Calzaghe Update

Happy New Year to all the readers of my column, I hope you enjoyed the festive period as much as I did, we’ve had a brilliant time doing, well, not a lot really.
What has been fantastic is being able to eat, drink and be merry without having to worry about my weight and training ahead of my next fight.
Which is not to say that I’ve retired. I suppose I should get this out of the way first.
My decision is that I don’t want or need to make any decision yet.
In my mind I am not really thinking about boxing, I’ve been more preoccupied with what my boys were getting for Christmas and whether we had enough stuffing with the turkey.
I am not thinking about boxing, I am not thinking about retiring, I am just enjoying some quality time with friends and family.
We have had offers. Several offers in fact, to fight again.
I know what people are saying. I read the newspapers, only yesterday did I read a Welsh columnist saying that because I am keeping quiet, that must mean I am fighting on.
I’ve found it quite funny really, everyone having their say, assuming that I will do this or telling me that I should do that.
The fact is, I truly and genuinely don’t know what I will do. I never normally fight in the early part of the year, if you look back at my professional record I pretty much always start the year training and taking things easy and then intensify things for a fight date in March or April.
So there is nothing unusual there. But I don’t feel any desire to get back into the gym at the moment, although, ironically, my hands are in good shape.
I don’t mind the speculation and to be honest it amuses me, hearing that this paper has said this or that. Soon enough I will make my decision and then you will be the first to know.
Throughout my career, I’ve always fancied going skiing. I’ve never done it before, because obviously as a professional fighter you’re dissuaded from doing anything that could potentially injure you.
I even got told once to stop playing golf because it can do your shoulders and back in. It’s a frustrating sport anyway.
But with the skiing, this year we’re going to give it a go. I don’t hold out much hope that I will be any good at it, I’ll probably come back more battered and bruised than I did from fighting Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones!
It’s fantastic for me though, that so many fighters have expressed an interest in facing me. I waited an awfully long time to get the recognition I felt I deserved and now it’s happened; I appreciate what a privileged position I am in.
It has been suggested this week that I’ve become a moody/bitter old man, needlessly having a pop at Olympic gold medal winner James De Gale, who has fired back at me after I was reported to have said that he wouldn’t become a world champion.
Everyone knows I am not bitter and moody. Not bitter anyway!
I feel bad about how the story has been portrayed because it’s not really what I said – or how I meant to say it – and I would like to clear things up here.
What I did say, and what I believe, is that it’s very difficult for the Olympians, who become instant millionaires, to maintain the same hunger and desire as those fighters who come into the professional ranks with nothing and spend years toiling before they can afford to buy a house.
Whoever you are, that is likely to be the case. I don’t think I’d have enjoyed a quarter of the success I have if I had been rich from day one.
Some people will see it as envy, but that really isn’t the case.
I was very wary of being perceived to be slagging off James, because from what I hear, he’s a very nice kid and I think he’s very talented. Also, I know that he says I am his favourite fighter, which is brilliant to hear.
It wasn’t long ago that I offered him the chance to come and spar in the gym and that offer is still on the table.
I wish nothing but success for James and hope he fulfils his dream of becoming a champion fighter.
It’s not like I was comparing him to a joker like Audley Harrison.
I was merely pointing out that he has to stay focused and not become preoccupied with the TV appearances and fast cars.
Can he be a world champion? It’s impossible to say really. But if he keeps his feet on the ground, he’ll go far.

http://www.southwalesargus.co.uk/sp...AYS__Me_retiring__I_love_all_the_speculation/

This is directly from the horses mouth. The way I read it, I think that he will not fight again unless, he gets some kind of mega offer.

 

There is no way he is going to fight Dawson next as Dawson is fighting Tarver again in March. There is no way Calzaghe is going to wait untill Sept to have his next fight. That will be nearly a year out of the ring. If he does fight again it would be for me either Johnson, Froch (although I really cannot see this happening) or Garay (As he has a title), but if he was to do this the I would imagine he would go on to fight the winner of Tarver v Dawson II.

 

No way not with the body he has got. Calzaghe is very awear that it gives up a lot. I really cannot see him, staying out of the ring for that long to then go on and fight a dangerous fighter like Dawson (the longer he leaves it the more chance Dawson has, although atm I have Calzaghe a clear winner). For me if he does fight again he will have two or three fights not just one. So for me I really think he is not asking himself if he wants one more fight, but if he wants to stay in boxing for another year/18 months.