Auld Lang Syne - Calzaghe v Jones Jr by Ian McNeilly Sep 20th 2008

If Tuesday was New York (and it was, see Jonny Callender's piece) then Thursday must have been London. Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones Jr appeared before the British press who had assembled at the Hard Rock Café on Old Park Lane to hear the two veterans convince us all that we were going to witness something special. Better late than never, I suppose. This fight would definitely have been something special several years ago when the pair would have been at the peak of their physical powers. Now, with both men in their late 30's and duelling for the Ring light-heavyweight belt, what the pair have lost physically they compensate for by using their greater experience. This does not always make for the exciting clash the men promised – but it's a fight definitely worth watching, if only to see two of the greatest boxers of their generation finally share a ring. Both fighters were well aware that the audience knew the match up should have taken place long before now – and both were at pains to point out that now that promotional shackles had been loosened (Calzaghe has recently left Frank Warren after their long and successful relationship, now doomed to the High Court and acrimony) it was the easiest thing in the world to make the fight happen. Indeed, Roy Jones Jr said that when he discovered that Calzaghe was now a free agent, “it was the best news I'd had in about five years”. Calzaghe said it was he who made the phone call and there had been no problems working together whatsoever. Interestingly, alongside the ‘Square Ring Promotions' banner draping the desk underneath the Jones contingent, a similar one complemented it on the other half of the table reading ‘Calzaghe Promotions'. Joe's father and trainer Enzo said that this match would be very unusual because “I actually like his opponent. I like his team too – they are great people to work with.” Enzo and Jones' trainer Alton Merkeson could be seen engrossed in animated conversation after the formalities had been wound up. The respect and goodwill between the camps seems sincere. The warmth almost got out of hand and Setanta Sports' Paul Dempsey rightly put a halt to the ‘love in'. Such is the confidence of Jones that he and his Welsh counterpart can put on a great show that he was already talking of returning to the UK – for a rematch. This sentiment might turn out to be good for the fans – if Jones is serious about bolstering his pension pot in the light of the demise of Fannie Mae and Bernie Mack or whatever ridiculous names those US financial institutions go by, then the pair had better put on a very good show. But, we'll buy it once, for old times sake if nothing else…

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