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Calzaghe Unveils A Secret Weapon
Dan Ashby, Sky News Online
Facing the last fight of his life and having never lost, Joe Calzaghe has revealed his secret weapon - Counter-Punch.
An unyielding opponent - Calzaghe goes to work on Counter-Punch
It is not a boxing technique but a punch bag that records the speed, power, angle and sequence of somebody's punches.
Sky News Online went to Calzaghe's little gym deep in the Welsh valleys to see him train on the machine before his final showdown against Roy Jones Junior in America on November 8.
The gadget had its work cut out - he hit 527 punches in one minute.
"It's fantastic," he told Sky News Online. "A good friend of mine, Kevin Davies, came up with this idea a couple of years ago and I've been basically using it over 12 months now.
"I've kept it a secret because it has improved my speed. It's another exciting thing that I've got going on after this (last) fight.
"I want to get this out to the world, not just for boxers but for sporting clubs. Everyone could use it."
The punch bag contains a laptop which using special software to monitor performance - as it happens.
A swipe card system allows different people to use the same device and a wireless network allows a number of devices to be hooked up together.
Joe attacks the body
In the future, it may be possible for people to spar virtually against others across the internet using the system.
Creator Mr Davies believes the gadget will help with the spotting of new talent because it will objectively monitor ability.
He said the gadget played a part in Calzaghe's defeat of Bernard Hopkins earlier in the year.
Calzaghe has said he will retire after the November fight and said: "As you get older, and after 25 years of boxing - you can struggle to get up for fights.
"You don't feel it anymore. You don't need to fight. And that's the danger, when you fight for the money."
Dan Ashby, Sky News Online
Facing the last fight of his life and having never lost, Joe Calzaghe has revealed his secret weapon - Counter-Punch.
An unyielding opponent - Calzaghe goes to work on Counter-Punch
It is not a boxing technique but a punch bag that records the speed, power, angle and sequence of somebody's punches.
Sky News Online went to Calzaghe's little gym deep in the Welsh valleys to see him train on the machine before his final showdown against Roy Jones Junior in America on November 8.
The gadget had its work cut out - he hit 527 punches in one minute.
"It's fantastic," he told Sky News Online. "A good friend of mine, Kevin Davies, came up with this idea a couple of years ago and I've been basically using it over 12 months now.
"I've kept it a secret because it has improved my speed. It's another exciting thing that I've got going on after this (last) fight.
"I want to get this out to the world, not just for boxers but for sporting clubs. Everyone could use it."
The punch bag contains a laptop which using special software to monitor performance - as it happens.
A swipe card system allows different people to use the same device and a wireless network allows a number of devices to be hooked up together.
Joe attacks the body
In the future, it may be possible for people to spar virtually against others across the internet using the system.
Creator Mr Davies believes the gadget will help with the spotting of new talent because it will objectively monitor ability.
He said the gadget played a part in Calzaghe's defeat of Bernard Hopkins earlier in the year.
Calzaghe has said he will retire after the November fight and said: "As you get older, and after 25 years of boxing - you can struggle to get up for fights.
"You don't feel it anymore. You don't need to fight. And that's the danger, when you fight for the money."
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