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The career of Joe Calzaghe, pugilism's prince of Wales, has at times resembled the haunted life of Hamlet, Shakespeare's prince of Denmark.
Their circumstances and motivations were very different, of course, but the burning question faced by both -- to be or not to be -- had a similar ring.
Hamlet had to learn to live with all that had transpired in the rotten state of Denmark before he was able to act upon his vengeful thoughts.
Calzaghe had to come through what British sportswriter Hugh McIlvanney referred to as a "strangely conservative program of fights [which] had obscured historic talent" before the blood on his stage belonged to men like Jeff Lacy, Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins.
Cast in the role of Claudius this autumn will be Roy Jones.
In his column for the South Wales Argus, Calzaghe made it clear that his sights are locked firmly on the former four-weight titleholder and not on Kelly Pavlik, the world middleweight champion.
"There is some talk about me fighting Kelly [and] a lot of people would love to see it," Calzaghe said. "However, at this point in time I think it's unlikely to happen.
"Talks are ongoing about me facing Roy Jones, a genuine legend of boxing and a previous four-weight world champion. That is a fight that I think can be made."
It is also a fight that Calzaghe has long desired.
For years Calzaghe, the world light heavyweight and super middleweight champion, hankered after the biggest names in and around the 168-pound division.
A deal was struck with Bernard Hopkins in July 2002, but Hopkins came back, doubled his asking price and the deal was dead in the time it takes to say to be or not to be.
Jones was already a light heavyweight titleholder before Calzaghe won his first belt at super middleweight against Chris Eubank in 1997. By his own admission, Jones was looking in a different direction at that time, even though he identified the 36-year-old Welshman as a potential opponent a long time ago.
"When I was the best boxer pound-for-pound in the world [intermittently between 1994 and 2003] it wouldn't have been smart for me to go and fight Joe," Jones said. "You don't go to somebody else when you're the best, they must come to you, so I wouldn't take the risk [at that time]. And why would I? Why would I meet that challenge when I'm already the best? Why would I go to your country and give you a chance to allow the powers-that-be to take a close decision and give it to you?"
But times have changed.
Calzaghe is in the top two of boxing's pound-for-pound rankings. For 11 years he has been the dominant super middleweight in the world and two months ago he ascended to light heavyweight to relieve Hopkins of his world championship belt. In the Queen's Birthday Honours List he was made a CBE (Commander of the British Empire) in recognition of his services to sport and for voluntary services to Wales.
Jones is far removed from his best, having suffered back-to-back knockout defeats by Antonio Tarver and Glen Johnson in 2004.
He went some way toward repairing his reputation when he dominated Felix Trinidad at Madison Square Garden in January, though. The bout against Trinidad generated more than 500,000 pay-per-view subscriptions and $25 million in television revenue in the United States, figures which suggest that Jones still has box office appeal.
Jones is 39 years old, so if Calzaghe were not to fight him next, then when? At a mere 26, Pavlik can wait.
Besides, Jones against Calzaghe -- the premier boxer of the 1990s against Britain's boxer of the new millennium -- can expect to earn purses in the region of $20 million for facing each other in October or November on HBO PPV.
The list of opponents lining up to fight Pavlik is long, and perhaps a fight or two before a showdown with the champion from Wales would allow a Calzaghe-Pavlik showdown time to brew.
"Kelly is not without options and unifying the middleweight titles [against Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm] would be among these," said Pavlik's manager, Cameron Dunkin.
Calzaghe admits he's a fan of Youngstown's hard-hitting champion.
"I've got to say I love watching the kid fight," Calzaghe said. "He's entirely forward thinking. Retreating and holding just don't come into his mind.
"Pavlik is a breath of fresh air in American boxing. They badly need a guy like him and I think he's got a big future."
Calzaghe believes Kelly Pavlik, right, would be in over his head if they were ever to share the ring.
Still, Calzaghe isn't sure a fight with Pavlik is in the American's best interest.
"I am not sure if Pavlik really wants to face me at the moment," Calzaghe said. "He would have little to gain because I believe I would definitely beat him. With all due respect to Gary Lockett [Calzaghe's stablemate whom Pavlik stopped in three rounds last weekend in Atlantic City], I would be a step-up too far for Pavlik.
"He's got the world at his feet at middleweight or super middleweight and will want to build his unbeaten record, rather than step up at least one weight category to face me. It's not beyond the realms of possibility that we will face each other, but I think Jones is the right fight for me at the moment."
With a clear plan of action, Calzaghe is approaching the last act before he, too, must leave the stage … in a better state, he will hope, than Hamlet did.
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