Joe Calzaghe Gives Surprising Answer When Naming Greatest Ever Opponent

Welsh great Joe Calzaghe faced the likes of Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr during his decorated career, but believes one man tops both as his greatest ever opponent. 

Calzaghe is widely considered to be one of, if not the greatest British fighter to have ever graced the sport, with many ranking him just ahead of legendary heavyweight Lennox Lewis. 

'The Pride of Wales' remains the longest-reigning super-middleweight world champion of all time, having made 20 successful defences of his WBO title over a ten year period. 

After cementing his legacy at 168lbs, Calzaghe eventually made the move up to light-heavyweight where he faced both Jones and Hopkins in the final two bouts of his career. 

Whilst he had been linked with a domestic showdown with Carl Froch just after his win over Jones, Calzaghe opted to announce his retirement from the sport with an unblemished record of 46-0. 

In an interview with The Ring Magazine, Calzaghe gave a shock answer when revealing the greatest rival of his career, naming none other than Danish great Mikkel Kessler. 

"I would say, when I beat him he was at his peak, 39-0 ... I think I was a bit older than him. It was my last fight at super-middleweight, massive pressure at the Millennium Stadium, 50,000 [fans], he held three belts. The Mikkel Kessler I beat was the best Mikkel Kessler. Kessler just edges it between him and Bernard Hopkins."

Calzaghe and Kessler did battle at a packed-out Millennium Stadium in Cardiff back in November of 2007, one of the most memorable nights in Welsh boxing history. 

After a thrilling 12-round battle, Calzaghe defeated Kessler by unanimous decision to hand the Danish star the first defeat of his career and add the WBC and WBA world super-middleweight titles to his collection in what would prove to be his final ring appearance in the United Kingdom. 

Article by Kailem Lowe

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