Eubank backs Calzaghe for TV gong

CHRIS Eubank believes Joe Calzaghe should win the BBC Sports Personality of the Year award hands down this Sunday if it's based on sporting achievement. Eubank, a regular attendee of the event and arguably the greatest 'personality' that British sport has ever produced with his days as a champion boxer sporting upper class persona, questions the criteria of the award. "The title of the award says Sports Personality, and with due respect I don't think Joe Calzaghe is known in any way for his personality," the former poser of the ring started. "But as far as sports performance (is concerned)," he continued. "(Calzaghe is) by far and away the best of the best in British sport this year or maybe any of the last nine years. "How many champions of the entire world do we have? This man is king of the castle of his chosen sport and has been for over nine years now. He thoroughly deserves recognition that has eluded him for so long." Ironically, the show this year will be held at the National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham where Eubank made his name 16 years ago in his defeat of arch-rival Nigel Benn. The 'Italian Dragon' Calzaghe has already recently been voted the 2006 BBC Wales Sports Personality of the Year, and since then, according to bookmakers William Hill, large volumes of £10 and £20 bets have been placed on the 'Pride of Wales'. The Welshman's impeccable boxing performance against highly regarded American idol Jeff Lacy in March this year was shown on terrestrial television and repeated on terrestrial later on the Sunday morning, while Calzaghe's previous career bouts had been shut away on subscription television. Will that swing it for the man from Newbridge?