Q&A: Joe Calzaghe!

June 21, 2003

By Craig Watt
Photo: Mike Cleary

On June 28th unbeaten WBO 168 pound champion Joe Calzaghe takes on former two-time WBA Champion Byron Mitchell in Cardiff and hopes to send a message out to unbeaten IBF / WBA Champion Sven Ottke that he is indeed the top fighter at Super-Middleweight.

In a recent war of words between rival promoters Sauerland Events and Sports Network, it appears Ottke’s camp want to distance themselves from a unification match with Calzaghe. Wilfred Sauerland highlighted this week that in their eyes the possible match-up was a “dead topic."

The 35-0 Welshman is adamant he will stop Sven Ottke and both Calzaghe and promoter Frank Warren declared he would be prepared to fight the German in his home territory such was their confidence of a win for Calzaghe. Against Byron Mitchell the 30-year-old champion has a chance to compare directly his credentials with Ottke who won a split 12 round decision in March 2003 to take Mitchell’s WBA title. This will be the second such comparative fight for Calzaghe who destroyed Tocker Pudwill in December 2002 in 2 rounds after the American had lost a wide 12 round decision to Ottke in Germany in June 2000.

Mitchell also has an opportunity to gain credibility by defeating the WBO Champion, who makes his 13th title defence as he seeks an immediate return with the 31-0 Ottke. Mitchell is 25-2 with 18 KO’s and has enjoyed two reigns as WBA Champion since winning the crown in June 1999 with an 11th round stoppage of Frankie Liles. He lost the crown against Bruno Girard in France in April 2000 in a controversial decision but regained the WBA laurels with a 12th round stoppage of Manny Siaca in Las Vegas in March 2001. Mitchell is a tough fighter and is known as the Slama from ‘Bama and against Julio Cesar Green in July 2002 he rose from 2 knockdowns in the first to force a 4th round stoppage victory. Also against Manny Siaca and Frankie Liles when he won the titles he pulled out late stoppage victories after the scorecards were running against him late in the fight.

Calzaghe has reigned as WBO Champion since October 1997 and seeks challenging match-ups at this stage of his career. He spoke of his upcoming fight with Mitchell from his Newbridge home.

How do you see the fight with Byron Mitchell on June 28th in Cardiff?
Mitchell is a quality opponent for me and it is these challenging match-ups that bring the best out of me. I thought my best fight last year was against Charles Brewer and that was because he was a recognised and tough fighter who came to fight. Mitchell has all the credentials to provide a meaningful match-up at 168 pounds and I am sure he is keen to get his career back on track after his defeat to Sven Ottke.

What did you think of his performance against IBF/WBA Champion Sven Ottke?
I actually thought Mitchell was unlucky with the decision but it seemed such a dull fight from TV. It was a 50/50 fight but boring. There is no doubt however that Mitchell some good boxing skills and great guts to rise from the canvas when he is required. I thought he showed toughness and determination in coming off the canvas twice in his fight with Julio Cesar Green.

Are you hoping to stop Mitchell to send out a message to Ottke?
Yes I am. If I can stop Mitchell then it will send a positive message that I am the best at 168 pounds but I have trained hard for 12 hard rounds and the win is the most important aspect of this bout. I showed against Tocker Pudwill when I stopped him in two rounds that my power against these guys is there. Ottke was happy to plod out a decision against the same opponent.

Why hasn’t the match with Ottke ever happened?
It is crazy in a division where I am 35-0 with 13 defences and Ottke is 31-0 with also 13 defences (Editor's note: Ottke actually has 18 successful defenses) that the match up cannot be made. I know Frank Warren and myself are prepared to travel to Germany and indeed we offered to put this fight on in Germany on June 14th to develop the interest in a unification bout. I understand however that his promoters are now refusing to talk to Frank Warren and this is a shame. I truly believe I would destroy Ottke and knock him out and I would be prepared to travel to his hometown to do this. We both dominate the division and are running out of credible opponents to fight.

What are your plans for the rest of 2003?
After the Mitchell fight I plan 2 more fights in 2003 and want them to be meaningful match-ups . If fights are not forthcoming at 168 pounds, I am prepared to move up to Light Heavyweight if required. A fight against WBO Champion Dariusz Michalczewski would be a great fight for the boxing fans.