Joe Calzaghe insists there is no complacency in his camp as the Welshman builds up to his fight with Mikkel Kessler on Saturday week.
Welshman confident ahead of unification
Joe Calzaghe insists there is no complacency in his camp as the Welshman builds up to his fight with Mikkel Kessler on November 3.
The WBO super-middleweight champion meets the Dane in a spectacular unification fight at the Millennium Stadium with Kessler's WBC and WBA belts also on the line.
The Welshman has reigned supreme at 168lbs for 10 years but faces his toughest test to date against the hungry 28-year-old, who is also unbeaten in a 39-fight career.
And Kessler's reputation is more than enough to ensure that Calzaghe is fully focused on the task in hand.
Weakness
"I'm always excited to defend my title but it's great to go into a fight where I know I'm going to get something else out of it - in this case Kessler's belts," he said. "I'm going in as challenger as well as champion.
"But I'm never over-confident. Over-confidence is a weakness because it stops you training as hard as you should. It has happened to fighters like Naseem Hamed and Lennox Lewis.
"It is one of my strengths. Even when I fight a late substitute like Tocker Pudwill I prepare in the same way. I never think I'll skip on that run or that round of sparring.
"Complacency beats fighters. Even if I think I could beat that guy with one hand I train the same. Obviously mentally you get up for some fights more, but physically you take nothing for granted in this game."
And Calzaghe is confident he has found the key to ending his opponent's winning run.
"I can adapt my style in any way required and I think Kessler is one-dimensional," added the southpaw. "He's a very good European-style fighter and I think his style suits me fine.
"I can see myself doing a job in this guy. The best Joe Calzaghe beats anybody in the world and I am going to be at my best, because I know that if I am not at my best and I do not perform I will lose."
