Manfredo talks the talk by Ian McNeilly Mar 24th 2007

One thing I'll say about Peter Manfredo – he has a good press man. My inbox is getting hit all the time with coverage of the American ‘Contender' star, who is coming to Britain to fight WBO super-middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium on April 7th. Below is a digest of some of Manfredo's more notable, recent quotes. On fighting for a world title: “This is a lifelong dream and on April 7 it's going to come true when I win the world title. I've been training all my life for this. “I'm ready to win this title and defend it back here in Providence in a rematch if he wants it." On Joe Calzaghe: “I'm not intimidated by Joe Calzaghe. I've been doing this since I was seven years old. Joe Calzaghe is a very good fighter. He's 42-0 but that's mostly in Wales. “He's never fought a guy like me with my style and hunger. I don't care that I have to go overseas and fight him…I believe that I can knock him out. In my last two fights I was the strongest I have ever been at this weight class and I'm going in there with supreme confidence. I know I can beat him.  “He's good but he's not great. I've studied the Lacy fight over and over again. After the second or third round he tried to knock Calzaghe out with almost every shot, but he had nothing left after that. “We want to box this guy. He's never fought a boxer. We want to show him something that he's never seen before and everything that Lacy didn't do. I think he's looking past me a little bit. He's talking about big fights with Bernard Hopkins and Jermain Taylor after this fight. He'd better be worried about me. I think he knows he's in for a fight. And if he doesn't, after the first or second round, he will. “I'm so focused on winning. Then I want a bigger fight." On ‘adviser' Sugar Ray Leonard: “He's been to this level several times and if he sees something that my father doesn't see, I'm going to listen to him. He's not going to be holding pads or anything like that. He's just going to give me advice on what he thinks will work." On trainer Freddie Roach: “Freddie, my father and (Leonard) are all on the same page. “Since I've been with Freddie Roach, I just took it to the next level, world championship level. I'm an up and comer. "I'm ready. I want this." One can't escape the feeling that if this is the case, Calzaghe will be representing ‘War on Want' on April 7th, despite Manfredo's obvious desire.

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