 Joe Calzaghe hopes to get 60,000 fans in the Millennium Stadium |
Joe Calzaghe says his unification bout with Mikkel Kessler on 3 November will be his last at super middleweight. The 35-year-old WBO title holder says beating Kessler, the Danish WBA and WBC champion, would leave the Welshman without further challenges at 168lbs.
"This will be my last fight at super middleweight," Calzaghe told BBC Wales.
"Win against Kessler and I'd have all the belts and I'd have beaten the best fighter out there, so what else could I achieve at super middleweight?"
Victory against Kessler, in his prime at 28 and like Calzaghe undefeated, is by no means a certainty.
But the Newbridge southpaw has no doubt he will emerge victorious, secure his place among the finest light middleweights in boxing history and then go hunting the likes of Bernard Hopkins at light heavy.
 | Mikkel Kessler is a hungry lion and he wants to be the main man |
"By beating Kessler, as far as I'm concerned it should recognise me up there as maybe the best super middleweight of all time," Calzaghe added.
"After that it would have to be up to light heavyweight and maybe fight Hopkins.
"But believe me the Kessler fight is all I'm thinking about at the moment. This fight is everything."
A deal was struck this week for the unification fight to be held at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium, with a crowd of 60,000 a realistic target.
Calzaghe's last bout at the Welsh national stadium in April, a three-round demolition of journeyman Peter Manfredo Jr, attracted a European indoor record crowd of 35,000 for his 20th defence.
"To get the fight in Wales is a bonus; I was prepared to go to Denmark to make this fight happen because I'm a warrior," Calzaghe said.
"I'm 35 but I'm not going to pick a couple of easy fights and retire, that's not my way. I want to be the best in the world.
"Lacy came along two years ago nearly and people were saying he was the best and look what happened to Jeff Lacy (a 12-round masterclass against the previously unbeaten American).
"Now it's Mikkel Kessler, a lot of people saying he's the man but I'm going to prove them wrong and hold all the belts in front of 50,000-60,000 people in my own town Cardiff - that's what dreams are made of.
"People talk about going to America, going to (Las) Vegas, New York... listen, this is my New York, my Madison Square Garden.
"This guy I have to fight. Make no mistake, Kessler is the hardest opponent out there for me.
"He's 28, he's got two world title belts, he's a hungry lion and he wants to be the main man.
"It's going to be hard, it's going to be a war, It's going to be one helluva fight and these are the ones I want."
E-mail this to a friend 
Printable version 