By Mark Vester
In a recent interview with South Wales Argus, former super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe (46-0) broke down the details on the circumstances which led to his retirement nearly two years ago. Calzaghe retired not long after his dominating win over Roy Jones Jr. in 2008. He has no desire to return to boxing for any amount of money.
“I won’t fight again. Money was never my goal and I feel contented and blessed to come out of boxing without being all smashed up,” Calzaghe said. “I’m done. Being world champion for 10 or 11 years is a long time and I made a promise to my family."
Calzaghe saw himself slipping way before his retirement. Even before the fight with Jones, Calzaghe said the "hunger to fight" was fully lost. Calzaghe also saw clear signs that his skills were starting to fade when he was dropped in the first round by both Bernard Hopkins and Jones in back to back fights.
“I lost the love for boxing before the Jones fight,” Calzaghe explained. “I didn’t want to fight anymore. I fought that fight because it was the perfect way to end against a legend at Madison Square Gardens. To retire on your own terms is very rare. If I came back I’d have money in the bank but I’d get beat."
“The hunger is not there anymore for me. Even with the Jones fight I started to cut corners. I realized I needed to get out then and it showed in the ring when I got knocked down against Hopkins and Jones. I still came back to win against two legends but that was a sign."
