Calzaghe vacates IBF title

CALZAGHE GIVES UP IBF BELT Joe Calzaghe has relinquished the IBF World Super Middleweight championship he won with his career-best victory over American Jeff Lacy in March. The Welshman has chosen to fight American TV boxing reality show star Peter Manfredo Jnr rather than face his IBF mandatory challenger Robert Stieglitz. The sanctioning body had applied pressure on Calzaghe by putting the fight out to purse offers but Manfredo, a household name in America after his appearances on 'The Contender' television series, is a more lucrative option. Promoter Frank Warren today officially announced that Calzaghe will make the 20th defence of his WBO title and also put his prestigious Ring Magazine belt - awarded to him as the world's best 168lb fighter - on the line against Manfredo in front of an anticipated 30,000 crowd at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on Saturday, March 3. "It's disappointing to give up the IBF but Stieglitz doesn't mean anything out of Germany," said Calzaghe. Promoter Warren said that American broadcasters HBO had "no appetitive" for the Stieglitz fight. "That's how the belts get fragmented," said the promoter. Manfredo, runner-up in the first series of 'The Contender', has lost three of his 29 professional fights but Warren believes the 26-year-old American will prove a tough opponent for the 34-year-old champion. "He's trained by Freddie Roach and Sugar Ray Leonard is also involved with him and they don't work with people who can't fight," said Warren. "But Joe Calzaghe is one of the best ever British fighters and one of the best pound-for-pound in the world today." Calzaghe, who has studied Manfredo carefully, said: "If you thought of him as just a reality TV show fighter it should be a walkover, inside a couple of rounds. "But I've watched his last few fights and he does look a good contender. He's beaten Scott Pemberton, who was number one challenger for the world title, and has looked good in his last couple of fights." Victory could see Calzaghe making his 21st WBO title defence in the USA, possibly against former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. "We've been in discussions with Taylor and that's a fight we would like, but first he has to come through this one," said Warren. Victory over Manfredo would enable Calzaghe to equal the 20 world title defences of former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes and Bernard Hopkins, the ex-middleweight title holder. It would also edge him closer to the record of 25 by the great Joe Louis. "What a thing to do to overtake Joe Louis' record. It would be a major achievement. I don't think anyone else is going to get there ever," said Warren. Calzaghe added: "Equalling Holmes and Hopkins means a lot to me and it's a great incentive to train hard for this fight. "But let's forget about Louis. I don't know if I want to take his record, he's a legend." Calzaghe has made just one IBF defence, returning to the scene of his superb victory over Lacy to outpoint tough African fighter Sakio Bika at Manchester's MEN Arena in October. Gashed over the eye, he also badly bruised his hand but insists that both injuries have totally cleared up. "He was tough and dirty and I got dragged into a brawl but that's the fighter in me," said Calzaghe. "I will not make that mistake again although I expect Manfredo to come to fight and be throwing some bombs," he added.