Tweet
Joe"Don't worry about me losing"
JOE CALZAGHE has promised to stop the rot after Clinton Woods was battered to the brink of retirement by Antonio Tarver.
Calzaghe takes on Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas on Saturday having seen Britain reduced to just three recognised world champions following Woods' unanimous points defeat.
Woods went down with a whimper as he handed Tarver his IBF light-heavyweight title, leaving Calzaghe, Junior Witter and David Haye flying the flag.
But the undefeated Welshman, who is stepping up a division from super-middleweight to face Hopkins, insisted: "There is no way I am going to let Popkins beat me.
"We have lost some big fights in the past few weeks but I can guarantee my name will not be added to the list.
"It was a tough night for Clinton and I am sure he feels very disappointed but there is always another day."
CONFIDENT ... Calzaghe
Defeat against Tarver also means the chance of a multi-million pound showdown with Calzaghe has bit the dust.
But Woods, 35, gave a heavy hint he is ready to call time on his career after turning in a below-par performance.
He said: "I'm just a skinny kid from Sheffield who has achieved things beyond my wildest dreams, things that I never thought possible.
''ll go home now, say hello to my wife and play with the kids and then decide what I should do next.
"It's very difficult to make a big decision about retiring straight after a defeat. I'll have to talk it through with my missus Natalia."
Woods could not find his range and was eventually outgunned by Tarver, who was there for the taking.
Just why Woods put in such a bad performance is a bit of a mystery. But when he has faced the top guys, he has regularly come up short.
He took three attempts to beat Glen Johnson, was stopped by Roy Jones Jnr and has now been handed the heaviest points defeat of his career by Tarver.
Woods' promoter Dennis Hobson said: "Maybe the occasion got to Clinton a little bit and it's a shame he hasn't performed properly on the biggest stage.
"Everyone knows that Clinton CAN box and what pees me off is that the Americans now think he is just a tough white kid who is one-paced and fights only in straight lines.
"He's been fighting at home for so long that when he was taken out of the comfort zone of being around his family and familiar surroundings, he could not make the adjustment needed
"There was definitely no devilment in Clinton. And I for one definitely don't want him to go out of the boxing business like that.
Advertisement
"Obviously the final decision will be his on whether he retires or not but I don't think you can write him off at this level."
The big problem for Woods is how he would rebuild his career after such a comprehensive defeat to a man many critics insisted did not have the stamina to last 12 hard rounds.
But it is unlikely he will want to bow out on such a low note.
Sitting his dressing room after the fight, Woods admitted: "I just could not get close to Tarver. He made it very awkward for me, ducking low and turning his back but the ref said nothing.
"I got in the ring believing I could win, I know I can do better than that but it wasn't there on the night.
"Tarver is only the second southpaw I have ever fought and perhaps that knocked me off my rhythm but really I should have been able to cope.
"I tried to force the pace of the fight, yet Tarver was very clever throwing his shots in spurts and getting through.
"He was fighting for 30 seconds or so each round but in the end it was effective and it was enough."
Calzaghe takes on Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas on Saturday having seen Britain reduced to just three recognised world champions following Woods' unanimous points defeat.
Woods went down with a whimper as he handed Tarver his IBF light-heavyweight title, leaving Calzaghe, Junior Witter and David Haye flying the flag.
But the undefeated Welshman, who is stepping up a division from super-middleweight to face Hopkins, insisted: "There is no way I am going to let Popkins beat me.
"We have lost some big fights in the past few weeks but I can guarantee my name will not be added to the list.
"It was a tough night for Clinton and I am sure he feels very disappointed but there is always another day."
CONFIDENT ... Calzaghe
Defeat against Tarver also means the chance of a multi-million pound showdown with Calzaghe has bit the dust.
But Woods, 35, gave a heavy hint he is ready to call time on his career after turning in a below-par performance.
He said: "I'm just a skinny kid from Sheffield who has achieved things beyond my wildest dreams, things that I never thought possible.
''ll go home now, say hello to my wife and play with the kids and then decide what I should do next.
"It's very difficult to make a big decision about retiring straight after a defeat. I'll have to talk it through with my missus Natalia."
Woods could not find his range and was eventually outgunned by Tarver, who was there for the taking.
Just why Woods put in such a bad performance is a bit of a mystery. But when he has faced the top guys, he has regularly come up short.
He took three attempts to beat Glen Johnson, was stopped by Roy Jones Jnr and has now been handed the heaviest points defeat of his career by Tarver.
Woods' promoter Dennis Hobson said: "Maybe the occasion got to Clinton a little bit and it's a shame he hasn't performed properly on the biggest stage.
"Everyone knows that Clinton CAN box and what pees me off is that the Americans now think he is just a tough white kid who is one-paced and fights only in straight lines.
"He's been fighting at home for so long that when he was taken out of the comfort zone of being around his family and familiar surroundings, he could not make the adjustment needed
"There was definitely no devilment in Clinton. And I for one definitely don't want him to go out of the boxing business like that.
Advertisement
"Obviously the final decision will be his on whether he retires or not but I don't think you can write him off at this level."
The big problem for Woods is how he would rebuild his career after such a comprehensive defeat to a man many critics insisted did not have the stamina to last 12 hard rounds.
But it is unlikely he will want to bow out on such a low note.
Sitting his dressing room after the fight, Woods admitted: "I just could not get close to Tarver. He made it very awkward for me, ducking low and turning his back but the ref said nothing.
"I got in the ring believing I could win, I know I can do better than that but it wasn't there on the night.
"Tarver is only the second southpaw I have ever fought and perhaps that knocked me off my rhythm but really I should have been able to cope.
"I tried to force the pace of the fight, yet Tarver was very clever throwing his shots in spurts and getting through.
"He was fighting for 30 seconds or so each round but in the end it was effective and it was enough."