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 IN a never-to-be-forgotten night at Manchester's MEN Arena on 5 March this year, Newbridge "knockout" Joe Calzaghe finally put the record straight - and etched his name on
the list of all-time greats.
Bazooka Joe's ruthless 12-round demolition of American sensation Jeff Lacy went down as one of the finest displays by a British boxer and was the career-defining moment the 33-year-old Welshman had craved since out-pointing Chris Eubank for the vacant super-middleweight crown in October 1997.
Calzaghe had defended his WBO super-middleweight belt 17 times but still the world did not
really believe in the power he packed in his fists. Then promoter Frank Warren finally secured the showdown with one of the big guns from across the ocean.
IBF and IBO champion "Left Hook" Lacy boasted an unbeaten record and the reputation as
one of the best finishers in the business. Stateside it was a formality - Calzaghe was a slapper who couldn't hurt the champion.
But the 28-year-old Florida fighter was cut to ribbons by Calzaghe, no more than cannon-fodder for Joe's relentless barrage of punches.
FACT FILE |
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Born: 23/03/1972
Turned pro: 01/10/1993
Divison: Super-middleweight
Record: 41 (31) 0
Height: 6ft
Reach: 75in
Key fights:
11/10/1997 - out-points Chris Eubank to win WBO title
20/04/2002 - outclasses Charles Brewer to lift profile Stateside
05/03/2006 - hammers IBF champion Jeff Lacy to unify division
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The victory catapulted the Welsman into the world's top 10 pound-for-pound list and was arguably the greatest ever display by a British boxer.
And Calzaghe's reward for thrilling the world will be a triumphant return to the ring for a dream date at the Millennium Stadium, on a Warren super bill including Amir Khan, Danny Williams and fellow Welshman Enzo Maccarinelli.
The challenger? Well, that's for the American pay-per-view network giants Showtime and Home Box Office to fight out. Joe's demolition of Lacy has landed him right in the centre of a
bidding war.
"It has been a dream of mine to fight at the Millennium Stadium and when so many big fights against Roy Jones and Bernard Hopkins fell through I thought it might never happen," said Calzaghe. "I am still on a high after the Lacy fight and to be fighting in front of so many fans in my home city is going to be unbelievable."
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