Enzo honoured in America

It is getting to the stage where Joe Calzaghe (left in picture) could have fewer awards than his dad, Enzo (right in picture). Coach of the year at the BBC Sports Personality of the Year Awards, voted trainer of the year by The Ring magazine, he has now been voted trainer of the year by the Boxing Writers Association of America. I only hope the timing works out for him.

Enzo, who never boxed, has received the award because he has three world champions, but that could change because all are in action before he would be due to collect the Futch-Condon Award on May 1 at a dinner in Los Angeles.

First Enzo Maccarinelli will be facing David Haye in a WBC, WBA, WBO cruiserweight title unification on March 8, then Gavin Rees will be defending his WBA light-welterweight title against Andreas Kotelnik in Cardiff on March 22, then Joe will be facing Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas on April 19. Joe is the only one guaranteed of holding a title come May 1.

But Enzo will be in esteemed company. Floyd Mayweather Jr will receive the Edward J Neil Award as fighter of the year, which was presented to Manny Pacquiao last year by Joe Calzaghe.

"It's always a blessing to get an award of this magnitude," Mayweather said when informed of the BWAA vote. "Just to be mentioned in the same breath with the Sugar Ray Robinsons and Muhammad Alis (two of the previous Neil Award winners) is truly a blessing. The date of the banquet is also kind of special. It's like I always say, May is for Mayweather. My ultimate goal was to be the best fighter of my era, and my two fights last year took me to the next level."

Other awards go to Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor for fight of the year (the first one), while the unbeaten light-welterweight brothers Lamont and Anthony Peterson, who grew up homeless in Washington DC, receive the Pat Putnam Award for perseverance in overcoming adversity.