No birthday celebrations for Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe turns 36 on Sunday, the sort of age when most boxers are happily retired. But then Calzaghe is not most boxers and neither is he looking his age. Whether or not this will be his last birthday before he retires is till open to question too, although he will not planning any celebration this year as he is deep into training for his light-heavyweight bout against Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas on April 19.

"I' ll be spending my birthday in the gym and running up the mountains around my home in South Wales," Calzaghe said. "All celebrations are on hold for now, but I’ll get my present on April 19 when I kick Bernard Hopkins’ backside in front of his own fans.
 
“It will be like all my birthdays coming at once, because once I've dealt with Hopkins I'll cement my position in the States as one of the best pound for pound fighters in the world. This is the last flickering flame in his career and I will extinguish it for good on fight night. There will only be one place left for Hopkins after this fight – retirement."

After spending his whole career as a super-middleweight, this will be Calzaghe's first fight at light-heavyweight, meaning he has to boil down half-a-stone less than normal. He says he is already close to the 12st 7lb limit.

"Those extra seven pounds are making such a difference," Calzaghe said. "I feel so good at the weight it is unbelievable. Hopkins is going to get a nasty shock on April 19 because I'm quicker, sharper and punching harder than ever before.
 
"I spent 10 years struggling to make super-middleweight, but I'm like a new man at 175 pounds. I've always said I'll be even better at light-heavyweight than 168 pounds, and people are going to see that when I beat Hopkins."