Skysports.com takes a look back at retired Joe Calzaghe's five most memorable fights.
Skysports.com takes a look back at retired Joe Calzaghe's five most memorable fights.
Skysports.com looks back at Joe Calzaghe's five best fights
Joe Calzaghe has called time on his professional career after 46 victories and no defeats.
The 38-year-old has had a glittering 15-year run, producing many memorable fights against world-class opposition.
Here,
skysports.com takes a look back at his five finest performances.
v Chris Eubank, October 1997
Calzaghe announced himself on the world stage in the most explosive way possible, by knocking a British boxing legend down in the first round.
The young fighter kept up a frantic pace for the next two or three rounds, hoping for a shocking early stoppage.
Although Calzaghe built up a wide lead on all three scorecards, he had misjudged his efforts, tiring badly towards the end of the fight and forced to complete 12 rounds for the first time in his career.
But he held on and won by a wide unanimous decision. The victory gave him his first world title: the WBO super-middleweight crown. He would successfully defend it an astonishing 21 times.
v Byron Mitchell, June 2003
After six-years spent defending his WBO title, Calzaghe stepped up to take on former WBA super-middleweight champion Byron Mitchell.
In a frantic contest that packed a championship fight's worth of action into two rounds, Calzaghe suffered the first knockdown of his professional career due a Mitchell left-hook.
However, as Mitchell went in for the kill, the Welshman landed a left-hook of his own, sending the American sprawling into the ropes and then down to the canvas. A vicious Calzaghe assault followed, causing referee Dave Parris to step in and stop the fight.
v Jeff Lacy, March 2006
Calzaghe's toughest test to date came against undefeated IBF champion Jeff Lacy. The Welshman produced possibly the finest performance of his career, utterly dominating the fight for all 12 rounds.
The Newbridge fighter was deducted a point for hitting on the break but put in an otherwise flawless display, breaking down Lacy over the course of the fight and putting him on the canvas in the final round.
It was a breakthrough for the long-time title holder, who had often been accused of avoiding America's top fighters. But the same accusation could not be levelled at him now, as his domination of the States' finest propelled him up the pound-for-pound rankings.
v Mikkel Kessler, November 2007
In the months following the Lacy victory, hard-hitting Dane Mikkel Kessler emerged as an even more dangerous challenger than the American.
Calzaghe would try to unify the super-middleweight division as he took on the WBA and WBC champion in front of over 50,000 fans at the Millennium Stadium.
The two served up a treat for the massive crowd, Calzaghe taking the early initiative with his relentless work rate but having to defend later on as the Danish fighter tried to mount a comeback.
At the end of a thrilling 12 rounds, Calzaghe was awarded a comfortable decision and was crowned king of the super-middleweight division.
v Bernard Hopkins, April 2008
Calzaghe agreed perform in America for the first time when he signed to fight middleweight legend Bernard Hopkins. 'The Executioner' had moved up to light-heavyweight, scoring victories over Antonio Tarver and Winky Wright to set up this clash.
Calzaghe, competing at the weight for the first time, looked to be in trouble when he was knocked down in the first round and then struggled to penetrate the American's fantastic defence.
Hopkins began to wilt as the fight wore on, as the Welshman began to find the target more frequently. Calzaghe took a split decision after 12 rounds to overcome the toughest test of his career and remain unbeaten.
