12-round unanimous decision.

“Joe had never fought over eight rounds before that and against Eubank he had to search his soul and find out what he was made of,” he recalled. That was Joe’s baptism, and he found he had every bit of armoury in place — character, endurance, ability, punch. Eubank had never been down in his life but he was put down twice in one round.”

Jones, he believes, has not yet passed a similar test.

“Roy Jones has had everything his own way all his life,” he added.

“He’s played games, mucked about. But when he came up against someone who wants to fight him, wants to knock him out and be in his face, he came up short on both occasions — Tarver and Johnson.”

Calzaghe is also confident Jones will not be able to come up with a strategy to beat his son, just as Bernard Hopkins failed to do in his fight with the Welshman — making his light-heavyweight debut in Las Vegas last April.

“Joe’s very hard to fight against — so what plan do you make for him?” he asks.

“Is he going to come out as a boxer today? Is he going to come out as a brawler today? He just adjusts and re-adjusts through the fight. What Joe will turn up on Saturday? I don’t even know myself. Will it be the brawler; will it be the master-class man which he showed with (Jeff) Lacy? Will it be the charismatic guy? I don’t know.

“Plan A, plan B, plan C can be operated by Joe Calzaghe — no problem.”