Joe Calzaghe is one of the best British boxers to ever lace up the gloves.
The Welshman famously held the WBO super middleweight title for over a decade from 1997 to 2008, and defended the belt more than 20 times, which remains a record.
He retired with a perfect professional record of 46 wins and no losses after a career that was defined by his fast hands, relentless work rate and slick southpaw style. He defeated some of the biggest names in the division, including Chris Eubank, Mikkel Kessler and Jeff Lacy, though long-time rival and fellow super middleweight Carl Froch has always questioned his win over Robin Reid.
His final two fights saw him move up to light heavyweight and capture The Ring magazine title by beating the legendary Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr.
His ability to adapt in the ring, combined with remarkable endurance and technical skill is what made him such a formidable opponent across two weight divisions and in 2014, he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Speaking to First Round TV, Calzaghe was asked for his four greatest ever fighters and went with some classic names.
“Marvelous Marvin Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson. “
In that list are two of the greatest middleweights of their era in Hagler and Leonard, a trailblazer in Sugar Ray Robinson and a man who has transcended the sport in Ali, though none of them retired undefeated like Calzaghe, who said he retired with only one name missing from his resume, and that’s Carl Froch.
