Mr Calzaghe (2015) is an inspiring sports documentary that explores the extraordinary life and career of legendary Welsh boxing champion Joe Calzaghe. Widely regarded as one of the greatest undefeated boxers in the history of the sport, Joe Calzaghe's journey from a young fighter to a world champion is brought to life through exclusive interviews, rare footage, and unforgettable moments from his remarkable career.
This powerful documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of Calzaghe's rise to boxing greatness, highlighting his dedication, discipline, family support, and determination to become one of boxing's most respected figures. Featuring insights into his biggest fights, personal challenges, and lasting legacy, Mr Calzaghe offers an intimate look at the man behind the championship belts.
Whether you're a lifelong boxing fan, a sports enthusiast, or simply enjoy compelling true-life stories, Mr Calzaghe (2015) delivers an engaging and emotional experience that celebrates one of the sport's most iconic athletes.
Watch now and discover the incredible story of Joe Calzaghe, the undefeated boxing legend whose impact on the sport continues to inspire generations around the world.
#MrCalzaghe #JoeCalzaghe #BoxingDocumentary #BoxingLegend #SportsDocumentary #DocumentaryFilm #BoxingHistory #Champion #WelshBoxer #HDMovie #SportsFilm #BoxingFans #DocumentaryMovie #UndefeatedChampion #ClassicDocumentary
This powerful documentary takes viewers behind the scenes of Calzaghe's rise to boxing greatness, highlighting his dedication, discipline, family support, and determination to become one of boxing's most respected figures. Featuring insights into his biggest fights, personal challenges, and lasting legacy, Mr Calzaghe offers an intimate look at the man behind the championship belts.
Whether you're a lifelong boxing fan, a sports enthusiast, or simply enjoy compelling true-life stories, Mr Calzaghe (2015) delivers an engaging and emotional experience that celebrates one of the sport's most iconic athletes.
Watch now and discover the incredible story of Joe Calzaghe, the undefeated boxing legend whose impact on the sport continues to inspire generations around the world.
#MrCalzaghe #JoeCalzaghe #BoxingDocumentary #BoxingLegend #SportsDocumentary #DocumentaryFilm #BoxingHistory #Champion #WelshBoxer #HDMovie #SportsFilm #BoxingFans #DocumentaryMovie #UndefeatedChampion #ClassicDocumentary
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SportsTranscript
00:00:00You
00:00:30Introducing fighting pride of Newbridge, Wales, former undisputed super middleweight
00:01:00Obey my commands at all times and protect yourself at all times. Touch him up.
00:01:23He said my life was flaking through all my career looking around and just taking it in
00:01:27Just looking around thinking look where I am. It's not like I'm going to throw everything away on my last phase
00:01:575, 6, 7, 8
00:02:275, 6, 7, 8
00:02:573, 2, 1
00:03:27That's another wet day. I remember these steps. I created them one by one.
00:03:39There are 36 up there and 36 coming down.
00:03:45Pretend it's going to be hard to get in here.
00:03:57This is it. There you are. Bingo. The lights are back on. I must have paid the rent.
00:04:15I can imagine what it's like inside in here. You don't work, you don't eat.
00:04:35I have five kids. My dad works here. Day and night. Day and night.
00:04:44I grew up to hope about him, wish about him. I wish he'd see me play football. I wish he would turn up.
00:05:04I knew my dream was to be a footballer. And he told me no, leave football alone and try music.
00:05:13Because my uncle wanted me to be a bass player.
00:05:21So there you are. I couldn't argue with that at all.
00:05:26And then I'll become a musician. My dream kept going. I'm going to leave Sardinia. I've got to follow the music. I've got to leave.
00:05:36And that's what happened. I ran away. And I put two words on the wall when I left.
00:05:42I'll come back when I'm a millionaire. And that's on the wall. They couldn't believe it.
00:05:55I went hitchhiking all around Europe and I ended up in Cardiff, Wales.
00:06:00I met Jackie and we were married four weeks later.
00:06:05It was love at first sight.
00:06:36The first time I actually hit something, it was not a punch bag. I think it was my dad's hands.
00:06:41The rolled up carpet and the seddy cushions. Watching the Rocky films.
00:06:48My dad, I think he worked as a bus conductor. But mainly he was a musician, you know, he'd do gigs.
00:06:53My mum was a housewife, obviously, myself and two younger sisters. So yeah, it was pretty hard.
00:06:59Dad had a, like, pad or something, didn't he? He bought Joe one of those stand-on pads for Christmas.
00:07:08And I just remember Joe just punching at it and Dad was like, aww.
00:07:12He just noticed something different about Joe, the way he was doing it.
00:07:15I just picked bits and pieces of Ali, the way he threw his jab, Shuguru Leonard.
00:07:20You know, I copied a bit, you know. And I let him do things on the bag, on this ball.
00:07:24Not with any intention of turning him into a boxer.
00:07:31I always remember the first day going to the gym, like a little tiny skinny little nine-year-old.
00:07:36Actually, it was quite frightening, cos I remember walking in and just the smell of the gym and the sweat.
00:07:42And I'd see big guys, the noise on the bags, the bags were swinging around.
00:07:47And I had this nervous, nervousness. Wow, you know, I'd never seen anything like it.
00:07:54It was made of wood and tin, it was always freezing cold and dusty and dirty.
00:07:58Basically, the counsellor said it was so unsafe, it was going to fall down any time.
00:08:07A guy called Paul Williams was there and Paul said to me, has he trained before?
00:08:13No. Has he been to the gym? No. No, never has. OK.
00:08:16Put your hands up, I think he tried to stand me as a right-hander.
00:08:19Obviously, me being a lefty, I'm a southpaw, so I stood straight up, put my hands up.
00:08:23You know, he said, like, double jab left, and I'd done exactly what he said.
00:08:29You've got an open class boy there.
00:08:32So, open class, I didn't have a clue what that meant.
00:08:35I asked everyone, hey, mate, do you know open class, what does that mean?
00:08:38That means very special.
00:08:41Joe came back, said, Dad, I liked it, I liked it.
00:08:46We were taking a walk with my mother. She kind of, you know, thought there was something wrong with him,
00:08:50cos, you know, with all his gestures, all the touches, punching the air.
00:08:55He was trying to catch flies, mosquitoes.
00:08:59He knocked flies out, believe it or not. He did. It's not a joke.
00:09:04I realised I'm never going to play for Italy or Juventus or Wales or any team like that.
00:09:09My hands are a lot quicker than my feet.
00:09:20Come on!
00:09:27Paul Williams was my main trainer at the time.
00:09:29I'd go Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays to the boxing gym.
00:09:32Every other day, my father'd train me.
00:09:36And I'd train myself, so I'd train every day, mostly three times a week, like a professional.
00:09:50Come on!
00:09:57It's his choice to be a boxer, not me making a boxer.
00:10:03He knew himself how good he was. He knew.
00:10:07In the red corner from Wales, Joe Alibaki!
00:10:12Just being a champion, being the winner, to become the best, that's what motivated me more than anything.
00:10:20Come on, Joe!
00:10:29Was they a happy kid? Yes and no, I suppose. It was hard.
00:10:33When they got a bit older, they suffered a lot of bullying. Not physical, but verbal.
00:10:38And we were bullied as well, because we were a sister.
00:10:41I never told Joe, because we were fighting that Joe would do something mad and we were getting in trouble.
00:10:45So I never, ever told Joe. It was horrible, wasn't it?
00:10:47Yeah, it was terrible.
00:10:50I was like a ski boy from a different area. I was a British champion, obviously, and picked on by all the kids.
00:10:55And because I was pretty quiet, you know, I'd take it to heart.
00:10:59There wasn't that many foreigners as well, in our days.
00:11:02And I think a lot of it came because Dad was foreign.
00:11:04We had a lot of things. There was spaghetti.
00:11:05It was our name as well.
00:11:06Kazaki.
00:11:07Kazaki was like the...
00:11:08Yeah.
00:11:09Yeah, I was called a dirty, stinking, high-tie.
00:11:12The cleats, the olive oil guy.
00:11:14You know, Joe probably was isolated. He had no brother with him, because if he had a brother, they wouldn't bully him.
00:11:21Joe and Whitsley as well, he had a lot of girl attention, which Joe never wanted,
00:11:25because Joe was so shy, because he was a good-looking boy.
00:11:27And there was a lot of jealousy, I think, because of that as well.
00:11:34One day, they came to the house and there was about 40 of them on bikes.
00:11:38Yeah, they did, yeah.
00:11:40So Dad just said, come in one by one and I'll beat them up.
00:11:42You know, let's have a go.
00:11:46They didn't. They all drove off on their bikes.
00:11:50They didn't.
00:11:58I find it difficult to talk about it.
00:12:00I find it hard to talk about it. It upsets me.
00:12:04Boxing was my way of escaping and having self-worth.
00:12:08You know, feeling good about myself.
00:12:16I think that when he was taking the physical pain, it was taking his emotional pain out,
00:12:19because he was such an emotional person.
00:12:21He's so sensitive and, well, I think that was his way of getting,
00:12:24when he'd come from school, feeling so hurt,
00:12:26that he would go and do that and he would get that anger out.
00:12:35Everything's meant for a reason, I look back at everything, I don't regret nothing, you know.
00:12:39Maybe it toughened me up, maybe it made fighters that tried to bully me verbally.
00:12:45Maybe that education in school made me strong.
00:12:49Joe Calzac.
00:12:5118 years old.
00:12:54From New Bridgeway.
00:12:58Joe Calzac.
00:13:00He really has got something going for him out there.
00:13:04You know, I did my training in Portland, so I needed to improve with him.
00:13:07He came up and tried to maybe sign something to manage me.
00:13:10I was still a kid and I thought, I can't do this.
00:13:14The experience now of Michael Smythe catching up with Calzac, he's good,
00:13:20but he's got to be careful.
00:13:23I just told him and Paul, give the keys to my dad, and I never saw him again.
00:13:28My dad took over.
00:13:30I managed myself.
00:13:32But what happened, every boxer disappeared.
00:13:34There was one man alone, it was just me.
00:13:37I spent everything I had to carry on with the fight.
00:13:41To carry on with the gym.
00:13:44At the time we were playing in a band, me and Enzo.
00:13:47Picked up the phone, he said, I'm going to quit.
00:13:51I said, what do you mean you're going to quit? You can't quit.
00:13:53I mean, you know, we're near to a record deal and stuff like that.
00:13:56He said, no, no, he said, I'm going to train my son.
00:13:59I was a bit shocked, you know, because he didn't have that experience, you know.
00:14:04I said, Joe, what shall we do?
00:14:06Paul's gone.
00:14:09Crack on, Dad, just get on with it.
00:14:11Fuck him.
00:14:12You know, get on with it.
00:14:14So he gave me the power of thinking we could still do it.
00:14:19Round two of this ABA Welterweight final.
00:14:21Wearing the red singlet, the Welsh champion Joe Calzaghe.
00:14:25He's only 19, trained by his father Enzo.
00:14:28Italian ancestry.
00:14:33Let's see if I can be a part of him.
00:14:36Let's see if I can be a trainer.
00:14:39Let's see if I can be a pusher.
00:14:46Joe needed a push, a guy who can push.
00:14:51Calzaghe, probably the only boxer in the world with a single songwriter as a trainer.
00:14:58It's been stopped.
00:14:59And Joe Calzaghe has won another ABA championship.
00:15:04Everyone knew he was Italian, Tim.
00:15:06He's a one and only.
00:15:07I don't believe it's been done before.
00:15:09I don't think anyone's ever done it at three different weights.
00:15:11I'll be the first.
00:15:14He's one of these boxers who has no doubt at all in his mind when he goes into the ring
00:15:18that he's going to be the dominant character.
00:15:23It's soaking up, punch after punch.
00:15:25So it's all over, and it looks pretty clear that Joe Calzaghe has done it again
00:15:31to win three titles in a row at different weights.
00:15:36Joe had his own style.
00:15:38He was a southpaw, obviously, and very adept and very athletic.
00:15:44But he had a father who was not classically trained as an amateur boxer,
00:15:51but he'd been in the musical world playing in a band.
00:15:54He's got that energy about him.
00:15:56What he did was he transferred a lot of musical movement
00:16:01into Joe throwing five, six and seven punch combinations.
00:16:14Doesn't every song start off with a verse?
00:16:19Which is...
00:16:21..jab.
00:16:23Jab.
00:16:27After the verse, you've got to be late.
00:16:29Bring it forward.
00:16:31Bring it forward.
00:16:32Then you've got the chorus.
00:16:34One, two, three, four, five, five, one, bam, bam.
00:16:36Knockout part.
00:16:37One heel.
00:16:38One heel.
00:16:39One heel.
00:16:40Five combination.
00:16:41One heel, one two after.
00:16:43One heel, one two.
00:16:44Bam, bam, jab.
00:16:45Bam.
00:16:46Bam.
00:16:50I remember I came professional in 1993.
00:16:53I think I was 21.
00:16:56First pro fight was at a little stadium, Carlsbad Park.
00:17:00I remember boxing a guy called Paul Harlan.
00:17:03Joe Calzaghe, how good is he going to be here
00:17:06in this super middleweight division?
00:17:08He had boxed on the undercard of Frank Bruno and Lennox Lewis.
00:17:15And that won the first round.
00:17:21Obviously, I stayed on after watching the fight
00:17:23with Lennox Lewis and Frank Bruno.
00:17:25You know, to be when the crowd was full
00:17:27and the sense of atmosphere was amazing.
00:17:29It's good tingles, I used to think to myself,
00:17:32this is what I want.
00:17:34One day, it's going to be me.
00:17:40Get up in the morning, rain, sleet or snow, go for a run.
00:17:44Go to the gym, go home, come back and train again.
00:17:47That's it.
00:17:48Every day.
00:17:49Every single day.
00:17:51I run, I run, I run, I jab, I work, I work.
00:17:54I work with him before he did it.
00:17:56And that's what Joe loved.
00:18:01I was just trained 12 weeks before the fight.
00:18:03The first few weeks would be hard,
00:18:05then you get into the groove.
00:18:10Start sparring.
00:18:12We had different combinations, like A's, B's and C's.
00:18:16We'd throw 300 punches in a round, possibly.
00:18:20What if I've got a machine gun in my hands?
00:18:22Seven shots, you're going to hit him with four.
00:18:24Five, you're going to hit him with.
00:18:26Common sense, why not make boxing the same way?
00:18:28Rock and roll.
00:18:29Bam, bam, bam, bam, bam.
00:18:30Numbers, numbers.
00:18:31You're going to hit.
00:18:32A lot of boxing writers already picked him as their tip for the top.
00:18:35And look at the clusters here.
00:18:36Rosamund is taking a thorough pounding here.
00:18:38The referee has got to step in.
00:18:40And he has four straight wins for Joe Calzaghe.
00:18:45Mike Manley is there.
00:18:47He's something of a family man, Joe Calzaghe,
00:18:49who never leaves home during his training.
00:18:52That's the way he likes it, and you have to respect that.
00:18:57I was knocking everybody out.
00:18:59The first 21 fights, I knocked 20 out.
00:19:0116, the first two, three rounds.
00:19:03It was named as Young Fight of the Year.
00:19:14A smart mover.
00:19:15That was pretty good.
00:19:16Don't worry about that.
00:19:17Pretty good.
00:19:18So, therefore, if I caught him once,
00:19:20I used to go, ah, ah, ah, here we go, he's coming.
00:19:24Bang!
00:19:25And now, look at my nose.
00:19:26Who busted that?
00:19:27I didn't bust it.
00:19:28Joe busted it.
00:19:29Most of the time, I'd argue about my dad.
00:19:31He was pretty fiery, and he'd get on my nerves,
00:19:33and I'd get on his nerves.
00:19:34That's Italians, anyway.
00:19:35They argue all the time.
00:19:36But because Joe was a son, Dad didn't give a shit,
00:19:38so long as what he said to Joe, so Dad could just let go.
00:19:42So he just...
00:19:43It was just an explosion.
00:19:49Never saw a contract that was longer than 300 pound a week.
00:19:52That was it, man.
00:19:53It was difficult from the start.
00:19:57A lot of people have criticised Calzaghe
00:19:59for not having really fought anyone of note.
00:20:02Well, we can't be far from the finish now, surely.
00:20:05The referee, Coyle, looking very close.
00:20:08Well, it's all over now.
00:20:10Joe Calzaghe's father, Enzo, lifts him high.
00:20:13The new British super middleweight champion, Joe Calzaghe.
00:20:17There he is.
00:20:18And who knows where that championship could take him.
00:20:21Stay with us.
00:20:23Joe Calzaghe!
00:20:28Referee Denzel Lewis is looking on here.
00:20:31There's nothing coming back.
00:20:32And Torres takes refuge from the canvas.
00:20:35He's horribly one-sided.
00:20:39Calzaghe has won.
00:20:42Are you getting a bit fed up?
00:20:44Because they keep putting you in these high-profile fights
00:20:47and then everybody moans about the quality of the opponents
00:20:50and said, oh, well, what's Joe Calzaghe prove now?
00:20:52I mean, what's your reaction to all that?
00:20:54It's nothing to do with the class of the opponent.
00:20:56People are saying that.
00:20:57But people don't realise just how good they are.
00:20:59And until I'm fighting for a world title,
00:21:01then they're going to see what Joe Calzaghe's all about.
00:21:03Because I'm going to destroy anybody who's going to get in the ring with me.
00:21:06I'm only on 70% so far.
00:21:07When I get a world title fight, that's different.
00:21:10You're going to see how I won.
00:21:12Well, let's bring in Frank Warren here, who's saying off-microphone
00:21:15there was nothing wrong with that opponent.
00:21:18Explain.
00:21:19Well, you're saying that the opponent that Joe had in front of him tonight
00:21:22was no good?
00:21:23I don't think he was a particularly great fighter.
00:21:25I'm not criticising Joe's performance. He's done the job.
00:21:27I mean, what do you want to see?
00:21:28Do you want to see him have a 12-round war or something
00:21:30and then you'll be satisfied?
00:21:31It won't happen because they can't take the power.
00:21:33They can't take the handspeak.
00:21:34He's done well at this level.
00:21:35He will be stepped up another level.
00:21:37He will be stepped up another level.
00:21:38He will fight for a world title.
00:21:39It will happen this year.
00:21:40And I don't agree with what you're saying.
00:21:41You're doing him a disservice.
00:21:43He may not look bad, but his style of boxing was unique.
00:21:48So they always had something against what Joe was achieving.
00:21:53And I've got to say this now, it pissed me off big time.
00:21:57Joe's relationship with his father is a very complex one
00:22:02because this man, when he was going out to a fight,
00:22:06is going to let his son be injured.
00:22:10The son was going to trust his father, who's sitting at his corner.
00:22:15And I think it is an immense accolade to both Enzo and Joe
00:22:20that they managed to keep that relationship going.
00:22:24He's going to be worried.
00:22:26He's going to have fear.
00:22:27He thinks he's going to win, but it's stressful for him as well.
00:22:29It's not like he's just training at the fight.
00:22:31He's training his son.
00:22:32That's about to get in the ring with somebody
00:22:34who's going to try and knock your head off, you know?
00:22:37My son is going to a sport that's going to be very dangerous, right?
00:22:41And Joe knew that and accepted the consequences.
00:22:45He knew that.
00:22:46He knew that.
00:22:47He knew that.
00:22:48He knew that.
00:22:49He knew that.
00:22:50My mum, she's totally the opposite of my dad.
00:22:53She never wanted to meet the box.
00:22:55She said, Joe, you know, do something else.
00:22:58Don't let your boxing fog get punched in the head.
00:23:01I've never been to any Joe's fights, no.
00:23:04I couldn't bear it, you know.
00:23:06It's a horrible feeling.
00:23:08And I did see Johnny Owen going down.
00:23:12Owen down for the second time in his boxing career.
00:23:15The only time he's ever been down.
00:23:17And he's in trouble now.
00:23:29And I can remember he went down and he didn't get back up.
00:23:33And I can remember he went down and he didn't get back up.
00:23:46A father has to teach his son how to live.
00:23:50A trainer has to teach his son how to fight.
00:23:53Those are not always compatible.
00:23:55Years before, if you wanted to reunify your own ancestral tribe,
00:24:01Before, if you wanted to ruin a fighter,
00:24:04you had him trained by his father.
00:24:05I mean, there were almost virtually no success stories.
00:24:11I'm not a masochist.
00:24:13I'm a father, but in that ring, it's war.
00:24:16He chose to go to war.
00:24:18I chose to be with him in the war.
00:24:21Now, of course, I got sentiments,
00:24:22but I got no sentiment whatsoever
00:24:24for that 36 minutes of fight.
00:24:27I got no sentiments.
00:24:28I can't have sentiments.
00:24:30I can't.
00:24:31I wish I had, but I haven't gotten.
00:24:35It was simply is that, that's my kid,
00:24:37I'm putting him to war, right?
00:24:40He's got to get out of that war.
00:24:44Oh, great!
00:24:45He won!
00:24:46He won!
00:24:47He won!
00:24:48He won!
00:24:49He won!
00:24:49He won!
00:24:50He won!
00:24:51He won!
00:24:52He won!
00:24:53He won!
00:24:54He won!
00:24:54He won!
00:24:55He won!
00:24:56He won!
00:24:57He won!
00:24:58He won!
00:24:59Great as it was, and he is not going to like that.
00:25:03And that really was the man of the morning, right?
00:25:16The press conference, he looked at me and laughed.
00:25:18He went, hey kid, I'm going to take you
00:25:21somewhere you've never been before.
00:25:23I'm going to take you into the trenches.
00:25:24I'm thinking, yeah, right, okay.
00:25:29I'm going to take you to the trenches.
00:25:39And now ladies and gentlemen,
00:25:40the 12 rounds of boxing for the
00:25:43Vegan WBO super middleweight championship of the world!
00:25:52I was complete, I was total, I was pure as a fighter.
00:25:56as a fighter, I was always in shape.
00:26:00And I'd been training from the day I started.
00:26:02I never had breaks.
00:26:03♪
00:26:07When I was going to fight Joe Kawasaki,
00:26:10I knew that he was unbeaten.
00:26:13I knew he was survival.
00:26:14I'd watched him fight.
00:26:16I thought that perhaps
00:26:19he has never fought anyone like me.
00:26:21Chris Hubert!
00:26:26I am pure.
00:26:27I'm a very difficult man to beat
00:26:29because it's not about money.
00:26:31It's about honor.
00:26:32All right, gentlemen.
00:26:34We've run all the rules in that dressing room.
00:26:36I expect a good, clean fight.
00:26:38Give me good sportsman-like conduct.
00:26:40Obey my commands at all times.
00:26:42Shake hands.
00:26:43Good luck.
00:26:44I didn't know whether his punching ability was real.
00:26:47Fast hands, yes, but you have to have lead.
00:26:53You have to have heavy hands.
00:26:55♪
00:27:07Oh, left hand, pushing back on the floor.
00:27:09What a start from Kelzick!
00:27:11♪
00:27:16I remember landing on my back.
00:27:19I missed the seat of my pants.
00:27:21It's how hard the shot came out of nowhere.
00:27:25I caught my left hook, first 15 seconds,
00:27:28he went flying across the ring, landed on his ass, man.
00:27:30I thought, this is gonna be easy.
00:27:33What are you talking about?
00:27:34This is who you're mangling about?
00:27:36Bingo!
00:27:37Fucking dropped him down and said,
00:27:38fucking this is Joe!
00:27:40That's brilliant!
00:27:41Actually, that's not gonna last another round.
00:27:43Fucking brilliant, get on with it.
00:27:45♪
00:27:49All his so-called slaps,
00:27:54they were hard punches.
00:27:57He was a hurtful puncher.
00:27:59Fast and hard.
00:28:01♪
00:28:05And at that point in the first round,
00:28:07I knew I would have to be resourceful.
00:28:12Motherfucker.
00:28:14He did, he grew up, and he was a good fighter.
00:28:19He was a good fighter.
00:28:21Good body shot from Eubank, two or three.
00:28:25Now Zaghi there answers a lot of questions
00:28:28about his heart, his chins, his determination,
00:28:32and his right to be here.
00:28:34♪
00:28:42I mean, every punch I could possibly throw,
00:28:44two rounds, three rounds, I remember thinking,
00:28:48Come back to still, I was like breathing heavily,
00:28:49and he was doing this little strut that he does,
00:28:51looking around, and I thought,
00:28:53this time it's gonna be a hard night.
00:28:55♪
00:28:58I knew in the 11th round, 12th round, I'd still be there.
00:29:01And if he isn't the real deal,
00:29:02I'll break him in those rounds.
00:29:04You're doing good.
00:29:06No one stops me.
00:29:08It's just, uh, it's just a thing.
00:29:11Eubank again, goes for the first up.
00:29:13Can he break Cal Zaghi's resistance?
00:29:20Trust me, after seven or eight rounds,
00:29:22I felt like I had nothing left in me.
00:29:24And wanting to win, and wanting to win,
00:29:26and just, you know, coming through the pain barrier,
00:29:28and came his second win, and he was right.
00:29:31You know, he did put me through the trenches.
00:29:35That's how we do.
00:29:37That's how we do.
00:29:39We're real.
00:29:40♪
00:29:43Oh, big left, and a right, and Eubank,
00:29:46how did he stay up from those?
00:29:48♪
00:29:52Cal Zaghi landed a good left hand there,
00:29:54and it's a good exchange from him.
00:29:56Eubank, a back at him, letting go with right hand.
00:29:59He just cannot put out Cal Zaghi.
00:30:03And he stood strong.
00:30:05He had it all.
00:30:07♪
00:30:09♪
00:30:13♪
00:30:17♪
00:30:21♪
00:30:25♪
00:30:29♪
00:30:33♪
00:30:37♪
00:30:41♪
00:30:45♪
00:30:50Ladies and gentlemen, we go over the scorecards.
00:30:53Dave Petra scores the bell, 118 to 109.
00:30:57Paul Thomas scores it, 116 to 111,
00:31:00and Roy Francis scores it, 118 to 111,
00:31:04for the winner, who is now WBO
00:31:06Super Middleweight Champion of the World,
00:31:10Joe Cal Zaghi!
00:31:14♪
00:31:18♪
00:31:22♪
00:31:26♪
00:31:30♪
00:31:34Joe Cal Zaghi, World Champion.
00:31:37How does that sound?
00:31:39Sounds brilliant, you know, all the hard work I've done.
00:31:42I just thank God.
00:31:44Obviously, I thank my dad.
00:31:46I thank all the fans who come to support me tonight.
00:31:49They give me a lot of incentive,
00:31:51and I'm really glad that they come.
00:31:53I was not that familiar with Joe Cal Zaghi
00:31:56prior to him winning his first world title.
00:31:58But when he beat Chris Eubank,
00:32:00that was very exciting,
00:32:02and I realized this guy might be something.
00:32:04Unfortunately, then, he made a string of defenses
00:32:07that were mediocre at best.
00:32:10It was difficult to get excited by him
00:32:13in terms of rating him among the very best.
00:32:16Cal Zaghi wants that finish here,
00:32:18and he might get it, too,
00:32:20but it's stopped.
00:32:22It is over, and Cal Zaghi's retained his title
00:32:25in emphatic style.
00:32:29I hear in the build-up to this fight, too,
00:32:31you had a bit of a handicap with the sore hands.
00:32:33You weren't able to do very much sparring.
00:32:35Well, in fact, I didn't do no sparring at all for this fight.
00:32:38I haven't sparred for maybe two months.
00:32:40Come from beating Eubank and being there,
00:32:42suddenly underperforming and struggling.
00:32:45Oh, terrific shot!
00:32:47Great shot of the fight!
00:32:49And Cal Zaghi getting hit too often.
00:32:51He must have lost that round.
00:32:55Very disappointing.
00:32:57It seems very much like he's losing his power.
00:32:59He used to have destructive punching power.
00:33:01Maybe that's beginning to evaporate.
00:33:03We'll try and find reasons in a moment.
00:33:05These little bones in your hand are called the metacarpals,
00:33:08and these were broken very early
00:33:10because when you keep on stressing that bone,
00:33:14it breaks.
00:33:16Unfortunately, even though it mends,
00:33:18it's actually a weakness.
00:33:21I couldn't spar. I was seeing all these specialists.
00:33:23I was having all this treatment.
00:33:25I just couldn't punch. Simple as that.
00:33:28And to be honest, it's like a minor miracle
00:33:30I managed to be able to win fights.
00:33:32Not training, probably.
00:33:35Sometimes Joe wouldn't lift a glove
00:33:37to punch another human being
00:33:39between ending one professional fight
00:33:41and starting another world title defence
00:33:43because his hands were so bad.
00:33:45You don't want to mention the hand trouble
00:33:48but we were wondering in the fight
00:33:50because you seem to revert to your boxing skills quite early on.
00:33:53Has the hand gone again?
00:34:03I think last year he was thinking
00:34:05he was going to become a millionaire overnight
00:34:07and his path would be paved with gold.
00:34:09It doesn't work like that.
00:34:11It doesn't. It's a very tough sport
00:34:13and a very tough business
00:34:15because he's beginning to learn how tough it is.
00:34:17Frank Warren there.
00:34:19Not happy with Joe Galzaghi's performance there, are they?
00:34:24Good shots going in from Brewer now.
00:34:30It's a bad patch for Galzaghi.
00:34:37I remember booze in the crowd.
00:34:39I had a meeting with Frank Warren.
00:34:41He said, listen, Joe, are you going to retire or what?
00:34:43I said, no.
00:34:45It wasn't their option to stop.
00:34:47Young family, kids.
00:34:49They had to fight for money.
00:34:59Galzaghi's down!
00:35:01That's the first time he's been down in his career.
00:35:12First time.
00:35:14First time back in the ring in eight months.
00:35:16He's had a back injury
00:35:18and there's been some domestic problems in the background.
00:35:45Yeah.
00:36:11There's a battle here that Joe had to do.
00:36:13because, don't believe me, he was hurt.
00:36:16If you think of doing it, you can cope with it.
00:36:19But when it has and it's been done,
00:36:22it goes, then you think.
00:36:35Truthfully, I didn't think he'd box anymore.
00:36:38I had to find a format to make him interested.
00:36:42That he had to train for this fight.
00:36:46Now, how you block that out, I couldn't block it out.
00:36:49It happened. It's reality.
00:36:52He had some fight, he had that in his mind.
00:36:54Imagine a guy got a fight, can he concentrate on that?
00:36:5812 rounds for world title, his career could be gone straight away.
00:37:07FANS SHOUT AND CHEER
00:37:21God tests everybody.
00:37:27It's what's inside of you that counts most of all.
00:37:33It's what's inside of you.
00:37:38FANS SHOUT AND CHEER
00:37:42It was a hard, hard, hard road.
00:37:46He was tested.
00:37:48And he got through it.
00:37:50And still the undefeated
00:37:54Joe Calzaghe!
00:37:56I think I was 34.
00:37:58I was in eight years of world champion,
00:38:00nobody had given me the respect in the States
00:38:03for doing what I did.
00:38:05There's no doubt that there is an American bias
00:38:08when it comes to boxing.
00:38:09We have dominated this sport for the better part of 100 years.
00:38:12So as a result, he never got the credit he deserved
00:38:15from American fight fans for the simple reason
00:38:17that he was a good fighter.
00:38:18He was a good fighter.
00:38:19He was a good fighter.
00:38:21He was a good fighter.
00:38:22He was a good fighter.
00:38:23He was a good fighter.
00:38:24He never got the credit he deserved from American fight fans
00:38:27for the simple reason that he was British.
00:38:29Even though he was undefeated
00:38:30and even though he had a very lengthy title reign.
00:38:33FANS SHOUT AND CHEER
00:38:43Jeff Lacey came with a big noise.
00:38:46A really, really dangerous hooker.
00:38:48A very powerful guy.
00:38:50Incredible self-belief.
00:38:52With a record of 21 wins, no losses,
00:38:55one no-decision, with 17 wins coming by way of knockout.
00:39:05He was hyped as a smaller version of Mike Tyson.
00:39:09He had the body and the story of his pro debut not happening
00:39:13because his opponent saw him take his shirt off at the weigh-in
00:39:15and left town, got into a bus and left.
00:39:17I'm not fighting that guy.
00:39:18Here is the undefeated IBF and IBO
00:39:23super-medal-weight champion of the world,
00:39:26introducing Jeff Leftook Lacey.
00:39:34Jeff Lacey had been a US Olympian
00:39:36and was knocking everybody out with this big left hook,
00:39:39so hence the nickname Left Hook Lacey.
00:39:41His physical make-up was different.
00:39:42Joe, you know, he looked like a condom stuffed with walnuts.
00:39:45He was properly built, Jeff Lacey.
00:39:47From what we had seen, at least in this country, of Joe,
00:39:50we saw a fighter who was often technically inferior,
00:39:53slapped with his punches, was not the hardest guy to hit.
00:39:57So, as a result, it was an easy pick
00:39:59and virtually, I would say, 95% of the US media
00:40:03picked Jeff Lacey to win and expected him,
00:40:05fully expected him to knock out Joe Calzaghe.
00:40:12Ten days to two weeks before the fight,
00:40:14I remember injuring myself.
00:40:35Under no circumstances did Joe want to fight Jeff Lacey
00:40:39with a damaged hand.
00:40:40Joe started to believe, this guy really is that good.
00:40:43Enzo had studied him extensively and didn't agree
00:40:47and it was his job to try and cajole Joe into realising that,
00:40:50yes, this is a fight you can win injured.
00:41:00Have you seen him?
00:41:01Lacey does five moves to throw one punch.
00:41:07Do five punches in one move, you do.
00:41:09I wanted to pull out the fight because I actually doubted myself.
00:41:13I was scared of failure against this bad guy from America.
00:41:20Do you know what happens if you don't fucking fight a fight?
00:41:22They call you the bastard coward.
00:41:24They call you every name in the sun.
00:41:26You can forget your boxing career. You're over.
00:41:30I made that up so you have to fight this fight.
00:41:32Joe, if you want to fight with one arm, it doesn't matter.
00:41:35I'm proud of you no matter what.
00:41:39COMING TO A CLOSE
00:41:56The day before the weigh-ins.
00:41:57I wake up and there's, like, a couple of feet of snow.
00:42:03And I can't explain, it's magical.
00:42:07From that moment of walking into the garden,
00:42:09I had no nerves, I was completely calm, everything was lifted off me.
00:42:18He is making the 18th defense of this title,
00:42:21ladies and gentlemen, the undefeated Joe Calzani!
00:42:31All right, gentlemen, the time you've been waiting for is here.
00:42:34Opportunity of a lifetime, so remember, take advantage.
00:42:37I looked in his eyes, man, I just knew I had him.
00:42:40He looked away, he didn't want to look at me in the eyes.
00:42:42He looked stiff, he looked nervous.
00:42:44There's no way this guy was ever going to come over and beat me.
00:42:50Finally, the unification fight.
00:42:53Calzaghe has craved, has arrived.
00:42:56Lacey can think Calzaghe is over the hill and that he's a man ready to be taken.
00:43:06As Calzaghe gets hit, he starts going into a tear-up.
00:43:12Remember, the left hand is the fragile one.
00:43:14He can't afford to have that one damaged.
00:43:18Listen, by the way, shoddy jab now, based on two shots.
00:43:23I want one round now of your boxer's ass off.
00:43:26Lovely right uppercut.
00:43:27It's all Calzaghe at the moment, but there's a long way to go
00:43:34and a little contentious smile from Calzaghe.
00:43:39You cannot keep that pace.
00:43:41He's saying to him, don't worry, man, don't worry, it's a cool down now.
00:43:44Don't worry about that.
00:43:48Look at that superb flurry of punches.
00:43:50I said, sir, there might have been nine or ten.
00:43:53Round eight, the guy's looking at you, why is it a cool down?
00:43:59Dear me, that face is a mess.
00:44:01Look at the eyes of Jeff Lacey.
00:44:04Didn't beat him.
00:44:06Scored him.
00:44:10Fantastic, winding up the right hand,
00:44:12striking the jab, eating with the left hook.
00:44:15If it was a ballet, it would have been Nureyev.
00:44:18It was just magical.
00:44:19I can remember not sleeping for two days after that fight.
00:44:24A man dance with another man,
00:44:27like he was blessed, like something was shining on him.
00:44:29Landing punches and avoiding punches like you've never seen before.
00:44:34Joe's right foot was sort of nailed to the canvas
00:44:37because he would pivot on it on a 90 degree and just...
00:44:41And he was gone.
00:44:43And Lacey was punching mid-air.
00:44:45Finally, he'd painted a masterpiece that you could see was there.
00:44:5012 rounds of brilliance.
00:45:04The Lacey fight is where he took off and where America went,
00:45:07what the fuck?
00:45:08Who's this guy?
00:45:09Joe, with one hand, forced into the fight, didn't want the fight,
00:45:14truly delivers.
00:45:15That was one of the greatest performances I've ever seen live.
00:45:19It ignited something in the public and in the media.
00:45:25Thanks to my dad.
00:45:26Without him, I wouldn't be here today.
00:45:27He's a great trainer, a great dad, love him a bit.
00:45:30Thanks to my little kids, Joe and Conor.
00:45:32They're the ones who taught me how to be a good dad.
00:45:34They're the ones who taught me how to be a good dad.
00:45:37Thanks to my little kids, Joe and Conor.
00:45:39See you Monday, I love you all.
00:45:41He says, come up to me and whispered in my ear,
00:45:43Dad, you're right!
00:45:44I was right, with laughing, of course.
00:45:47Dad, you're right!
00:45:48I told you, Joe, I told you, Joe.
00:45:51And we kissed each other.
00:45:59Always had the injections in.
00:46:00I remember, that's right.
00:46:02One and a half this street and an operation,
00:46:05and you parked the car and you forgot where to park the car.
00:46:08That's right.
00:46:08I walked to another place, that's it.
00:46:10You were saying, back of the hand, my hand.
00:46:13No, I was strapped up.
00:46:14You parked the car on the road somewhere,
00:46:15and you couldn't find it.
00:46:16And I was fucking running around for an hour.
00:46:18That's right.
00:46:19Fucking hell, I can't believe it at all.
00:46:21My hand, my hand was here.
00:46:23Because I was coming off the anesthetic.
00:46:25I didn't know where the fuck I was.
00:46:27And I just remember, I think it's on this street,
00:46:29I think it's on this street.
00:46:30That's it, there's a lot of places,
00:46:31there's everywhere the master plays, do you remember?
00:46:33If I had two good hands, I reckon I'd be really good at this.
00:46:35I can't believe I said it.
00:46:37Two completely different characters,
00:46:40and maybe that's why they work.
00:46:42I mean, physically as well.
00:46:44They are Abbott and Costello, they are chalk and cheese.
00:46:48You would not pick them out in a room as father and son.
00:46:50And they act differently as well.
00:46:52That's great.
00:47:05The energy that Enzo speaks with, and enunciates with,
00:47:09and flies around a room with,
00:47:12is the same energy that Joe then explodes with when he fights.
00:47:16Calzaghe's throwing punches by the dozen.
00:47:18He might stop it.
00:47:18Yes, he's having a look.
00:47:19Yes, he's having a look.
00:47:20He stopped it, he stopped the fight.
00:47:22Joe Calzaghe, no one came from nowhere.
00:47:26A father and a son, if the son is fighting professionally,
00:47:30they are a unit.
00:47:32This makes a formidable team.
00:47:34You see, your father will never mislead you.
00:47:37And your father is always going to tell you
00:47:39every single thing that is a liability.
00:47:49He always knew the corner.
00:47:51He always knew if I had a bad round,
00:47:52I could have six good rounds or one bad round.
00:47:55And he'd be moping off and swearing,
00:47:58and, come on, what's going on?
00:48:00But he knew what to get to me.
00:48:03Go back and fight his fight.
00:48:12There are lots of times when you have seen his father
00:48:16literally whipping him into action,
00:48:18whipping him into shape.
00:48:21On fight night, I was not as bad.
00:48:25Forget that.
00:48:26We were divorced.
00:48:29And there's a punchline on the floor.
00:48:31It's stopped in the very first round.
00:48:33Joe Calzaghe in sizzling style
00:48:36retains his WBO Super Middleweight Championship.
00:48:43Every time I went in the corners for him,
00:48:44he was confident.
00:48:45His eyes were with me.
00:48:47Not looking round.
00:48:48Looking round where?
00:48:49Where?
00:48:49He looked me in the eyes.
00:48:51And he would say,
00:48:52throw three bees.
00:48:53Trust me.
00:48:54Do things.
00:48:54I said, do it.
00:48:59He stopped everything in two rounds.
00:49:04His father, Enzo Calzaghe,
00:49:07has been with him from the word go.
00:49:10He's the man who shaped this magnificent champion,
00:49:13and Calzaghe remains just that.
00:49:22At times, you need a trainer who's a psychiatrist.
00:49:25At times, you need a mother.
00:49:27At times, you need a cheerleader.
00:49:28At times, you need a conditioner.
00:49:30At times, you need a boxing strategist.
00:49:31And the fact that Enzo,
00:49:32with really no boxing experience,
00:49:34was able to create a fighter,
00:49:37help create a fighter as good as Joe,
00:49:39is absolutely mind-boggling.
00:49:41Forget the fact that he's his father.
00:49:42Just that he was able to do that as a trainer
00:49:44was remarkable.
00:49:50After beating Jeff Lacey,
00:49:52after beating Saki Obika,
00:49:54Joe needed a fight of magnitude
00:49:59which justify him as the rightful owner of the ring belt,
00:50:03the rightful owner of the linear championship.
00:50:10Mikko Kessler, by far,
00:50:12was the biggest, biggest name in my weight.
00:50:18I was the Ring Magazine champion,
00:50:20WBO champion,
00:50:22IBF champion.
00:50:25Mikko Kessler was obviously WBC, WBA champion.
00:50:28And he was undefeated in 39 fights,
00:50:30so everything on the line.
00:50:40For both of them,
00:50:41the main motivating factor was
00:50:43we want to be recognized
00:50:44as the best super middleweight fighter in the world.
00:50:49I know I can beat him.
00:50:50He don't hit that hard,
00:50:51and I can beat this guy.
00:50:54Him and my dad got really close,
00:50:56and they were, like, you know,
00:50:58shouting at each other.
00:50:59My granddad was shouting at his manager,
00:51:01you know, all that kind of stuff happening.
00:51:08And that's when you know it really, really is.
00:51:09Because when the fight gets first announced,
00:51:11it's weird.
00:51:11It's like two months away.
00:51:13You don't really think about it,
00:51:14going to school every day.
00:51:15And suddenly, the day before,
00:51:18going to bed, can't sleep
00:51:19because you know tomorrow
00:51:20it's going to be that fight night
00:51:21where your dad, you know,
00:51:23going to be in that ring fighting somebody
00:51:24like Mikko Kessler.
00:51:26It was here in the old carnivores park
00:51:29that Joe Calzaghe's career began
00:51:31back in 1993.
00:51:33Now he has what may be
00:51:35one of the toughest nights of his career.
00:51:39A very, very late night fight
00:51:42to catch the premium market
00:51:44in the United States as well.
00:51:4655,000 people at the Millennium Stadium.
00:51:50One of the biggest stadium fights we've ever seen.
00:51:56Knowing that you're in Cardiff
00:51:58and everybody's turned up to see you,
00:51:59and it's a defining fight for you.
00:52:01And not only might you lose the fight,
00:52:03you'll lose your undefeated record.
00:52:04To actually take that pressure on board,
00:52:06it just takes unbelievable strength.
00:52:23Trying to wing the shot around
00:52:24that straight left-hand lead of Kessler
00:52:27who started well.
00:52:29That's a decent right-hand from Kessler
00:52:31and a good left-hand.
00:52:33And now Kessler's starting to come in
00:52:35and he's looking for Calzaghe.
00:52:37Good right-hand, good work from Kessler.
00:52:40Mikko Kessler was fantastic.
00:52:42Strong, lovely movement,
00:52:45crisp timing, heavy shots.
00:52:47Mikko Kessler was schooling him.
00:52:50Great uppercut from Kessler.
00:52:52Calzaghe takes it though.
00:52:54Terrific shot for the day.
00:52:56And these are dangerous moments for Calzaghe.
00:52:59The crowd had been silenced.
00:53:02The dragon wasn't breathing any fire.
00:53:11Four titles.
00:53:12Do you want them?
00:53:13Four titles.
00:53:14Just four titles.
00:53:15You can do better, Joe, OK?
00:53:17Bam, bam, bam, bam.
00:53:18Bam, bam, bam, bam.
00:53:19You heard me.
00:53:20The deadline has been waiting for you out there.
00:53:22Right?
00:53:25Come on, baby!
00:53:31Calzaghe trying to work to the body
00:53:33and making Kessler miss.
00:53:34This is a better round for Calzaghe.
00:53:39Oh, this is better!
00:53:40Josh, right hand from Calzaghe.
00:53:43Rocks back the head of Kessler.
00:53:45What I was saying about Calzaghe, John,
00:53:47he can adapt and he can change his style.
00:53:50That's what the great sports people do.
00:53:52Muhammad Ali could change the pattern of a fight.
00:53:55Lionel Messi can change the pattern of a match.
00:53:58And that's what we saw in this fight.
00:54:01Good round, though, this for Joe Calzaghe.
00:54:03Good uppercut, left hand from Calzaghe.
00:54:06This is a big round for the Welshman.
00:54:08He's bossed this last minute.
00:54:10Beautiful work.
00:54:11Can you keep it up, Joe?
00:54:12Can you keep up?
00:54:13Yeah, we're barely at four shots.
00:54:15Big deal.
00:54:16We saw the athletic genius of Joe Calzaghe.
00:54:19His movement became different.
00:54:21He tied Kessler up.
00:54:22He began to sneak round.
00:54:27I had timing.
00:54:27I had the shape.
00:54:29I was there, but you could adapt his boxing style.
00:54:32And that was something I was too young to understand.
00:54:37Calzaghe showing superb boxing skills there.
00:54:42That desire in him, the heart.
00:54:44You have to give him 100 out of 100 for heart, Joe Calzaghe.
00:54:51Two-hundred, maybe the word from Calzaghe.
00:54:57I think Kessler knows that he's lost that one.
00:54:59Calzaghe raises his arms and celebrates.
00:55:03At the age of 35, maybe his biggest test has been this one.
00:55:12After the fight, I said, Joe, let's have this rematch.
00:55:16He said, no, Miguel.
00:55:18Tonight was my night.
00:55:21This guys got nervous.
00:55:42I think you're a little nervous right there.
00:55:44You can see that in your eyes.
00:55:46Is that true?
00:55:47Yeah, obviously.
00:55:48When you're fighting for 150,000 people,
00:55:50I'm fighting you, we've knocked everybody out nearly, you know what I mean?
00:55:52So of course you're gonna be a bit nervous, you know what it's like.
00:55:55I thought to myself, if I lose, man, I never think about losing,
00:55:58but I can never show my face in Cardiff again.
00:56:00They're carrying me out, man, they're carrying me out.
00:56:03My trainer, Jimmy Montoya, you know Jimmy, he's been in the corner.
00:56:07Yeah, he's done my bandages.
00:56:08Yeah, he's, um, he said to me,
00:56:10when you hit that sack with that right,
00:56:12you should have come back with the left hook.
00:56:14I only threw the right hand, you know?
00:56:17Yeah. Thanks.
00:56:19Fuck, I can't say that, man.
00:56:22Yeah, hey, your father is happy, that bastard.
00:56:25LAUGHTER
00:56:28Oh, fuck, come on!
00:56:31Come here. Come on, man.
00:56:34As I said, I hate watching my fight when I lose,
00:56:37but this is good, this is OK.
00:56:38Oh, thank you. This is OK, man.
00:56:40I lost the fight, but I tried everything.
00:56:43Good fight, my man.
00:56:45Good fight, Joe.
00:56:49I think even if there'd have been those of us who hoped
00:56:52Joe might say,
00:56:53I'm the undisputed super middleweight champion,
00:56:55there's nowhere else for me to go, I'll hang them up,
00:56:58it just, it became obvious from what we were hearing from America
00:57:02that that wasn't going to be an option for him, you know?
00:57:04All of a sudden, all the calls are coming to Frank Warren
00:57:07and they're coming to Joe Calzaghe of,
00:57:09when can you get over here?
00:57:10And I think that was irresistible for him.
00:57:18MUSIC PLAYS
00:57:36You need to go to the States to be recognised by the American press,
00:57:39by the American writers.
00:57:41You have to go there.
00:57:42MUSIC CONTINUES
00:57:48So what I did, the week after the Kessler fight,
00:57:50bought my own ticket, went out to America,
00:57:53and the whole point of me going over was to bump into Hopkins.
00:57:57Bernard Hopkins was powerful, one of the best in the world.
00:58:00I knew I wanted to fight that guy.
00:58:05Hopkins was in the press room and I could see him come in,
00:58:07so I was doing interviews and Hopkins was on the other side of the room.
00:58:12I remember him making his way towards me.
00:58:15Why do you have to box like this, please, man?
00:58:17For a reason. For a reason.
00:58:19Because you fought over New York. Because you fought in New York.
00:58:22You think you can beat Kessler? You fought in New York.
00:58:24Kessler is not in my league, man.
00:58:25It was like the school playground. Fight. There's a fight going on over there.
00:58:28And, of course, that's where Bernard famously said...
00:58:31I would never let a white boy beat me.
00:58:33If you fight, you will lose. If you fight me, you will lose.
00:58:36I'd never let a white boy beat me.
00:58:38I ain't never been beaten by a white man.
00:58:40I've never been beaten by a white man.
00:58:42If you call it any statement you want,
00:58:44anybody can print that I would never lose to a white person.
00:58:46I can't wait, man.
00:58:48I thought, yes. I loved it.
00:58:50I thought, yes, this fight's going to get made right now.
00:58:52And all the cameras, before he realised he was on,
00:58:55rang up Frank Warren and said, let's have the fight be made.
00:59:03Always scares me when a fighter goes up a wave,
00:59:04because you never know how their body's going to react to it, you know.
00:59:07Will he keep his work rate up?
00:59:08You know, you're thinking the punches are perhaps going to have
00:59:11a bit more heft to them, but will he be able to keep his work rate up?
00:59:15And Joe's work rate was always great.
00:59:17So, again, I was scared for that fight.
00:59:22He said, when they came face to face, you're a small guy.
00:59:25You are this super middleweight they've been talking about.
00:59:28You know, here's a man known as The Executioner,
00:59:30who spent time in a penitentiary and, at the age of what he was,
00:59:34was a very intimidating and terrifying man.
00:59:37Every red-blooded American is going to be happy with the outcome.
00:59:41I'm going to kick his British ass coming into that gym.
00:59:45The nine-year-old Joe Kozagi, the kid that had been bullied by the bullies,
00:59:50was fighting probably the biggest bully in boxing.
00:59:52But he was somebody who you thought,
00:59:54oh, this is going to maybe be a step too far for Joe.
01:00:03Remember, there's the weigh-ins,
01:00:05and having thousands of people queue up for a weigh-in,
01:00:08and all the Welsh flags, Welsh banners, and Hopkins come out,
01:00:14and they were booing him.
01:00:15And he must have looked in the crowd thinking,
01:00:16I'm fighting in my country.
01:00:18And he's like, oh, Britain.
01:00:20It was brilliant.
01:00:20And, you know, it's like no other.
01:00:22The British fans are the best Welsh fans.
01:00:24British fans are amazing.
01:00:25They don't do it anywhere else in the world.
01:00:26And British fans will travel and come and watch you fight.
01:00:30I remember, when getting on the plane in Nevada,
01:00:33thinking, who turned off the lights in Wales when they left?
01:00:36Because everyone was in Las Vegas.
01:00:39You couldn't move for dragons.
01:00:40And that's all you could hear was that slow,
01:00:42super, super Joe, super, super Joe, super, super Joe,
01:00:49super, super Joe, super, super Joe, super Joe Kozagi.
01:00:54Ah, I know that one.
01:00:55Yeah.
01:00:56We peaked at the anthem.
01:00:57It felt like Cardiff out there.
01:00:59The amount of supporters who went out there,
01:01:01and everyone, it was like that mini community going around.
01:01:06So, oh, you're from Wales, da, da, da, da, da.
01:01:07Yeah.
01:01:08And it was a great buzz.
01:01:09Super Joe, super Joe, super Joe Kozagi.
01:01:137,000 people traveled over, which was extraordinary.
01:01:17The fans everywhere just having a great time.
01:01:20So many Welshmen there.
01:01:21Catherine Zeta-Jones and Tom Jones and Howard Stringer,
01:01:25the head of Sony, and all these crazy Welshmen.
01:01:28Al Pacino as well.
01:01:29So I literally just remember shaking his hand as well.
01:01:32And I was like, this made it even better.
01:01:35You know, you can feel the atmosphere, you know,
01:01:37but you don't really see anything.
01:01:50The moment the world has been waiting for.
01:01:5312 rounds of boxing for the linear and true.
01:01:59The light heavyweight championship of the world.
01:02:06Joe Kozagi.
01:02:17Bernard The Executioner Hopkins.
01:02:29The talking ends.
01:02:35The action begins.
01:02:36Kozagi against Hopkins.
01:02:3812 three-minute rounds.
01:02:46A good right hand.
01:02:47Hopkins has put Kozagi down in the very first round.
01:02:50Kozagi down with a clashing right hand from Hopkins.
01:02:54Six, seven, eight.
01:03:03He goes down in the third.
01:03:04That's so straight right.
01:03:05And we're sort of meters away.
01:03:06You sort of hear the, you go, down he went.
01:03:09And we just went.
01:03:11This is it.
01:03:12This is going to end how we'd hoped it never would.
01:03:16You know, they're not really, you know, no jabs.
01:03:18There's nothing there.
01:03:19Are you listening to me now, Joe?
01:03:20Are you listening to me, Joe?
01:03:22Yeah.
01:03:24The chant is, Wales, Wales.
01:03:29Bernard Hopkins is a very clever boxer.
01:03:32It was a really frustrating fight to watch.
01:03:34Because Kozagi couldn't get into the flow.
01:03:36He just couldn't get into the flow.
01:03:37You're just smothering him.
01:03:38Just every chance he was getting, closing him down.
01:03:41Hopkins here.
01:03:42He's constantly holding.
01:03:44He should be getting warm now.
01:03:46Up the referee.
01:03:49He's holding again.
01:03:51Joe knew already it was going to be a nasty fight.
01:03:57And as it was, it turned out to be the way.
01:03:59He went out to spoil Joe's style of boxing.
01:04:02I want a clean round.
01:04:03I don't want any rough tactics.
01:04:04I don't want to start taking any of your points.
01:04:06Give me a clean fight.
01:04:08Do you want him to stop you?
01:04:09Or do you want to stop him?
01:04:11That's the fucking way it's going to go.
01:04:12That's the way it's going to go.
01:04:13Are you with me now?
01:04:14Make your fucking up for the party, all right?
01:04:17Right through the ace.
01:04:18Through the ace.
01:04:19The moments of full composure that Calzaghe could have gone now.
01:04:23Calzaghe needs a big round.
01:04:31Calzaghe is starting to make his left hand.
01:04:34Reduce music upstairs.
01:04:36Can you keep it going, Joe?
01:04:37Yeah.
01:04:37How do you feel?
01:04:38It feels good, Joe.
01:04:42Sucker for the right hand.
01:04:43Come back to the left hook.
01:04:44Dane him.
01:04:45Right hand, left hook.
01:04:46He's going to work all night long.
01:04:47I promise you.
01:04:48I think the second and the fifth round is pretty fine either way.
01:04:51It's difficult to come to a conclusion as to who won the fight.
01:04:59This guy's ready to be taken.
01:05:01You can start walking him down.
01:05:02You're the stronger man, okay?
01:05:05This guy's knackered.
01:05:06He's knackered.
01:05:10That's a left hand, Calzaghe.
01:05:15Joe Calzaghe is going to finish the fight having landed more punches than anyone's ever
01:05:19landed against the Hopkins in a CompuBox counted fight.
01:05:24Down goes Hopkins.
01:05:25What a long walk.
01:05:27Hopkins is particularly annoying to me as a fight fan.
01:05:30I just hate the defensive stuff and the slowdown and the grab and the clutch and that.
01:05:34And I just can't stand that stuff.
01:05:37And Joe was a great anti that.
01:05:39I wonder if Hopkins is choosing to stop Calzaghe's glowing momentum here.
01:05:45Is it an Oscar-winning performance or could Calzaghe land the bout?
01:05:49Hopkins still grimacing.
01:05:51Calzaghe waving to the fans, suggesting this one is now going his way.
01:05:59I think this guy's ready to be knocked out.
01:06:01Trust me.
01:06:01Trust me.
01:06:02Trust me.
01:06:10Top, top.
01:06:11Top, come on, let's go.
01:06:12Come on, come on.
01:06:21Did he cheat him out?
01:06:22F***ing cheat my ass.
01:06:23Don't worry about cheating.
01:06:24What he's doing is what the f*** are you doing?
01:06:26Finish strong.
01:06:27Win the fight.
01:06:28I enjoyed it.
01:06:29You win the fight.
01:06:30Now let's finish strong.
01:06:31It's over.
01:06:32If you don't win this round, it's f***ing over.
01:06:35You've got to stop him.
01:06:36Take another drink.
01:06:36You've got to stop him.
01:06:37Last round.
01:06:40This could be a difficult fight to score.
01:06:46American judges tend to favor aggressive fighters.
01:06:50Fighters who come forward.
01:06:54There was no real consensus of who was winning the fight.
01:06:57And I can honestly say that when the bell rang and we went to the cards,
01:07:01no one around me with any conviction had an idea one way or the other who was going to get the decision.
01:07:09Punches continues after the bell and both men celebrate.
01:07:25We go to the scorecards.
01:07:28Adelaide Byrd scores at 114-113 for Bernard Hawkins.
01:07:34Ted Gimses scores at 115-112 for Joe Calzaghe.
01:07:42Chuck Jampa scores at 116-111 for the winner by split decision from Newbridge, Wales.
01:08:04The celebrations begin.
01:08:08Aggression has paid.
01:08:10The judges have gone for the man who forced the fight.
01:08:14And Joe Calzaghe has gone off the floor in the first round to win this one.
01:08:20There were a few tears down there when the verdict was delivered.
01:08:25From South Wales.
01:08:26Yeah.
01:08:27Oh, from Newbridge, South Wales.
01:08:28Me and Joe, honestly, it was quite...
01:08:30Yeah, it's gone mad, mate.
01:08:31It took only five seconds, but it felt like ages, man.
01:08:34Like, just waked in, like, silence.
01:08:36And then the new ring marker.
01:08:38Oh, man, it was amazing.
01:08:39That was the best minute, man.
01:08:40That was good.
01:08:41Still getting goosebumps, man.
01:08:42Still getting goosebumps.
01:08:43It was good.
01:08:43Me and Giuseppe.
01:09:00We kept asking him if he was going to retire.
01:09:11Yeah.
01:09:11But he kept, you know, oh, one last fight, one last fight.
01:09:15I just wanted to retire, you know.
01:09:17Yeah.
01:09:18After he got knocked down as well in the first round.
01:09:21Seeing from knocking all them people out and then, you know, him fighting in America
01:09:25and getting knocked down in the first round again.
01:09:27Just don't want to go through that ever again, man.
01:09:29They broke their heart when they saw their father box.
01:09:32Conor.
01:09:32They absolutely broke their heart.
01:09:36And they said to him, please, Dad, please, not again.
01:09:38I don't want to do it.
01:09:38Please, Dad.
01:09:40I said, myself, I said, don't retire.
01:09:43I said, what, you can be rocking my channel record by all means.
01:09:48He said, with me straight in my eyes, Dad, I had lost the hunger.
01:09:54When I heard that word, I lost the hunger.
01:09:57That to me was, that's it.
01:10:03So.
01:10:08You know, 25 years in the sport, as hard as boxing, it's a long time.
01:10:12And then when your body's starting to break up, which it was, and pain, I couldn't spa,
01:10:17it's big, massive pillows for gloves.
01:10:20It was terribly important to Joe that he was undefeated.
01:10:24And I think eventually, when you get the accumulative problems with pain,
01:10:31difficulty in training for fights, that inevitably leads you to the point at which,
01:10:37am I going to be able to get one more fight?
01:10:41One more fight to go, and then I'm going to be able to get a new record.
01:10:45I'm going to be able to get one more fight.
01:10:49One more fight too far may not just be pain, it may be defeat.
01:10:54You got the sense that he couldn't go on much longer,
01:10:57because there was so much pressure on him not losing.
01:11:00The idea of having won in the loss column
01:11:04was actually destroying him in really deep psychological ways.
01:11:10It made me feel that I've got to be a father.
01:11:14I knew that enough is enough.
01:11:19I changed from training, I've become a father.
01:11:26I didn't want to keep fighting until I couldn't fight no more.
01:11:28I wanted to fight with something left in the tank.
01:11:31I told my dad, the next fight's going to be my last one.
01:11:35Who better to face than another American ring legend, Roy Jones Jr.
01:11:42A man the same size as Joe, but when he steps into a ring,
01:11:45he looks six foot six, because of his extraordinary wingspan and reach and speed.
01:11:55Roy's ready, he's more ready now than ever.
01:11:58He's ready to fight, he's ready to win.
01:12:01Roy's ready, he's more ready now than he's ever been
01:12:06in the fights that I've trained him for the last 18 years.
01:12:10There was no one else really, no one of that stature.
01:12:15So far, who's got the 45-0, mate?
01:12:18Who's got the 45-0?
01:12:19Stand up and praise Joe Calzaghe, he's got 45-0.
01:12:22And now on the final round, he's 46-0.
01:12:25Hands together for Joe Calzaghe, thank you.
01:12:28Finish off my career fighting one of the greatest fighters there's been.
01:12:32Fighting in Manchester Square Garden, you know, that's all the motivation I need.
01:12:35On Saturday night, you're not going to see a good fight, you're going to see a great fight.
01:12:40No one wants to miss the end of what has been an extraordinary,
01:12:45and remember, unbeaten career.
01:12:49But there's a fear that the great Welsh champion,
01:12:52the Italian Dragon, might lose his last fight.
01:12:58Ladies and gentlemen, from the mecca of boxing,
01:13:03Madison Square Garden, New York City, USA.
01:13:13Introducing first, from Pensacola, Florida,
01:13:17a future Hall of Famer, Roy...
01:13:20Joe...
01:13:25Calzaghe.
01:13:27Joe...
01:13:29Calzaghe!
01:13:31Joe...
01:13:33Calzaghe!
01:13:35Joe...
01:13:37Calzaghe!
01:13:39Introducing, fighting pride of Newbridge, Wales,
01:13:43former undisputed super middleweight world champion,
01:13:47and reigning, defending, undefeated,
01:13:51light heavyweight champion of the world,
01:13:55Joe...
01:13:59Calzaghe!
01:14:01Joe...
01:14:03Calzaghe!
01:14:05Joe...
01:14:07Calzaghe!
01:14:0912 rounds of boxing,
01:14:11for the light heavyweight championship of the world.
01:14:15for the light heavyweight championship of the world.
01:14:25Okay, gentlemen, women over the rows in the dressing room,
01:14:27obey my commands at all times
01:14:29and protect yourself at all times.
01:14:31Touch him up, the bell rings when we're fighting.
01:14:35Okay, gentlemen.
01:14:37Box!
01:14:39Joe Calzaghe,
01:14:41Roy Jones Jr.,
01:14:43here in New York,
01:14:45for the Ring Magazine light heavyweight championship of the world.
01:14:55I don't know that Roy Jones ever fought anybody
01:14:59that was faster than he was
01:15:01until he got in the ring with Joe,
01:15:03and I'm not sure Joe ever fought anybody
01:15:05who was faster than he was
01:15:07until he got in the ring with Roy.
01:15:11Okay, break!
01:15:14Okay, break!
01:15:37Five, six, seven, eight...
01:15:41I, like, literally fought my dad with Superman.
01:15:43I thought he was, like, invincible.
01:15:45We were in a frenzied state of terror
01:15:48that it could all come undone,
01:15:50you know, on the biggest stage of the boxing world.
01:15:53I didn't see it.
01:15:55You didn't see it because he stays torso-y.
01:15:58With your bloody three combinations,
01:16:00you've got to bring the fight to him.
01:16:02You've got to go in front of Superman.
01:16:04You didn't know?
01:16:06Yeah, the jab went weak.
01:16:08You went weak in the jab out.
01:16:11A swat on the bridge of Kalzaki's nose.
01:16:13Kalzaki has to dig out of the hole.
01:16:34He can't put the winning method in his life,
01:16:36in his heart, while he's boxing.
01:16:38That comes from himself, personally.
01:16:40If something creeps in his mind,
01:16:42I shall not lose.
01:16:45BELL RINGS
01:16:50Kalzaki unveiled.
01:16:52He's out with his hands half-locked.
01:16:56This throws one punch at a time,
01:16:58and Kalzaki throws six.
01:17:09BELL RINGS
01:17:11Kalzaki's showboating in the center of the ring.
01:17:14You ever thought you'd see that
01:17:16with an opponent against Roy Jones?
01:17:18Roy Jones Jr. was the ultimate showboater.
01:17:21He could do everything.
01:17:23He could knock a man out five feet away across a ring
01:17:26with a punch they never saw.
01:17:28So Joe begins to showboat.
01:17:30He rolls the shoulders. He shuffles.
01:17:32He does everything.
01:17:34Kalzaki is standing in front of Roy Jones
01:17:36to rid his hands down.
01:17:38Showboating.
01:17:39It's abundantly clear, at least with body language,
01:17:41Kalzaki is trying to portray
01:17:43to the audience and to the judges
01:17:45that he has weathered the storm.
01:17:49He has dominated round three.
01:17:53BELL RINGS
01:17:55Don't be nothing canvas.
01:17:57Good job. Good job, Joe.
01:17:59You have to be a show.
01:18:02On the left hand by Kalzaki.
01:18:04Follows it up with a couple of body shots.
01:18:06Another flurry by Kalzaki.
01:18:08Roy may be momentarily hurt.
01:18:10He's hurt. He's hurt.
01:18:12Right above the left eye of Roy Jones.
01:18:14Joe was sticking his face out.
01:18:16He was sticking his face out
01:18:18and just screwing with Roy's brain.
01:18:20And Roy had done this for years to people.
01:18:23Roy's never, never experienced this.
01:18:25And I think that Joe can do this all night.
01:18:28And when I was watching that, I thought,
01:18:30that's jazz.
01:18:32It's smooth, it's silky, it's sneaky, it's syncopated.
01:18:34It's just jazz.
01:18:36Kalzaki trapping his hands
01:18:38and staring at Jones
01:18:40and watching the blood flow
01:18:42and going back to work.
01:18:46He did everything but knock Roy Jones Jr. out
01:18:49and he probably was there for the taking.
01:18:52Why didn't Joe knock him out?
01:18:55Maybe because he wanted to savour
01:18:58those last 36 minutes.
01:19:00It was as if he was saying,
01:19:02I've loved this.
01:19:04I want you all to see me
01:19:06doing everything I can do here today
01:19:08and it's goodbye.
01:19:13It was like my life was flicking
01:19:15from my all-mate career where I started.
01:19:25I was counting down the rounds in my head.
01:19:33Just looking around thinking,
01:19:35look where I am.
01:19:54♪♪♪
01:20:24♪♪♪
01:20:54♪♪♪
01:21:00Finish on Young Tim's,
01:21:02money can't buy that.
01:21:04Money can't buy that.
01:21:06♪♪♪
01:21:14Very few fighters
01:21:16go out on their terms in that way.
01:21:21I can literally name on five fingers
01:21:23the fighters in my era that have
01:21:25gotten out with their faculties,
01:21:27with their money and with their pride.
01:21:34I give him a lot of credit
01:21:36and it says a lot about his sense of self
01:21:38and the understanding he had
01:21:40that he had more than half his life
01:21:42still to live after boxing.
01:21:47People still talk about him
01:21:49and people kind of still want him to be around.
01:21:51You know, and there are not many people
01:21:53that once they go away, you know,
01:21:55the only thing that people start talking about
01:21:57is just like, you know, I wish he was still here.
01:21:59You know, that's a big achievement.
01:22:13If I had flags, I would put the flags up.
01:22:15It's really...
01:22:17What I've seen now, I've just...
01:22:20It was unreal seeing my dad
01:22:22after all he's done really be appreciated.
01:22:25I just thought that was, like, the best moment ever.
01:22:27I'm so proud of him, like,
01:22:29that's probably my proudest moment ever.
01:22:36I respect him as a father for what he's done for us.
01:22:39Nobody knows, you know, what my dad went through
01:22:42to get there when we were little kids.
01:22:46That's what I feel, anyway.
01:22:53Do you want to come in, Joe?
01:23:12It never happened. It wasn't us. It couldn't be us.
01:23:14You know, wait, look at the members.
01:23:16That's them. It's us.
01:23:22He's my best friend and a great dad.
01:23:24I mean, he's an awesome trainer.
01:23:26I could pay him back for the way he brought me up
01:23:29and also for instilling that animal in me
01:23:32that I've become in the ring.
01:23:34I would refuse to be beat, refuse to be knocked down.
01:23:38If you get knocked down, you get back twice as bad.
01:23:41And that was me.
01:23:43I refused to lose.
01:23:45That was instilled in me, so thanks, Dad.
01:24:08It's been a brilliant ride.
01:24:10I'm a happy man and I'm thankful for everything I've got.
01:24:14Nothing's come close to family, children and health.
01:24:18Nothing matters unless you've got that.
01:24:25You'll never be forgotten.
01:24:28What you are is eternal.
01:24:30You'll never be forgotten.
01:24:33What you are is eternal.
01:25:00You'll never be forgotten.
01:25:02What you are is eternal.
01:25:04You'll never be forgotten.
01:25:30♪
01:26:00Listen, Joe put in a lot of work before a lot of tough guys.
01:26:03He beat Bernard.
01:26:06He beat the hoo-hoo of his division of his time.
01:26:10He chose to retire early.
01:26:12That's on him.
01:26:14I believe he still has a lot of good fights left.
01:26:17Flock would have been a great fight for him in England or Wales.
01:26:22One of those arenas, that would have been a financial money-breaker.
01:26:26It would have broke some records.
01:26:28He chose to retire early. I have much respect for him.
01:26:31As a matter of fact, he got his bone to become a confident fighter under my cards.
01:26:37A lot of my cards I fought in Europe, he fought on all the undercards.
01:26:41It looks to the station he was in as well.
01:26:43I think he's the greatest British fighter we've ever had, to be honest with you.
01:26:48And he's a great fighter, a great mechanic in the ring.
01:26:51And he understands what it is to win.
01:26:54He totally eradicated the word losing out of his vocabulary.
01:26:57He comes from a division where in England we had a wonderful era back in the day with Ben, Hugh, Bank.
01:27:03I mean to have your dad in your corner, you know you're not going to get ripped off.
01:27:06You've got your old man there. We love you.
01:27:08Father don't let you slide. Father knows who you are.
01:27:11There's always a strong bond.
01:27:13It's one of the most important things in boxing, the bond between trainer and son.
01:27:17And when your father, when you look in his eyes, he's obviously the trusted man.
01:27:22Well, it's always going to be different strokes for different folks.
01:27:25But Tito Trinidad and his dad, same thing as Enzo and Joe.
01:27:31So you've got something there that's that familial tie.
01:27:35They both respect each other. They respect the boundaries of each other.
01:27:39Ideology, of course.
01:27:41And so that makes it just one. It just looks good.
01:27:44You know, very rarely at the end of the game it looks good.
01:27:48It still looks good.
01:27:49I think he could have gone on. I think he could have gone out there and smashed Coach Odom.
01:27:54I think he could still do it now.
01:27:56I can only beat the old man.
01:28:04Congratulations, Joe. God bless. Keep going. Keep it on. I love you.
01:28:08He's got the life now. He doesn't have to. He's living the life.
01:28:20Oh,
01:28:22oh,
01:28:23oh,
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01:28:25oh,
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