Summary
As Joe Calzaghe sets a Cardiff date for the "fight of his life" with Mikkel Kessler, the boxer talks candidly to Paul Rowland about his insecurities, the complex relationship he has with his father and trainer, to the bigger industry battles he's fought to be recognised as the champion he is
FOR a man who's made a living by knocking people over, Joe Calzaghe didn't respond too well when it happened for the first time. "It was only an exhibition, just a sparring session," he recalls. "I closed my eyes and threw a left hand over the top. I was only about 10, nine even.See the full content of this document
Extract
No Ordinary Joe
"I just remember swinging this punch - it was more like an overarm bowl in cricket, to be honest - and then I shut my eyes, and managed to clump this lanky kid on the chin.
"To my amazement, the boy fell over. I thought, 'I can't believe it, I've knocked the kid out'."Suddenly I had my old trainer, a guy called Paul Williams, screaming and shouting at me, going, 'You've knocked the kid out, it's only an exhibition what are you doing, what are you doing? He's only nine.'"And he was shouting at me and I was just going, 'What are you shouting at me for? I didn't mean it! And then I started crying."That was the only time I ever got upset about knocking somebody over. Believe me, I got the utmost pleasure knocking people out after that."To date, there are 32 men who would bear testament to that, and most of them are mentioned in the boxer's autobiography, No Ordinary Joe.At the age of 35, Calzaghe has made beatin...See the full content of this document
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