Tuesday, February 12, 2008

Enzo Calzaghe Backs His Fighters

Newly crowned Ring Magazine Trainer of the Year, Enzo Calzaghe, has backed his stable of stars to pull off a hat-trick of world title victories in the coming weeks. Enzo Maccarinelli, Gavin Rees and Joe Calzaghe are all in massive fights in either March or April, and will require all the savvy of Calzaghe Snr if they are to emerge victorious. WBO World Champion Maccarinelli seeks to unify the cruiserweight division on March 8 in London against WBC/WBA title-holder David Haye, Rees defends his WBA World Light-Welterweight title against tough mandatory Andreas Kotelnik on March 22 in Cardiff, while Calzaghe fights Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas on April 19. But the man now recognised as the best trainer in the world is certain that his Welsh wonders will produce the goods. "I'm always confident about my fighters winning," said Enzo. "At the end of the day I'm only a trainer, not God himself, but if everything goes to plan then Enzo, Gavin and Joe will all come home victorious." Calzaghe, who also trains WBU middleweight champion Gary Lockett, Commonwealth light-middleweight king Bradley Pryce and top prospects Tony Doherty, Nathan Cleverly, Harry Miles and Kerry Hope, believes his gym is now the best in the world - even better than the world famous Kronk. It's all a far cry from the jobbing musician who first pitched up in the UK as a young man determined to see something of the world - but never as it's number one boxing trainer. "Sometimes I have to pinch myself to remind myself it's all true," said Calzaghe. "When I first started boxing people laughed at me behind my back, saying I didn't know what I was doing. They said that Joe boxed to fast and he'd never make it as an amateur, let alone as a professional. "But now that style is being copied all over the world. Look at these young boxers and it's all about speed, speed and more speed." And typically, Calzaghe doesn't put the secret of his success down to his own brilliance, but the efforts of those around him. "It's a dream come true to win the Ring Magazine award," he said. "To be recognised by the bible of boxing as the number one trainer is amazing. "But I couldn't have done any of it without the team that's around me. And by that I mean everyone who helped, and not just the boxers. "Frank Warren, Dean Powell and the late Ernie Fossey have played a big part in getting me where I am today."

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