ABOUT THE AUTHOR
JOE CALZAGHE, winner of three consecutive ABA titles as an amateur (a post-war record) and the dominant super middleweight in the world for the past decade, was born in 1972 in Hammersmith, London, growing up from the age of two in Newbridge, Wales. After 22 fights unbeaten he challenged Chris Eubank for the WBO title, winning by a unanimous points decision before defending successfully against Robin Reid, Omar Sheika, Rickie Woodhall, Charles Brewer, Byron Mitchell and a host of others before beating Jeff Lacy to cement his pre-eminent status. He has two sons, Joe and Connor, and lives in Cwmbran.
BRIAN DOOGAN writes about boxing and football for the Sunday Times and is the long-time British and European correspondent for The Ring. For his coverage of boxing, he was named Specialist Correspondent of the Year in the 2004 British Sports Journalism Awards. Ringside when Joe Calzaghe made his professional debut in Cardiff, he has reported on his career for the past decade. A native of Lisnaskea in Northern Ireland, he resides in Luton.
Praise for No Ordinary Joe
Now this is what sports all about... His battles personal, and in the ring, make for fine fight game reading Daily Sport
The portrayal in this autobiography of Calzaghe as a true warrior who is now enjoying genuine popularity is justified... candid [and] a fine read. Go on, Joe! The Independent
fittingly gritty Telegraph
NO ORDINARY JOE
The Autobiography of the Greatest
British Boxer of Our Time
Joe Calzaghe
with Brian Doogan
This ebook is sold subject to the condition that it shall not, by way of trade or otherwise, be lent, resold, hired out, or otherwise circulated without the publishers prior consent in any form (including any digital form) other than this in which it is published and without a similar condition including this condition being imposed on the subsequent purchaser.
Epub ISBN: 9781409064527
Version 1.0
www.randomhouse.co.uk
Published in the United Kingdom by Arrow Books in 2008
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Copyright Joe Calzaghe 2007
Joe Calzaghe has asserted his right under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988 to be identified as the author of this work
First published in Great Britain in 2007 by Century
Arrow Books
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Addresses for companies within The Random House Group Limited can be found at: www.randomhouse.co.uk
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A CIP catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library
ISBN 9780099509356
To Mum and Dad, for always being there for me
And to my sons, Joe and Connor
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
Thank you Brian Doogan, Tim Andrews and Random House for helping put this book together and for sharing a few laughs along the way.
Thanks to all those who have helped me in my career down the years, from the sparring partners to my gym mates, Enzo, Gavin, Bradley and Nathan, thanks for being real mates. Frank Warren has done a great job in guiding my career through twenty successful defences of the WBO super middleweight title and to him, Ed, Andy, Dennis, Richard, Emma and all at Sports Network, a special word of thanks. My dad introduced me to boxing and he has been my trainer all my life. You know how much you mean to me, Dad, for without you we would never have shared this incredible journey. Mum, I know youve always worried but you wont have to worry much longer, Ill be retired soon, which might not please my boys, Joe and Connor, but Im more proud of you than you are of me. My sisters Melissa and Sonia, and my girlfriend, Jo-Emma, thanks for being there and John Salerno, I may still need you one day for sparring, mate. My godfather Uccio, Uncle Serge, and my cousins Andre and Sergio, thanks for accompanying me on the road, and thank you, Grandad, for beginning it all.
Brian Doogan would like to thank Joe Calzaghe, Enzo Calzaghe, Tim Andrews, Jackie Calzaghe, Jo-Emma, Patrick Myler, Steve Farhood, Nigel Collins, Alex Butler, Neil Bramwell, Frank Warren, Richard Maynard, Nigel Benn, Chris Eubank, Ron Bodie, Dave Smith, Pat Sheehan, John Wragg, Russell Padmore, Gerry Hand, David Moore, Chris Moore, Janine Self, Neil Moxley, Dave Harrison, Ray Matts, John Curtis, Adria Milledge, Ralph Ellis, David Walsh, Kevin Palmer, Nick Pitt, John Rawling, Colin Hart, Hugh McIlvanney, Barry McGuigan, Steve Bunce, the late Martin Woods, Alan Hubbard, Matthew Prior, Gareth Evans, Daniel Herbert, Claude Abrams, Bob Mee, Peter Watts, James Mossop, Jeff Powell, Alan Hunter, Terry Smith, Jay Larkin, Fred Burcombe, Frank Wiechula, Mike Lewis, Ron Lewis, all his colleagues on the boxing beat, and the crew who helped him through this project, Steve, Jag, Gerry, Dorothy, Mark, Paul, May and John, Tom and Cokey, Michelle, Thomas, Anne, Kevin, Mary, Margaret, and Michael and Celia.
LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS
Calzaghe v Trevor French PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Wilson Sean Dempsey/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Delaney Sean Dempsey/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Eubank John Giles/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Eubank PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Reid PA Photos
Calzaghe v Giminez PA Photos
Calzaghe v Sheika Getty Images Sport/Getty Images
Calzaghe v Woodhall Owen Humphreys/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Jimenez Nick Potts/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Mitchell David Davies/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Ashira Nick Potts/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe and Lacy Jon Super/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Lacy Nick Potts/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Lacy Nick Potts/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Lacy Nick Potts/PA/EMPICS
Calzaghe v Bika South Wales Argus
Calzaghe v Bika South Wales Argus
Calzaghe v Bika South Wales Argus
Calzaghe and Jones Sports Network
Joe Calzaghe at a glance boxrec.com
FOREWORD
Friends dont always make the best judges. I remember sitting ringside at Caesars Palace in Las Vegas with Michael J. Fox for Marvin Haglers fight against John The Beast Mugabi. Marvin was a guy I watched religiously. I knew hed fought two tough fights against Tommy Hearns and Roberto Duran and I knew he was getting older, then against Mugabi I could see that the fights were taking their toll. He beat Mugabi but he was slowing down. I turned to Michael we were drinking a few beers and I told him, I can beat this guy. Michael looked at me like I was crazy. Ray, he said, have another beer. The rest is history.
Exactly twenty years later I was in Eddie Murphys home in Los Angeles to watch Joe Calzaghe fight Jeff Lacy. Eddie follows the fights and, like Michael, hes a great actor, but he should stick to acting. Lacy got in the ring, Eddie took one look at his big barrel chest, his muscular torso and six-pack, and announced with a huge grin, Man, this Calzaghe guy, he has no chance.
In fairness to Eddie, he wasnt alone in picking Lacy. I had never seen Joe fight before. Of course, Id heard about him, but the way the fight was billed in the United States he was the opponent and Jeff Lacy was the superstar. I must have watched Lacy in half a dozen or more of his fights and I could see why he generated excitement. He could punch, and some people, commentators in the business, were comparing him to a young Mike Tyson. He was going through opponents with blazing speed. Pure destruction. Not having seen Joe, not knowing him, I figured that Lacys manager and promoter had set up their hot young property to look good against an ageing thirty-three-year-old fighter with a good record, as is frequently the case. So it wasnt just Eddie, I figured Lacy would win too.
