DiscoverThe First Round with Darren BarkerThe Greatest British Boxer Ever? Why He Never Returned! The Full Unfiltered Story of Joe Calzaghe
The Greatest British Boxer Ever? Why He Never Returned! The Full Unfiltered Story of Joe Calzaghe

The Greatest British Boxer Ever? Why He Never Returned! The Full Unfiltered Story of Joe Calzaghe

Update: 2025-07-31
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Joe Calzaghe sits down for a deeply personal, no-holds-barred conversation with former world champion and close friend Darren Barker — and it might be the most emotional and revealing interview of his legendary career.

From going 46-0 and becoming a two-weight world champion, to walking away from £10 million comeback offers, and now embracing life beyond boxing — Joe opens up about retirement, regret, fatherhood, legacy, and sobriety in this raw and unfiltered episode of First Round TV.

This is a rare glimpse into the mind of one of the greatest British fighters of all time.

🧠 What You’ll Learn in This Episode:

The full story behind Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy – and why Joe almost didn’t fight

Why Joe says he “never truly enjoyed boxing” despite going undefeated

The life-changing influence of his father and trainer Enzo Calzaghe

Behind-the-scenes insight into the Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr. fights

Why Joe turned down all comeback offers – even with millions on the table

His battle with sobriety, identity loss after boxing, and finding peace

Thoughts on the next generation, fatherhood, and what legacy really means

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🔥 Who Is Joe Calzaghe?


Joe Calzaghe is widely regarded as one of the greatest British boxers of all time. A former WBO, WBA, WBC, IBF, The Ring, and lineal super-middleweight and light-heavyweight world champion, he retired in 2009 with a perfect 46-0 record, becoming one of the very few boxers to hang up the gloves undefeated.


Born in London and raised in Wales, Joe was trained by his father Enzo Calzaghe, a man with no formal boxing background who helped build one of the most incredible legacies in British sporting history.


His resume includes dominant wins over:


Chris Eubank

Jeff Lacy (in a performance often considered the greatest by a British fighter)

Mikkel Kessler

Bernard Hopkins

Roy Jones Jr.

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The Greatest British Boxer Ever? Why He Never Returned! The Full Unfiltered Story of Joe Calzaghe

The Greatest British Boxer Ever? Why He Never Returned! The Full Unfiltered Story of Joe Calzaghe