By Terence Dooley
Enzo Calzaghe nearly quit the sport of boxing after Joe Calzaghe’s retirement, the stress of Joe’s court case with former promoter Frank Warren, coupled with a losing streak for his Newbridge-based stable, almost forced Enzo to call it a day.
Gary Lockett, Gavin Rees, Bradley Pryce, and Enzo Maccarinelli all lost their way in big fights during the course of the past eighteen months; Enzo told the BBC that this losing streak had hit him hard.
“To this very minute I'm not as enthusiastic as I was before,” he said. “I'm not the Enzo Calzaghe that I used to be as I know what I should do, I want to retire. I've given 30 years to boxing and the last few years have been the most unhappy years of my boxing life. I'm not happy with my last year and a half in boxing, it has been hell. My appetite disappeared because some of my fighters started leaving.”
He continued: “At one stage in my heart I thought I was not going to go back to boxing, I told Joe about it and the passion Joe and I had was crumbling - and passion is the most important thing of all.”
Maccarinelli left the camp in the wake of his loss to Ola Afolabi earlier this year; Nathan Cleverly also defected during the fallout caused by the Joe Calzaghe-Sports Network split. However, Enzo decided that he owed a debt of gratitude to the likes of Rees and Pryce, who have joined the Calzaghe promotional stable, and the veteran trainer is going to give both men 110% as he bids to bring them back to the top.
“I owe it to my boxers to continue,” said Calzaghe. “I've trained Bradley Pryce and Gavin Rees since they were nine years old. I couldn't walk away. My heart is going but now I've made the decision to come back. I've got half a gym left and these boys are keeping me going and keeping me hungry. I'm there for those kids, and they'll be there for me and that is the reason why Joe and I will stay to fly the flag for Welsh boxing.”
“I made the empire but it hasn't collapsed it has just gone through a bad period but my empire can be built again,” he defiantly declared.
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