Calzaghe on course for big pay day

JOE CALZAGHE could face a big-money showdown with middleweight world champion Bernard Hopkins after his win over Byron Mitchell on Saturday.

Calzaghe put on a stunning show for Showtime, who screened his devastating two-round destruction of American challenger Mitchell in the US.

Last year, Hopkins accepted an offer of $3m. to fight Calzaghe before coming back the next day and pricing himself out by asking to double that figure. But, if he tuned in on Saturday night, the danger is he could want even more after Calzaghe's stunning display brought him through one of British boxing's epic battles.

Calzaghe's 13th defence of his WBO super middleweight title lasted just five minutes 36 seconds but just about every second was action-packed.

Calzaghe climbed up from the first knock-down of his fighting life to bludgeon Mitchell non-stop and become the first man to beat the former WBA world champion from Alabama inside the distance.

Jay Larkin, the Showtime boxing chief, was ringside at Cardiff's International Arena and he joined promoter Frank Warren in pledging to make new attempts to pair Calzaghe with Hopkins.

Following the collapse of mooted fights against Roy Jones junior and new cruiserweight king James Toney, Hopkins may find his options have decreased.

Larkin said: "A fight against Hopkins is a natural for Wales and we would like it to take place here."

Under the roof at the Millennium Stadium or an open-air show at Ninian Park are both possibilities.

"It would be a tremendous fight for Cardiff", said Warren. "This was the fight that will launch Joe big-time in the States."

And Carl King, who was in Mitchell's corner, will take the message back to his shock-haired promoter father Don.

He will bear witness to the fact that Calzaghe, at 31, has finally proved himself prepared to take on anyone from middleweight ruler Hopkins up to light-heavy a route he is prepared to take to secure the big fights and matching pay-days.

Calzaghe's ferocious display of two-handed punching, which Mitchell recklessly tried to match, saw the American rescued by referee Dave Parris as he reeled out of control towards his own corner.