Joe Calzaghe retires undefeated

Undefeated world boxing champion Joe Calzaghe has announced his retirement from the sport.

The Welshman, 36, won all 46 of his professional fights; the last was a stunning points win over Roy Jones Jr. in November.

Calzaghe said: “There’s always the temptation to fight on, especially if you are the champ and no-one has ever beaten you. But I’ve come to a point where the satisfaction of retiring undefeated has to outweigh the thrill of another fight.”

The last time he tasted defeat was as a 17-year-old amateur in the 1990 European Junior Championships, by a Romanian named Adrian Opreda.

“After that I vowed I would never lose again,” Calzaghe told TIMESONLINE. “I never really thought I could do it.”

Calzaghe’s name will go alongside that of Rocky Marciano, the no-loss world heavyweight champion.

“It was a difficult decision but I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve,” Calzaghe said. “My children wanted me to give up, plus my mum. That’s why I called it a day.”