BBC SPORT | Boxing | Injury relief for Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe will be able to return to the ring before the end of the year after a hand injury proved not to be as serious as first feared.

The Welshman injured his left hand in the third round of his points victory over Miguel Jimenez as he successfully defended his WBO super-middleweight title for the 11th time.

Calzaghe feared he had broken a knuckle, but tests on Monday showed no broken bones.

"It's just a badly bruised knuckle," said Enzo Calzaghe, Joe's father and trainer.

"The swelling has gone down a lot so that's great news.

"We'll just take care of it properly and hopefully Joe will be back in the ring as soon as possible."

The results came as a huge relief to the Newbridge fighter, whose career has been dogged by a history of hand and elbow problems.

Miguel Jimenez takes a punch for Joe Calzaghe
Miguel Jimenez proved a durable opponent
It is also good news for promoter Frank Warren. He is urging Calzaghe's big-name rivals to come together for a New Year knockout to determine the best 12-stone fighter on the planet.

Warren is suggesting that networks Home Box Office and Showtime come to a similar agreement to that which allowed Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson to square off and set up a joint broadcast of a unification tournament.

He said: "I would say that Joe fights Hopkins on the same card as Jones fights Harry Simon (the WBO middleweight champion).

"The winner of those two would then fight on a big pay-per-view show which would be to the benefit of boxing and boxing fans everywhere.

"This show is the only way people are going to get anywhere near the money they are asking for.

"I am willing to work with Roy and with Hopkins' promoter Don King to make it happen, and Showtime have indicated that they will do it.

Bernard Hopkins is one of Calzaghe's targets
"It is down to HBO."

Fights with men like Jimenez no longer hold any attraction for Calzaghe.

He has comfortably proved himself the best fighter currently campaigning at 12st and is growing frustrated at going over old ground.

He said: "I've showed in the past against men like Richie Woodhall and Charles Brewer that I raise myself when I fight top quality opponents.

"I can perform when I'm in against a fighter with ambition. People like Jimenez can drag you down sometimes and that's what happened.

"Jimenez is not an opponent who gets me up. I'm looking for a big fight to take me to another level."

Is Calzaghe the real deal?


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