Joe Calzaghe facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Joe CalzagheCBE |
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Calzaghe in 2007
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| Real name | Joseph William Calzaghe | |||||||||||||
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| Height | 6 ft 0 in | |||||||||||||
| Reach | 73 in | |||||||||||||
| Nationality | Welsh | |||||||||||||
| Born | 23 March 1972 Hammersmith, London, England |
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| Stance | Southpaw | |||||||||||||
| Boxing record | ||||||||||||||
| Total fights | 46 | |||||||||||||
| Wins | 46 | |||||||||||||
| Wins by KO | 32 | |||||||||||||
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Joe Calzaghe is a famous Welsh former professional boxer. He was born on March 23, 1972. Joe competed in boxing from 1993 to 2008. He is known for being one of the few boxers to retire without ever losing a fight!
Joe held many world championship titles in two different weight classes: super-middleweight and light-heavyweight. He was the longest-reigning super-middleweight world champion in boxing history. He held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title for over 10 years. He defended it 20 times, which is a record for that division.
Joe was also the first boxer to hold three major world titles at super-middleweight at the same time. These were the World Boxing Association (WBA), World Boxing Council (WBC), and WBO titles.
From 2006 to 2008, Joe was ranked among the top ten boxers in the world. He retired in February 2009 with an amazing record of 46 wins and no losses. This makes him one of the greatest boxers ever, especially from Europe. In 2007, Joe won the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2014. People often called him "The Pride of Wales" and "The Italian Dragon."
Contents
Biography: Joe's Early Life
Joe Calzaghe was born in London, England. His father, Enzo Calzaghe, was from Sardinia, Italy, and his mother, Jackie, was Welsh. When Joe was young, his family moved to Sardinia for a short time. But his mother missed Britain, so they moved back. They lived in Markham, Wales, before settling in Pentwynmawr, near Newbridge, in South Wales.
Joe went to Pentwynmawr Primary School with his two sisters. He loved playing football and was a good midfielder. When he was eight, he got a boxing toy that sparked his interest in the sport. His dad even made him a punching bag from an old carpet!
At ten years old, Joe joined his first boxing club. Boxing quickly became his main focus, and he stopped playing football. He went to Oakdale Comprehensive School. Joe later shared that he was bullied as a teenager. This experience made him want to help others through the "Beat Bullying" campaign later in his life. He left school without taking his final exams.
In 2009, Joe was given the special honor of "Freedom of the City" for Caerphilly County Borough. He also received the CBE award in 2008, which is a high honor in the UK.
Amateur Boxing Career
Before turning professional, Joe Calzaghe had a very successful amateur boxing career. He fought in 120 amateur matches. He won four schoolboy ABA titles. Then, he won three British ABA titles in a row between 1990 and 1993. He won these titles in three different weight categories: welterweight, light middleweight, and middleweight. His amateur record was 110 wins and only 10 losses.
Professional Boxing Journey
Joe Calzaghe started his professional boxing career in September 1993. His first fight was in Cardiff, where he won quickly in the first round. By September 1995, Joe had won all 13 of his fights. Many of these wins came very fast, often in the first or second round.
In October 1995, Joe won his first professional title, the British super-middleweight title. He beat Stephen Wilson in the eighth round. At the end of 1995, he was named "Young Boxer of the Year." Many boxing experts believed he would become a huge star.
Joe continued to win all his fights in 1996 and 1997. He beat many experienced boxers. His manager, Frank Warren, even said Joe was "my fighter for the new millennium."
Becoming WBO Super-Middleweight Champion
A big moment came for Joe on October 11, 1997. He fought against the famous British boxer Chris Eubank for the vacant WBO super-middleweight title. Joe knocked Eubank down early in the fight and won by a unanimous decision. This meant all the judges agreed he was the winner. Eubank later said Joe was "the proper article, a true warrior." This victory made Joe very popular in Wales.
After winning the WBO title, Joe defended it many times.
- In 1998, he beat Branko Sobot and Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra. Joe was the first boxer to stop Gimenez Ferreyra, which even famous boxers like Roberto Durán couldn't do.
- In 1999, he had a tough fight against Robin Reid. Joe won by a split decision, meaning two judges thought he won, but one thought Reid won. This was one of his closest fights. He also broke his hand in another fight that year but still won.
- In 2000, Joe continued his winning streak. He beat Omar Sheika and his friend Richie Woodhall.
- In 2001, he had an impressive first-round win against Mario Veit. He also won a fight in Denmark, which was his first time defending his title outside Britain.
- In 2002, Joe won against former world champion Charles Brewer and other tough opponents. He defended his WBO title for the 12th time. He said he wanted to be remembered as one of the best British boxers ever.
- In 2003, Joe faced Byron Mitchell. Joe was knocked down for the first time in his career in the second round. But he quickly got back up and stopped Mitchell in the same round!
- In 2004, he continued to win, including a fight where he was briefly knocked down but still dominated.
- In 2005, Joe had a rematch with Mario Veit in Germany and won again. He also broke his hand in another fight but still managed to win using only one hand for much of the fight.
Becoming Unified Super-Middleweight Champion
On March 5, 2006, Joe had a huge fight against Jeff Lacy, who was the IBF super-middleweight champion. Many experts thought Lacy would win, but Joe completely dominated the fight. He won every round and took Lacy's IBF title. He also won The Ring magazine's super-middleweight title. This made him a "unified" champion, holding multiple major titles at once.
After this, Joe continued to defend his titles. In October 2006, he beat Sakio Bika in a tough fight where Joe got a cut above his eye. In April 2007, Joe fought Peter Manfredo Jr. in front of 35,000 fans in Cardiff, Wales. Joe won by a quick stoppage in the third round.
Calzaghe vs. Kessler: A Big Unification Fight
In November 2007, Joe had another massive fight against Mikkel Kessler. Kessler was also an undefeated world champion, holding the WBA and WBC titles. This fight was to unify, or bring together, all the major super-middleweight titles. Joe won by a unanimous decision, becoming the undisputed champion of the super-middleweight division. This win meant he had defended his WBO title 21 times, breaking records!
Moving to Light-Heavyweight
After conquering the super-middleweight division, Joe decided to move up to the light-heavyweight weight class.
Calzaghe vs. Hopkins
On April 19, 2008, Joe fought in the United States for the first time. His opponent was the legendary American boxer Bernard Hopkins. Joe was knocked down in the first round, but he got back up and fought hard. He landed more punches than Hopkins and kept pushing the pace. Joe won the fight by a split decision, meaning two judges scored it for him, and one for Hopkins. This victory earned him The Ring Light Heavyweight Championship.
Calzaghe vs. Jones Jr.
Joe's last fight was against another boxing legend, Roy Jones Jr., on November 8, 2008, in New York City. Joe was knocked down in the first round again, but he quickly recovered. He took control of the fight after the first few rounds and won by a clear unanimous decision.
Retirement from Boxing
On February 5, 2009, Joe Calzaghe announced his retirement from professional boxing. He ended his career with an amazing record of 46 wins and no losses. This makes him one of only a few world champions to retire undefeated. His friend and fellow boxer, Ricky Hatton, called him "the best British fighter we've ever had." Many boxing experts consider Joe Calzaghe to be the greatest super-middleweight boxer of all time.
Life After Boxing
After retiring from boxing, Joe Calzaghe started his own boxing promotion company with his father, Enzo. It's called Calzaghe Promotions.
Joe is also a strong supporter of the "Beat Bullying" campaign. He was inspired to help because he was bullied when he was younger.
In 2010, Joe played in a charity football match called Soccer Aid. He scored the first goal for his team, "Rest of the World," which won the game on penalties.
In 2012, Joe Calzaghe even made a small appearance as himself in the TV show Stella.
Personal Life
Joe Calzaghe has three sons. He was married to Mandy Davies for 11 years and also had a relationship with Katie Matthews. He also appeared on the BBC show Strictly Come Dancing in 2009.
Outside of boxing, Joe is a big fan of the Italian football team Juventus FC.
Images for kids
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Calzaghe in 2007
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Calzaghe in 2007
