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Press hail 'greatest' boxer Calzaghe
(Agencies)
Updated: 2009-02-06 15:03 LONDON – The press hailed the country's only unbeaten world champion, Joe Calzaghe, as "the greatest" after he announced he was retiring from a glittering boxing career.
"British boxing, indeed British sport, may have a very long wait for the next champion of his standing," said the Daily Telegraph. The newspaper said the 36-year-old Welshman would be remembered for the fact "he swaggered away at the top, still handsome, still with all his faculties intact, and having ended an era in the sport". "Calzaghe had phenomenal speed for his size and he baffled his opponents, mixing soft and hard punches... He always found a way to win," said the Times. Many newspapers paid tribute to Calzaghe's father, trainer and confidante, Enzo, saying it was in large part due to him that the fighter became the undefeated light-heavyweight and super-middleweight world champion. "It is a tribute to a father-son relationship quite possibly unique in sport that Joe never lost a fight either as a pro or an amateur while Enzo trained him, enabling him to retire with a lasting legacy in boxing history," the Telegraph said. The Daily Mirror dismissed criticism that Calzaghe only beat great fighters Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Junior when they were past their prime. "He fought the best that was out there, he set a record for world title defences, he became the undisputed world champion at two weights," it said. "That's why he deserves to be remembered as one of our greatest fighters." |
