Joe Calzaghe claims he will not allow gossip about a British showdown with Clinton Woods to sidetrack him from the defence of his super middleweight titles in October. Calzaghe is to defend his WBO and IBF belts against Cameroon’s Sakio Bika in Manchester on the 14th of October.
But Calzaghe has said negotiations for a fight with IBF light heavyweight champ Woods have already commenced. Calzaghe said in a statement: “Although the talk is of a fight with Woods or fights next year, I can’t take my eyes off the ball.
This guy is going to come to win and if I’m not prepared then that’s a danger for me. I’ve not actually seen him fight yet but from what I understand he was a good amateur, boxed in the Olympics and now bases himself in Australia. He’s only lost once, and that was on a close decision four years ago, and since then he’s gone undefeated. He boxed Marcus Beyer (the WBC super middleweight champion) in his last fight and was unlucky it got ruled a no-contest because of a cut as he was beating Beyer.”
The 34-year-old Welshman said that Woods was well worthy of his split-decision victory over Glen Johnson on Saturday night. But although he would like a British showdown with 34 year old Woods, Calzaghe says he would rather fight Johnson: “When I was watching the fight live I thought that Clinton probably did edge it. But Johnson would have been a bigger fight in America, a bigger pay-day for me.
He knocked-out Roy Jones and beat Antonio Tarver, it would have been a lot more credit for me to beat Glen Johnson. The only memory they have of Clinton Woods in America is of him getting beat by Roy Jones, so a fight with Woods would be harder to sell. But Frank is speaking with Woods’ guys and it would be great for me if I get the fight, we’ll have to wait and see.”
