Exclusive: Joe Calzaghe speaks to BritishAmateurBoxing.net by Tom Walker Aug 20th 2008

Joe Calzaghe very kindly gave Tom Walker an interview for British Amateur Boxing.net in the Matadors changing room within the patio de cuadrillos (luxurious by dressing room standards) during the lead up to the show in the Plaza de Toros in Benidorm on the 12th August.  Calzaghe was guest of honour on the evening.   Tom     Thanks for taking some time off from the schedule tonight to talk to britishamateurboxing.net, and can I start by asking who first brought you into boxing, I presume your Dad had a lot to do with that?   Joe       Yeah that's right, basically my Dad is a big football and boxing fan and he bought me a pair of boxing gloves and a football when I was nine and after a few years with both, I realised that boxing was the sport that I loved and so I started boxing properly and won my first British title at 13, from then on I wanted to become a world champion one day.   Tom     Can you remember how you felt before your first ever bout in the ring as an amateur?   Joe       Yeah I was about ten years old a long, long time ago and I felt pretty nervous, yeah nervous before the bout.   Tom     Can you remember who your opponent was?   Joe       Yeah it was a guy called Titch Fox and I lost the first fight, and one of the judges was his Dad, but I beat him five times afterwards so it was all right.   Tom     How did you feel when you were first asked to represent Wales?   Joe       As a kid you know, at 13 representing your country was a big privilege, I was immensely proud.   Tom     Who is the most promising amateur boxer you know of in Wales at present?   Joe       To be honest I don't get to see much amateur boxing at the moment, so I couldn't really say.   Tom     Fred Evans is one for the future and is being groomed for 2012, in fact he's over in Beijing getting experience of the Olympics at the moment.   Joe       Is that right? That's very promising!   Tom     Your thoughts on Team GB and the increased funding from UK sport?   Joe       Yeah, I think that's great for the sport, when I was boxing amateur and at the top of my game, if it wasn't for the support of my parents I wouldn't have been like a full time amateur as I had no funding whatsoever. This way they (the boxers) can fully focus and concentrate on their boxing.   Tom     Computers or Scorecards?   Joe       Mmhh Scorecards Yeah. (laughingly)   Tom     Headguards with or without?   Joe       Well now, it would have to be without, I liked to see the person who was in the ring with me.   Tom     Should both arms of boxing work closer together i.e. Amateur and Professional, and if so what benefit do you see for Amateurs?   Joe       I'm not sure to be honest, I think a lot of times amateurs do work with pros. When I was ABA champion for instance I trained with a lot of pros. So I do think they overlap to a certain extent you know.   Tom     Any advice for aspirant amateurs who're thinking of turning professional in terms of their contractual arrangements?   Joe       Ahh, you're probably asking the wrong person there, I've made a few mistakes in my time there when it comes to managers. You have to make sure that your promoter and manager are separate persons.   Tom     What makes Enzo's gym so successful?   Joe       Well basically Dad's a great trainer, and we're fortunate to have a lot of very talented people at the same time.   Tom     Is it true that you never use weights in the Newport gym?   Joe       Hardly ever, no we hardly ever use weights there. I don't skip with ropes either, I used to always skip but I stopped skipping when I was about 17.   Tom     Which opponent proved to be the most awkward for you as a southpaw?   Joe       Mmmm...To be honest I don't like opponents who stand back, so Hopkins was very awkward, David Starie was another fighter who was very awkward. I'm predominately a counter-puncher so I like fighters coming to me like Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler, so somebody like Hopkins who stands back irritates me!   Tom     Any regrets about not going to America sooner?   Joe       Not really, you know I've been world champion for 11 years so thank God for what has been and I've no thoughts on what might have or might not have been otherwise.   Tom     What will you do when you hang up the gloves finally?   Joe       I'm not sure. I'm going to get a promoter's licence, my Dad has a great gym, I want to get involved with the guys in the gym, I'm friends with  them all there! So if there's experience I can pass onto them so much the better. They're the fighters of the future. Maybe a bit of TV we'll just wait and see.   Tom     Thanks very much and good luck with your fight in the Garden.   Joe       Thanks, it's a pleasure!

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