Joppy (right) won a controversial decision over Howard Eastman

Across the Atlantic many will see him as perhaps the biggest name on the Welshman's record, a challenge greater than Brewer or even Chris Eubank.

Joppy, 32, is a three-time WBA middleweight champion with a record of 34-1-2 (25 ko), a well-known and respected big-time boxer.

The Washington fighter was marked down as a talent from his amateur days, competing in the 1992 Olympic trials at middleweight only to lose out in favour of current heavyweight champ Chris Byrd - whose father coached the Olympic team!

He turned professional, debuting against Dwayne Tennet on 26 February, 1993, and went on to win his first 22 bouts before getting a shot at the title.

That 1996 encounter involved a trip to Yokohama, Japan, where he dismantled WBA champion Shinji Takehara in nine one-sided rounds.

Joppy will be a big step up from Calzaghe's recent opponents

Two successful defences followed before Joppy suffered his first loss, a controversial 12-rounds points decision against former champ Julio Cesar Green.

The defeat was avenged and the title recovered from Green five months later. Seven successful defences followed, including one against an ageing Roberto Duran, helping to establish Joppy as one of the biggest draws in US boxing.

His success led to a 'superfight' in May 2001 against the awesome Felix Trinidad, but with this step up Joppy found himself way out of his depth.

Trinidad beat him like a gong, eventually stopping him in the fifth, and - despite Joppy's rather unsporting claim that the defeat was down to the Cuban 'cheating' by wrapping his hands illegally - many would argue that he has not been the same fighter since.

A third chance to fight for the WBA title was presented to the American, though.

Hopkins defeated Joppy's conqueror, Felix Trinidad

Bernard Hopkins was proclaimed as the 'super champion' at middleweight following his win over Trinidad, allowing Joppy to fight Britain's undefeated Howard Eastman for the vacant WBA title in November 2001.

In a thrilling fight the American won a controversial points decision, despite being dropped by Eastman in the closing stages.

Since then, Joppy's only engagement was a 10th-round stoppage of Japan's Naotaka Hozumi last October.

The suspicion has to be that Joppy is past his best and that he will struggle with Calzaghe's power in his first fight at super-middle.

However, he retains a hunger and is targeting the same thing as Calzaghe - a win that could lead to a match-up with the king of the middleweights, Bernard 'the Executioner' Hopkins.