JOE THE MAGNIFICENT



Manchester Evening News Arena, March 5th 2006

One venue, one date but one occasion I will never forget as I was felt pleased, proud and privileged to watch one of the greatest sporting nights of my life.

When I escape Cardiff City or Wales, boxing is the other love of my sporting life. I love being there at any big Welsh fight. Over the years, I've been there for Colin Jones, Robbie Regan, Steve Robinson, Nicky Piper and, latterly, the mighty Joe Calzaghe. They've all been successful to varying degrees and they've all represented Wales directly or indirectly - these are my heroes.

Joe Calzaghe has been the ultimate. Forty professional fights, won every time, only visited the canvass once (and the guy who did that was made to regret it) but he's been the best, by miles, in an era just after the best of British (Been, Eubank, Collins etc) retired leaving a void. What's been out there feted as the World's Best - Roy Jones Junior, Vivian Harris, Bernard Hopkins - have all avoided Joe and, such it boxing politics and management, have fought much lesser fighters. All have come unstuck in the past year, are now well past their prime and in serious decline.

Joe has fought and beaten everyone out there. This was his 18th defence and he's well into his 9th year as a World Champion. Both incredible records but none as incredible as the fact that Joe has never had the respect and adulation that he thoroughly deserves.

Why? As mentioned, the opponents haven't been there. Sky tv meant his fights were only seen by a select audience. Injury problems, specifically to the hand, meant some of his victories have been ordinary. A boxing legend is amongst us and we've never appreciated it ... until now.

Joe finally got his career-defining fight. Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy was touted as America's best new thing. His record was fantastic, 21 wins (17 by k.o.) and nowhere near a defeat. He had the look, he had the arrogance, America believed he was the new Mike Tyson. So convinced were they, they agreed to fight Calzaghe in Britain.

Their man was 6/4 on, Joe 11/10. Just about everyone I knew told me Joe would lose. I was the only one who said 'no way' and pointed out that the better the opponent, the bigger Joe's performance. All his big name opponents - Eubank, Omar Sheika, Richie Woodhall, Mario Veit (twice), Charles Brewer and Byron Mitchell - were each comprehensively demolished. There was no logic or justice in the arguments that Joe would lose, just people buying the hype. Faith was limited - you crazy fools!

With Millennium Stadium unavailable, hi-ho, hi-ho, it's off to Manchester we go ... having to leave City v Sheff Weds 10 minutes early but, hey, the way they were playing, it was perhaps a blessing!

Manchester M.E.N. Arena
A Modern Collisseum

I loved the Manchester Evening News Arena. Build directly on top on Piccadilly Station in the centre with some great bars and restaurants outside, it was ideal. It was bloody freezing too with hail and snow pouring on us in a mini-blizzard.

Inside, what a great venue. Holds 20,000 and it's like a mini-Millennium Stadium. Great views wherever you were. The worst seats perhaps 80 yard up and 80 yards away from the ring.

Outside, the concourse was buzzing. Bars everywhere, the boys were happy. SuperChef Gordon Ramsey was happy to be seen there too until he got chaired and mobbed. That was the point he sh*t himself and had to be rescued by police. The Jacks were there in force, many calling in on their way home from a game at Barnsley but got so hammered in the bars, half ot them didn't even realise their man Enzo Maccarinelli was fighting inside. He won, put his man down but it went the distance on a night he had to scrap it out and not really convince following his strong start.

Back inside with an Arena probably not two thirds full, we were asked to swap - at no cost - our £50 seats for £150 ones near ringside. Looks better on telly. I bit his hand off ... well I had top, I hadn't eaten since lunchtime!

Up went a chant of "You Scouse Bastards" from the local Mancs as Steven Gerrard, Peter Crouch, a couple more Liverpool players and Jamie Redknapp walked past me. They expected it but didn't like it. Amongst the crowd, up went a roar of "Gerrard is a Bluebird, Gerrard is a Bluebird" and "Gerrard for Wales" from yours truly. Stevie G didn't expect that but certainly liked it, I got a huge smile off him. If we lose Phil Mulryne this summer, perhaps Gerrard will come encouraged by my chanting for him in a hostile atmosphere. I can only dream!

And so SHOWTIME and a fight you've all seen, heard about or read about and maybe still can't get enough of.

Champion! Champion ... for the 18th time.

What was it like being there? Monumental and emotional, a night when I sang, shouted, screamed, stamped and cheered Joe non-stop from first bell to last - along with everyone else there - and got rewarded by a boxing performance that I've never seen bettered over 12 rounds by any boxer in a fight of this magnitude.

Lacy was out-jabbed at the start of the first round, battered at the end of it. The writing was already on the wall and it only got worse for him, better for Joe who was unrelenting in his work-rate, pressure and attacks. I can only salute Lacy for taking it.

Make no mistake, Lacy was out-muscled, out-boxed, bullied, he lost the boxing contest, he lost the in-fighting, he was out-powered in the punches, he was treated with contempt by Joe's power, skills, hand speed and movement. Not just in one round but every single round.

Each Joe punch was cheered wildly and ecstatically, every attack was accompanied by a clack as 12,000 seats upturned with the crowd rising as one, every round ended with cheering knowing Joe had comfortably won the three minutes and Lacy heading back in the general direction of his corner with the whole audience bellowing "easy, easy, easy, easy".

Lacy hides behind a post and a cameraman.

Calzaghe still finds and pastes him!

Many of the Welsh crowd presented and there were plenty everywhere you looked were singing Bread of Heaven. It's normally against my principles to join in with that one but not tonight on this occasion it wasn't.

By halfway, Lacy had two cut eyes, a busted noise, he was bleeding from his mouth. He was able to muster some forward movement and a couple of punches in each round for a small period of time but, without exception, his reward for that was another battering in return. Hit Joe and he always got it back times ten. At one point 40 punches rained on Lacy in 15 seconds according to tv, nearly all of them hitting the head.

Fears subsided Lacy had the power to put Calzaghe away, even though he had a puncher's chance. Only Joe being complacent and sloppy could cost him, he never once was. Indeed, when he only had to stay out of trouble to win, his attacks became even more intensive. On tv, Lacy was heard to ask at the end of Round 8 which round he was in, he was clueless.

Joe's only disappointment was being penalised a point in Round 11 for a punch around the back. He made up for that by smashing Lacy all around the ring. In the final round, with the whole arena throbbing and bouncing, Lacy was finally floored but still got to the finish. I doubt Joe will be disappointed he didn't knock him out, to have dismantled the man comprehensively and won every round with every judge will be his boxing legacy.

Joe and Frank Warren with post-fight interview

No matter what happens from now on, Joe's place is boxing history is assured. I don't think it is possible for him ever to top a performance like that, I was just so pleased to have been a very small part of it by being there. Simply Fantastic.

Lacy - high profile arrival, low profile departure

Oh it's all gone quiet over there

Once the interviews were over, Joe danced around the ring, came over to the Welsh hordes and celebrated with us for a few moments. Lacy was sneaking away with us shouting out to him, "where's your belt gone, where's your belt gone".

I don't think his imminent prolonged headache from a comprehensive battering was going to be a problem - it will pale into insignificance when he tries to get out of Manchester Airport with a passport photo that will bear no resemblance to his current look!

It took 45 minutes walk at 4am to get across Manchester to the station, another hour before we get book to our hotels and bed and we didn't stop singing, smiling or talking about it all the way. Who cared if was minus three and precarious with frozen ice everywhere?















Job done, Joe enjoys banter with his Welsh disciples!

No, not me. I was there the night Joe Calzaghe became a boxing and Welsh legend. Thanks for giving me a night I will take to my grave Joe and talk about until I get there. You were magnificent. Nothing more to be said.