Calzaghe Braces for Battles on Two Fronts As Career Nears End

Joe Calzaghe has vowed to end his career in a blaze of glory when he fights Roy Jones Jr at New York's Madison Square Garden on November 8, and he says the legal battle with his former promoter Frank Warren will not distract his preparations.

Calzaghe, 36, and Warren split after working together for 12 years, with Warren claiming breach of contract while Calzaghe argues he is owed substantial sums of money. "At the end of the day, my only crime was wanting to do things on my own. I know that I am in the right," said Calzaghe.

Both Calzaghe and Jones are now self-promoted, and the fight is being broadcast in Britain on Setanta and it is to be a pay-per-view attraction on the US cable network HBO. The unbeaten Welshman's purse will depend on how well the fight sells and whether or not fight fans see Jones, 39, as a credible opponent.

Calzaghe said: "It pisses me off when people say Jones is shot. He could cause me more trouble than Kelly Pavlik [the world's leading middleweight against whom Warren had planned Calzaghe would fight]. I've always been a fan of Roy, the way he fights, his speed and his power. He is one of the best there's been."

"I know what people say about him, but then I saw him fight [Felix] Trinidad in his last contest and I thought to myself 'This guy can still really fight.' He's got the moves and it could be one of the fights of the year."

Jones said: "I've never fought a guy with the speed Joe has. I've been wanting to fight him for a long, long time. I know what I have got myself into, and I am looking forward to it."