Joseph William Calzaghe ( kal-ZA-gee; born 23 March 1972) is a Welsh former professional boxer who competed from 1993 to 2008. He held multiple world championships in two weight classes, including unified and lineal titles at super-middleweight, and the Ring magazine light-heavyweight title.
Calzaghe is the longest reigning super middleweight world champion in boxing history, having held the World Boxing Organization (WBO) title for over 10 years and defending it against 20 opponents (a record in the division, shared with Sven Ottke) before moving up to light-heavyweight. As his super-middleweight and light-heavyweight reigns overlapped, he retired with the longest continual time as world champion of any active boxer at the time. Calzaghe was the first boxer to unify three of the four major world titles (World Boxing Association, World Boxing Council, and WBO) at super-middleweight, and was the inaugural Ring champion in that weight class.
BoxRec-style profile
- Birth name: Joseph William Calzaghe
- Born: March 23, 1972 — Hammersmith, London, England
- Nationality: Welsh
- Height: 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
- Reach: 73 in (185 cm)
- Stance: Southpaw
- Pro debut: 1 Oct 1993 (Win by TKO vs Paul Hanlon)
- Last bout: 8 Nov 2008 (Win by UD vs Roy Jones Jr.)
- Total rounds boxed: 262 (summed from the bout table below)
- Divisions: Super-middleweight, Light-heavyweight
- KO percentage: 69.6% (32 KO wins in 46 wins)
- Titles held (major, with reign dates): WBO super-middleweight title October 11, 1997 – 2008 (won the vacant title from Chris Eubank; 21 defenses per the bout table; added the IBF and inaugural The Ring titles on March 4, 2006 against Jeff Lacy and defended them against Sakio Bika, and added the WBA (Undisputed) and WBC titles on November 3, 2007 against Mikkel Kessler; the reign closed with the move up to light heavyweight); The Ring light-heavyweight title April 19, 2008 – November 8, 2008 (won from Bernard Hopkins; defended against Roy Jones Jr. in his final bout) — retired undefeated; all dates per the bout table
- Father: Enzo Calzaghe (listed in the fetched infobox)
Record at a glance
- Total bouts: 46
- Wins: 46
- Wins by KO: 32
- Losses: 0
- Losses by KO: 0
- Draws: 0
- No contests: 0
- Born: March 23, 1972 — Hammersmith, London, England
- Nationality: Welsh
- Height: 6 ft 0 in (183 cm)
- Reach: 73 in (185 cm)
- Stance: Southpaw
- Divisions: Super-middleweight, Light-heavyweight
Fight-by-fight record
| No. | Date | Opponent | Result | Method | Round/Time | Venue / Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1 Oct 1993 | Paul Hanlon | Win | TKO | 1 (4) | Cardiff Arms Park, Cardiff, Wales |
| 2 | 10 Nov 1993 | Paul Mason | Win | TKO | 1 (4) | Town Hall, Watford, England |
| 3 | 16 Dec 1993 | Spencer Alton | Win | TKO | 2 (4) | Newport Centre, Newport, Wales |
| 4 | 22 Jan 1994 | Martin Rosamond | Win | TKO | 1 (6) | Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff, Wales |
| 5 | 1 Mar 1994 | Darren Littlewood | Win | TKO | 1 (6) | Town Hall, Dudley, England |
| 6 | 4 Jun 1994 | Karl Barwise | Win | TKO | 1 (6) | National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales |
| 7 | 1 Oct 1994 | Mark Lee Dawson | Win | TKO | 1 (8) | National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales |
| 8 | 30 Nov 1994 | Trevor Ambrose | Win | TKO | 2 (8) | Civic Hall, Wolverhampton, England |
| 9 | 14 Feb 1995 | Frank Minton | Win | KO | 1 (8), 1:25 | York Hall, London, England |
| 10 | 22 Feb 1995 | Bobbie Joe Edwards | Win | PTS | 8 | Ice Rink, Telford, England |
| 11 | 19 May 1995 | Robert Curry | Win | TKO | 1 (8), 1:29 | Elephant and Castle Shopping Centre, London, England |
| 12 | 8 Jul 1995 | Tyrone Jackson | Win | TKO | 4 (8), 1:08 | Barbican Centre, York, England |
| 13 | 30 Sep 1995 | Nick Manners | Win | TKO | 4 (8), 2:20 | Festival Hall, Basildon, England |
| 14 | 28 Oct 1995 | Stephen Wilson | Win | TKO | 8 (12), 2:18 | Royal Albert Hall, London, England — ★ Title fight — Won vacant British super-middleweight title |
| 15 | 13 Feb 1996 | Guy Stanford | Win | TKO | 1 (10), 1:24 | Welsh Institute of Sport, Cardiff, Wales |
| 16 | 13 Mar 1996 | Anthony Brooks | Win | TKO | 2 (10) | Brent Town Hall, London, England |
| 17 | 20 Apr 1996 | Mark Delaney | Win | TKO | 5 (12) | International Centre, Brentwood, England — ★ Title fight — Retained British super-middleweight title |
| 18 | 4 May 1996 | Warren Stowe | Win | TKO | 2 (8), 3:00 | Goresbrook Leisure Centre, London, England |
| 19 | 15 May 1996 | Pat Lawlor | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 1:55 | STAR Centre, Cardiff, Wales |
| 20 | 21 Jan 1997 | Carlos Christie | Win | TKO | 2 (10), 1:39 | Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, England |
| 21 | 22 Mar 1997 | Tyler Hughes | Win | KO | 1 (10), 2:04 | Wythenshawe Forum, Manchester, England |
| 22 | 5 Jun 1997 | Luciano Torres | Win | TKO | 3 (10), 0:52 | Whitchurch Leisure Centre, Bristol, England |
| 23 | 11 Oct 1997 | Chris Eubank | Win | UD | 12 | Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England — ★ Title fight — Won vacant WBO super-middleweight title |
| 24 | 24 Jan 1998 | Branko Sobot | Win | TKO | 3 (12), 1:35 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 25 | 25 Apr 1998 | Juan Carlos Giménez Ferreyra | Win | RTD | 9 (12), 3:00 | National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 26 | 13 Feb 1999 | Robin Reid | Win | SD | 12 | Telewest Arena, Newcastle, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 27 | 5 Jun 1999 | Rick Thornberry | Win | UD | 12 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 28 | 29 Jan 2000 | David Starie | Win | UD | 12 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 29 | 12 Aug 2000 | Omar Sheika | Win | TKO | 5 (12), 2:08 | Wembley Conference Centre, London, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 30 | 16 Dec 2000 | Richie Woodhall | Win | TKO | 10 (12), 0:28 | Sheffield Arena, Sheffield, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 31 | 28 Apr 2001 | Mario Veit | Win | TKO | 1 (12), 1:52 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 32 | 13 Oct 2001 | Will McIntyre | Win | TKO | 4 (12), 0:45 | Parken Stadium, Copenhagen, Denmark — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 33 | 20 Apr 2002 | Charles Brewer | Win | UD | 12 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 34 | 17 Aug 2002 | Miguel Ángel Jiménez | Win | UD | 12 | Cardiff Castle, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 35 | 14 Dec 2002 | Tocker Pudwill | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 0:39 | Telewest Arena, Newcastle, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 36 | 28 Jun 2003 | Byron Mitchell | Win | TKO | 2 (12), 2:36 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 37 | 21 Feb 2004 | Mger Mkrtchyan | Win | TKO | 7 (12), 1:05 | National Ice Rink, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 38 | 22 Oct 2004 | Kabary Salem | Win | UD | 12 | Royal Highland Showground, Edinburgh, Scotland — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 39 | 7 May 2005 | Mario Veit | Win | TKO | 6 (12), 2:18 | Volkswagen Halle, Braunschweig, Germany — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 40 | 10 Sep 2005 | Evans Ashira | Win | UD | 12 | International Arena, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title |
| 41 | 4 Mar 2006 | Jeff Lacy | Win | UD | 12 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO super-middleweight title; Won IBF and inaugural The Ring super-middleweight titles |
| 42 | 14 Oct 2006 | Sakio Bika | Win | UD | 12 | MEN Arena, Manchester, England — ★ Title fight — Retained IBF, WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles |
| 43 | 7 Apr 2007 | Peter Manfredo Jr. | Win | TKO | 3 (12), 1:30 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles |
| 44 | 3 Nov 2007 | Mikkel Kessler | Win | UD | 12 | Millennium Stadium, Cardiff, Wales — ★ Title fight — Retained WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles; Won WBA (Undisputed) and WBC super-middleweight titles |
| 45 | 19 Apr 2008 | Bernard Hopkins | Win | SD | 12 | Thomas & Mack Center, Paradise, Nevada, US — ★ Title fight — Won The Ring light-heavyweight title |
| 46 | 8 Nov 2008 | Roy Jones Jr. | Win | UD | 12 | Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, US — ★ Title fight — Retained The Ring light-heavyweight title |
Titles & notes
Major title reigns (start–end): WBO super-middleweight title October 11, 1997 – 2008 (won the vacant title from Chris Eubank; 21 defenses per the bout table; added the IBF and inaugural The Ring titles on March 4, 2006 against Jeff Lacy and defended them against Sakio Bika, and added the WBA (Undisputed) and WBC titles on November 3, 2007 against Mikkel Kessler; the reign closed with the move up to light heavyweight); The Ring light-heavyweight title April 19, 2008 – November 8, 2008 (won from Bernard Hopkins; defended against Roy Jones Jr. in his final bout) — retired undefeated; all dates per the bout table
- 28 Oct 1995 vs Stephen Wilson: Won vacant British super-middleweight title
- 20 Apr 1996 vs Mark Delaney: Retained British super-middleweight title
- 11 Oct 1997 vs Chris Eubank: Won vacant WBO super-middleweight title
- 24 Jan 1998 vs Branko Sobot: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 25 Apr 1998 vs Juan Carlos Giménez Ferreyra: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 13 Feb 1999 vs Robin Reid: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 5 Jun 1999 vs Rick Thornberry: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 29 Jan 2000 vs David Starie: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 12 Aug 2000 vs Omar Sheika: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 16 Dec 2000 vs Richie Woodhall: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 28 Apr 2001 vs Mario Veit: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 13 Oct 2001 vs Will McIntyre: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 20 Apr 2002 vs Charles Brewer: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 17 Aug 2002 vs Miguel Ángel Jiménez: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 14 Dec 2002 vs Tocker Pudwill: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 28 Jun 2003 vs Byron Mitchell: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 21 Feb 2004 vs Mger Mkrtchyan: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 22 Oct 2004 vs Kabary Salem: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 7 May 2005 vs Mario Veit: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 10 Sep 2005 vs Evans Ashira: Retained WBO super-middleweight title
- 4 Mar 2006 vs Jeff Lacy: Retained WBO super-middleweight title; Won IBF and inaugural The Ring super-middleweight titles
- 14 Oct 2006 vs Sakio Bika: Retained IBF, WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles
- 7 Apr 2007 vs Peter Manfredo Jr.: Retained WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles
- 3 Nov 2007 vs Mikkel Kessler: Retained WBO and The Ring super-middleweight titles; Won WBA (Undisputed) and WBC super-middleweight titles
- 19 Apr 2008 vs Bernard Hopkins: Won The Ring light-heavyweight title
- 8 Nov 2008 vs Roy Jones Jr.: Retained The Ring light-heavyweight title
Photo: Wikimedia Commons (). Featured image: https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/a5/JoeCalzaghe-July2007.jpg?utm_source=en.wikipedia.org&utm_campaign=api&utm_content=original
Record source: Wikipedia professional boxing record table (cross-checked against the bout list), retrieved 2026-10-31.
