British boxing legend Joe Calzaghe once revealed the hardest puncher he ever faced in a surprising admission.
Known as ‘The Pride of Wales’, Calzaghe remained unbeaten for the duration of his 46-fight professional career which spanned between 1993 and 2008.
Calzaghe reigned as the WBO world super-middleweight champion for ten years, making no less than 20 successful defences of his crown along the way, an outstanding record that he shares with Germany’s Sven Ottke.
The Welsh great later made the jump up to 175lbs where he produced legacy-defining wins over American rivals Roy Jones Jr and Bernard Hopkins prior to his retirement from boxing in February of 2009.
Speaking to The Ring Magazine, Calzaghe overlooks both Jones and Hopkins when revealing the hardest puncher he ever faced, instead naming former IBF super-middleweight champion Charles Brewer.
“There’s a few. Kessler hit hard, but I’d probably Go with Charles Brewer. My game plan was to outbox him, but Charles “The Hatchet” Brewer I had seen knock out lots of guys. So I figure I’ll outbox him.
“I remember in the first round he came out and whacked me right in the solar plexus. If you watch the tape, you see me take a deep breath and then go toe to toe for the rest of the fight. He buzzed me up a few times in that fight. Heavy-handed and dangerous from the first round till the 12th.”
Calzaghe defeated Brewer in what was the 10th defence of his WBO super-middleweight crown in April 2002, outpointing the American at the conclusion of a competitive 12-round encounter at the Cardiff International Arena.
