Enzo Calzaghe facts for kids

Pietro Vincenzo "Enzo" Calzaghe MBE (born January 1, 1949 – died September 17, 2018) was a famous boxing trainer. He was born in Italy but lived in Wales. Enzo was the father of the famous boxer Joe Calzaghe. He was also the main trainer for Team Calzaghe at the Newbridge boxing club. Enzo helped start Calzaghe Promotions with his son, Joe.

Enzo's Early Life

Enzo Calzaghe was born in Bancali, a small village in Sardinia, Italy. His parents were Giuseppe and Victoria. When he was two years old, his family moved to Bedfordshire, England.

While in England, Enzo went to school with Joe Bugner. Joe Bugner later became a European heavyweight boxing champion. Enzo's father taught him how to box to protect himself from bullies at school.

When Enzo was 13, his family moved back to Italy. There, he tried to become a professional footballer. He even played on the same team as Gianfranco Zola for a while. Enzo once said that boys from his village usually became waiters, boxers, or footballers. He tried a bit of everything!

His Family

Enzo Calzaghe had two daughters named Sonia and Melissa. He also had one son, Joe.

Traveling Across Europe

When he was younger, Enzo played the bass guitar in his uncle's band called 'Survival'. At 19, he joined the Italian Air Force. He quickly found a spot on their football team in Milan, where he spent two years.

After his military service in 1969, Enzo decided to travel around Europe. He earned money by playing music on the streets, known as busking. He hitchhiked from city to city for a few years. Sometimes, he even slept in city squares or phone booths.

One time, a friend left him in Amsterdam. Enzo traded his ring for a trip on a tomato ship to Whitstable, England. From there, he went to Bournemouth. His aunt used to run a restaurant there, and his brother Antonio worked for her. His aunt had sold the restaurant, but she convinced the new owner to hire Enzo.

Enzo worked at the restaurant during the day and slept there at night. He wanted to save enough money to go back home to Sardinia. He saved the cash, but when he got to Southampton station, he heard an announcement for a train to Cardiff. Enzo decided to try Cardiff instead of going home.

In Cardiff, Enzo found a job at a Wimpy restaurant. There, he met a waitress named Jackie. They fell in love and got married just four weeks later! They moved to Markham with Jackie's parents. Later, they bought a house near Blackwood, which was close to a boxing gym. At this time, Enzo worked as a bus conductor and a window salesman. He also played in bands with his brother.

Becoming a Boxing Trainer

While living in Cardiff, Enzo got involved with a local boxing gym. He met Paul Williams, who was the trainer at the Newbridge boxing club. Paul invited Enzo to bring his son, Joe, to the gym. Joe was being bullied at school, and boxing could help him.

Joe became a regular at the gym, and Enzo became Paul's assistant trainer. When Joe was 18, Paul Williams retired. Enzo then took over the gym and ran it until 2002.

Enzo Calzaghe won many awards for his training. He won 'Coach of the Year' at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards. The Ring magazine named him trainer of the year in 2007. He also received the Futch–Condon Award from the Boxing Writers Association of America for Trainer of the Year in 2007. Enzo mostly stopped coaching in 2008, but his gym continued to operate.

Legacy and Passing

In 2010, Enzo Calzaghe was awarded an MBE. This is a special honor from the British Queen. He could not go to the ceremony at Buckingham Palace. So, a special ceremony was held for him in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly. The Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Simon Boyle, presented the award to him.

A bridge in their hometown of Newbridge has been named in honor of both Enzo and Joe. Besides Joe, Enzo had two daughters, Sonia and Melissa. He also had nine grandchildren: Joe Jr, Connor, Christopher, Chloe, Elysia, Dylan, Louisa, Jacques, and Alba. He also had a great-grandson named Logan and a granddaughter named Elodie.

Enzo Calzaghe passed away on September 17, 2018.

Boxers Trained by Enzo

Enzo Calzaghe trained many successful boxers. Here are some of them:

Nationality	Name	Weight Division(s)	Titles held
	Joe Calzaghe	Super-Middleweight and Light Heavyweight	BBBofC, WBO, WBA, WBC and IBF Super-Middleweight belts. The Ring Light-Heavyweight belt.
	Enzo Maccarinelli	Cruiserweight	WBU, WBO, and EBU belts.
	Gavin Rees	Featherweight - Light Welterweight	WBO Inter-continental Featherweight, BBBoC Lightweight belt. WBA Light-Welterweight World Champion.
	Nathan Cleverly	Light-Heavyweight	Commonwealth, BBBoC, EBU, WBO and WBA Light-Heavy World Champion
	Bradley Pryce	Super-Featherweight - Light-Middleweight	WBO Inter-Continental Lightweight title, BBBoC Welterweight, WBU Light-Middleweight, Commonwealth Light-Middleweight,
	Gary Lockett	Middleweight