By Dave Sholler

Enzo Calzaghe finds himself in an interesting situation. When he steps foot inside Madison Square Garden on Saturday night, he’ll be cornering one of the best fighters of the past decade. Trainer of the sport’s reigning Ring Magazine light heavyweight champion, the Welshman will travel to the United States to witness his fighter face future Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr.

Unlike other fights though, this one is special for Enzo. The fighter who will be facing Jones Jr. is not just an ordinary champion. It’s his son, Joe Calzaghe.

“Joe is my son first and a great fighter second,” Enzo Calzaghe said during a press conference Wednesday. “I am proud to be his trainer. The road has been very long. Twenty-five years of being a pain in the (butt) to Joe. I remember the first fight and now we are going to Madison Square Garden.”

Fatherhood and emotions aside, the elder Calzaghe realizes that his son will need to be primed for tomorrow night’s bout. Although Joe Calzaghe is undefeated at 45-0, Enzo understands that Jones Jr. poses serious threats. A former four-division world champion, Jones Jr. still possesses great speed at age 39 and has power in both hands. An underrated technician, Jones (52-4, 38 KOs) also carefully picks apart opponents.

While Jones’ in-ring attributes cannot be overlooked, Enzo believes his son has trained well enough to defeat the Floridian. Given his son’s polished left hand and high punch output, Enzo feels that Jones will struggle to match Joe Calzaghe’s pace.

"This is not going to be a cat and mouse fight,” Enzo, who was a jazz musician before changing occupations to serve as his son’s trainer over two decades ago, said. “This is a great fight. You are going to see a fantastic display of Joe Calzaghe. Roy is going to fight his heart out, but it won't be enough to beat Joe.

“People say that Roy needs to seal his legacy (with a win),” Enzo continued. “We didn't come here to fight to lose. We are going to be at Madison Square Garden with all the Americans pulling for Jones. We picked this place. We picked this place to kick (butt).”

The confidence exuded by Team Calzaghe is only matched by the assurance shown by Team Jones. Alton Merkerson, Jones’ longtime trainer, thinks Jones will defy the odds on Saturday and prove that age has not slowed him down. Even though Jones has historically struggled against southpaw fighters like Calzaghe, Merkerson thinks Jones’ pedigree will carry him to victory.

“Our camp has been a small productive camp,” Merkerson, who led Jones’ camp in the quiet town of California, PA, said. “Roy is ready. He is more ready now than he has ever been for any fight that I have been with him for in the last 18 years. The fight on November 8th is going to make history. Roy will make history.”

STIFF JABS

-In addition to Jones-Calzaghe, former welterweight champion Zab Judah (36-6, 25 KOs) drops down to 140 pounds to fight Ernest Johnson (18-2, 7 KOs) on the undercard. Judah returns to the junior welterweight division for the first time since 2003. In his last fight, contested on Aug. 2 at welterweight, Judah was stopped in the ninth round by Joshua Clottey. It will be interesting to see if Judah, the former IBF junior welterweight champion, can return to form in a division that better suits his speed and power.

-It appears as if the proposed Antonio Margarito-Shane Mosley bout will be signed, sealed, and delivered. Sources have confirmed that the bout will be held in Las Vegas on Jan. 24. While many have already counted Mosley out, here’s to thinking that a return to welterweight could be a huge boost to Sugar Shane’s career. The decision to bring in Bernard Hopkins’ trainer, Nazim Richardson, could also play a huge role in Mosley’s resurgence. However, it may be an interesting holiday season at the Mosley dinner table. With Mosley leaning toward Richardson, he would ultimately have to fire his current trainer – his father Jack.

-With just about a week to go, is anyone else excited about seeing Jermain Taylor back in the ring against Jeff Lacy on Nov. 15? Sure, “Bad Intentions” is coming off two straight losses to Kelly Pavlik. But a nine-month layoff should be just enough time for Taylor to gather himself and right the ship. I’m pulling for Jermain.

-WEEKEND PREDICTION: I’m in the mood to be crazy: Jones by decision.

Dave Sholler is a columnist for newspapers across the country. Reach him at shollerholla4@hotmail.com .