Joe Calzaghe will make the first defence of his combined IBF and WBO super middleweight titles on 14 October at the MEN Arena in Manchester.

It will be the Welshman's first fight since beating America's Jeff Lacy in sensational fashion in March.

The unbeaten 34-year-old's opponent is yet to be announced.

But Calzaghe, who cancelled a defence in July after damaging his hand, has been promised a "huge fight" by promoter Frank Warren.

However, he will definitely not be fighting Sheffield's IBF light heavyweight champion Clinton Woods.

Both fighters' camps have floated the idea of a match but Woods is defending his title against Jamaica's Glen Johnson on 2 September.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/4786899.stm

This makes Max happy!:PDT_Aliboronz_24: :celb (23): :celb (6):

http://boxnews.com.ua/photos/320/joe-calzaghe14.jpg

Hopefully he'll get the other two belts to go with those two he has after the WBA and C champ fight each other.:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

http://www.itv-boxing.com/Images/80849.jpg
Calzaghe - tough night against Bika.

Joe disappointed with

display

Joe Calzaghe admitted he was disappointed with his fight tactics despite making a successful defence of his WBO and IBF super-middleweight

titles against Cameroonian Sakio Bika.

Calzaghe, who produced 12 scintillating rounds of boxing to beat American star Jeff Lacy earlier this year,

found it a struggle against his African opponent, even more so after a cut opened up above his left eye at the end of the fourth round.

The Welsh

fighter, who won with a unanimous points decision, told ITV1: "I injured my hand and went into this fight with no sparring, and I knew it was a 50-50 gamble

going into this fight with not a great hand.

"I'm disappointed with the performance, I couldn't get off the way I would have liked to get off, but

a win is a win.

"I'm disappointed, I wanted to put on a spectacle. He was a dirty fighter, he got caught a lot with (using) the head. I wasn't 100%

tonight and it showed.

"I wasn't too keen on my ring-sharpness and maybe I was looking for the early knock-out. I probably didn't get my tactics

right, I was a bit too hasty to start with."

Source: ITV

Sport (http://www.itv-boxing.com/News/Story_Page/0,14442,6164_1595352,00.html)

Did you watch it, Max?

Calzaghe wins after Bika battle
Joe Calzaghe throws a punch at Sakio Bika
Calzaghe was made to work very hard by

his awkward opponent
Joe Calzaghe retained his WBO and IBF super middleweight belts with a unanimous points win over Sakio Bika.

But the

34-year-old Welshman was given a thorough working over by the unheralded Cameroonian fighter in a scrappy and brutal encounter.

Calzaghe has now made

19 successful defences - six short of heavyweight legend Joe Louis' all-time record.

But Calzaghe, undefeated in 42 bouts, will not forget Bika in a

hurry after a hard night in Manchester.

Interview: Boxing promoter Frank Warren

The Welsh star impressed the judges enough to claim a 117-110

(twice), 116-111 verdict but he had to cope with a badly-cut left eye from the fourth round onwards after a head-butt.

Bika's raw but muscular

approach paid plenty of dividends as he continually knocked Calzaghe out of his usually elegant stride.


I'm disappointed with the performance

but a win is a win

Joe Calzaghe

So dominant against the previously unbeaten Jeff Lacy seven months ago, Calzaghe was made to look a little

ragged at times by the aggressive Bika, who was docked a point in the fifth for using his head illegally.

Calzaghe was frequently pushed back by his

opponent's powerful right, had blood pouring down his face from his cut eye and was winded by a low blow in a wild final round.

But by then he had

seen plenty of that kind of thing from the 27-year-old Bika, who had given WBC champion Markus Beyer plenty of problems before another butt forced a

technical draw in their bout in Germany in May.

That performance alone suggested Bika - who arrived with a record of 20 wins and one defeat from his

23 fights - would give Calzaghe plenty to think about.

The Welshman's superb win over Lacy has attracted American acclaim and the bout was beamed

back to the United States.

"I went into the fight with no real sparring so it was a bit of a gamble," said a relieved Calzaghe

afterwards.

"I'm disappointed with the performance but a win is a win. I wanted to put on a spectacle. I was too keen to impress and was looking for

an early knockout."

Calzaghe's promoter, Frank Warren, said: "I am upset with him, especially when he was showboating and dropping his hands - I

don't like that.

"Joe is a tremendous boxer but he was hampered by that cut. One thing you can't doubt with Joe Calzaghe is he has a fighter's

hearts."

Warren is planning to line up a major fight for Calzaghe next spring, with WBA and WBC champion Dane Mikkel Kessler a possible

opponent.

"We are going for big fight in February, early March, that is a definite," said Warren.



http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6045062.stm

Joe won a wide points decision but Bika was toughand

strong.

Because Bika has alot of natural strength and because he constantly headbutted and cut Calzaghe, he made it competitive but he didn't win

more than 3 rounds.

Joe was mad to showboat though and stopped after a while though, was funny though when he patted Bika on the head. Man Joe cantake

a punch, he never went down from any of those heavyshots!

That was his toughest fight since fighting Robin Reid in 1998, except Reid made the points

gap close unlike Bika.

Hope Calzaghe now gets this overhyped Danish fighter called Mikkel Kessler whos just added the WBC belt to his WBA after

knocking out German Markus Beyer whos nothing special but he had a major belt.

Joe would look better against Kessler, he doesn't use size, he goes

for skill and that will play into Calzaghe's hands giving him all 4 big belts.:PDT_Piratz_26: :PDT_Aliboronz_24:


Maccarinelli storms to

quick win
Enzo Maccarinelli (right)
Maccarinelli made short work of Hobson
Enzo Maccarinelli retained his WBO cruiserweight title with a spectacular

first-round knockout over Mark Hobson at Manchester's MEN Arena.

The Swansea fighter caught his opponent cold with a big overhand right after only

one minute and 11 seconds.

Hobson bravely got to his feet but what was expected to be a close contest was almost immediately waved

off.

Maccarinelli had edged a thrilling contest in March when Hobson stepped in for the injured Johnny Nelson.

Maccarinelli said: "I went into

the ring having so much respect for Mark and I've still got it.

"I knew I had to improve and couldn't come in like I did in March, so I didn't come

out swinging like last time.

"The Marcelo Dominguez fight [Maccarinelli knocked out the Argentine in July] taught me a lot. He was the first

world-class fighter I had been in with.

So I knew I had to change how I prepared this time and didn't cut any corners."

Hobson admitted he had

been caught by a deceptively powerful punch.

"It didn't seem that hard a shot - in the first fight he seemed to hit me 10 times harder," he

said.

"But when I tried to stand up I was wobbling about like a blancmange. I just got caught cold, as simple as that."

Maccarinelli's display

was not the only eye-catching performance in Manchester on Saturday.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6046148.stm

I

dunno what to say about the KO, it was rightly stopped but Hobson just looked weird. His eyes wern't out of place and he just wobbled a little bit and got

up but then it was waved off.

Shame though as he was about to outjab Maccrinelli and he has the better skills as I thought he just won the first

fight and made Macca look limited but had a year off before the first fight.

It was an illegal punch to the back of the head followed by an elbow that

cause the KO too.

Hobson said afterwards his equaliberuim went and he didn't know what happened until they showed him the tape and was hit harder in

the first fight.

Wouldn't mind Macca fighting WBC and WBA champ O'Neil Bell though, both are limited but have a lot of heart and heavy

handed!

Hope David Haye fights either though, as long as his stamina isn't down he can beat either.

Pictures of the Calzaghe/Bika fight from Page 5 onwards is on Yahoo.

Enzo Vs

Hobson and Derry Matthews Vs Foster is also on the gallery too.

http://sports.yahoo.com/box/gallery?pg=4&cap=0

http://us.i1.yimg.com/us.yimg.com/p/sp/getty/ed/full.getty-boxing-dnk-copenhagen_6_26_33_pm.jpg

This is man Calzaghe must

crush!:PDT_Aliboronz_24:

The Green and Gold belt will especially look good on Calzaghe.

http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=xmakavelix

Kessler Vs Beyer on here.

No way is he a threat to Calzaghe.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIgpNNWlXh0&mode=related&search=

:lol::PDT_Aliboronz_24:

Bika got pished off.