Calzaghe interview - june 1st

-------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Hi Joe, how you doing? I'm OK thanks Small Talk, how you doing? Pretty good, thanks. How's that pesky left paw of yours? Well, the good news is we thought I'd fractured it again during my last fight, but I had an MRI scan a few weeks ago, and they said it's just bruised. I've still got bruised bones, and at the moment it's a bit tender, but hopefully I should be in good shape to fight again in September, which could be against Jermain Taylor or Mikkel Kessler. After everything you've achieved, do you still feel like you have something left to prove in boxing? Basically I want another Jeff Lacy-style fight, I want to fight the big names. I loved the Lacy fight, and I showed then and I've shown throughout my career that the better the opponent, the better my performance. But unfortunately since then I've fought Sakio Bika, which I wasn't too happy about - because he's a horrible, dirty fighter - then Peter Manfredo, who was there basically just because he was a big name in the States after The Contender. Hopefully now we can set up a big fight. I want the likes of Taylor and Kessler, because it's all about my legacy, and going down as one of the greatest British fighters of all time. I don't want my career to peter out fighting meaningless fights; I want to go against the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world. It's interesting that you mention Kessler - in your autobiography you seem uncertain as to whether you want to fight him. Yeah, well I do. I've been doing that book for over eight months, so some things have changed. Taylor doesn't seem interested, it doesn't look like he wants to fight me, and the next biggest name out there is Kessler. And fair play, in the last six months he's had some good wins - he had a fight on HBO, he's moving off. Are there any fights out there for you that are really going to be as big as Lacy in terms of Stateside coverage? Of course there are. Taylor is a big name, he's middleweight champion, he's the ring champion, he's a massive name. Also, you've got Bernard Hopkins. Hopkins and Winky Wright are fighting next month, and hopefully the winner will fight me in January. Do you regret never having fought in Italy? Yeah, well of course, but unfortunately I don't think you've got the money, or the popularity of the sport over there. But I know in Sardinia they're quite proud that they've got half a Sardinian as the world champion. You've said before that you might have stopped fighting by now if you could afford to. Do you really believe that? It's a difficult one. I'd probably have retired and then wound up coming back, because when I'm actually in the ring I enjoy it. Then afterwards sometimes I get lazy, especially when I don't get the big fights. I think of all I've achieved and I get frustrated with boxing; I get frustrated with the sport that I can't get the fights I desire. Lacy was terrific, but when I fight someone like Bika I think: "What am I doing this for?" After all I've achieved, fighting a guy like that who's dropping their head on you. But to be honest I think I'd still go out there. You don't just fight for the money, you have to have the heart and the desire. I'm always in fantastic shape when I get in the ring, so I think that proves I have the ambition and the heart. And I love being a champion - the best feeling of all is being the world champion. Are you scared that if you keep going too long you'll eventually lose? Yeah, of course. That's the fear that drives me. I'm not going to retire because of the fear of losing. I still believe I'm at my peak, I think the fighter I am today would beat the fighter I was five years ago. The Lacy performance was probably my best ever. Against Manfredo the speed was there, but unfortunately he wasn't up to the job, so I'm just feeling good at the moment and looking forward to the big fights. You mention in the book you find it sad that some of the big fighters have gone on too long. How can you be sure you'll know when it's time to stop? Well, I'm not going to fight until I can't. I think I could fight until I'm 40 right now, but I want to take a decision and retire like Rocky Marciano undefeated. I've set myself a goal of three more fights. Sixteen more months and them I'm going to knock it on the head. You have a date set in mind then? Yeah, I like to think by the end of 2008, I will have had three more career-defining fights, against the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world. And then I'll retire, undefeated. And where do you see yourself after that - crap Italian mobster in a Guy Ritchie movie? Well, why not? That could be cool! Maybe something like that, but me and my dad have got our own gym too, and we've got good fighters like Enzo Maccarinelli and some other up-and-coming guys, so I'll probably help out there. I've got my trainer's licence now, and maybe I'll manage a few fighters as well, who knows? Boxing's in my blood so I'll always stay involved in that, and I'll probably do a bit of TV work as well, commentary and that. No plans to relocate to Hollywood? Not at the moment, but listen, if the chance comes I'm pretty sure I'll take it. Maybe I could be the Italian Vinnie Jones - no speaking, just look mean! And you won't be following your dad into the world of music either then? Oh definitely not! When it comes to the singing part I think I missed the boat - the whole family can sing except for me. But they can't fight, so I suppose I've been a bit more successful than them there. We're crushed Joe - we'd been hoping you might front a Whitesnake tribute band. Oh, is that right - you read that bit in my book did you? Damn. I told a few other bands I used to like but he had to put Whitesnake in didn't he? That was a long time ago . You talk about the bullying at school in the book - might that have helped you become the fighter you are? Possibly . I don't know, that was a hard time in my life, but what don't kill you makes you stronger. Did it affect my personality? I'm not sure, when I was in school I was a completely different person to who I was outside school, but I've always been a fighter, and maybe that's why I didn't quit and kept turning up even though I hated it. I mentioned it in the book because it's a big issue round the country with kids doing harm to themselves, so it's good for them to know that the world champion's been through the same thing. Have you ever thought about getting your own back on them now? I didn't really start growing until I was 15, so it all sort of calmed down when I did. I see a couple of them now and then and they're a lot shorter than me nowadays. But nah - they all go and do their little office jobs and they aren't world champion, so it's karma man, karma. What was the last piece of music you bought? The Arctic Monkeys album. And Justin Timberlake's new album. Favourite TV show? I liked The Office when it was on. What's the silliest thing you've ever done when drunk? Ah, I can't remember, to be honest. I get told a lot of things I do when I'm drunk . Probably this one time when I was on a cruise ship and all the doors were barred to stop people from going out because we were in the Bay of Biscay and it was dangerous. But I'd got outside and I was hanging over the end of the ship, which could have been pretty dangerous really, because I'm not much of a swimmer. What's your poison? Well it depends, I like a glass of wine, but if I'm out with the boys you've got to drink lager. What's the strangest request you've had from a fan? To sign her arse in a packed bar. Did you do it? Yup. I'd only just started going out with Emma-Jo, and I hadn't had anything to drink that night, so it was quite embarrassing, but I did it. What would you put in Room 101? All those meaningless people in the papers like Jordan. People who get all over the front page when you want to see real news. Fake celebrities. Especially the reality TV ones. Charlotte Church or Monica Bellucci? Monica who? The attractive Italian one from the hideous second and third Matrix movies. Oh yeah, yeah, I know who you mean - her 100%. It's not even a competition, not even a race. Nothing much compares to Charlotte Church - I've seen her pissed up in Cardiff a couple of times and she's not a pretty sight. Finally, can you tell us a joke? Can I tell you a joke? Aaah, I'm pretty shit at jokes. I'll have to go through my phone, I get them sent to me, but I never remember them . It's OK if you can't. Hang on. Do you know a joke? He wants a joke for the story. . Ah, no, I don't think I should say that one. . Hmm, that might be missing the point a touch ... . OK, my boy's got one - what's Olivia Newton John and Liverpool got in common? No idea. They both got fucked in Greece. Honk! Thanks for speaking to us, Joe. Cheers pal, bye. (Hardly the kinda interview most boxers normally give)