Joe Calzaghe recalls hostile Delaney defence 30 years on

Joe Calzaghe stopped Mark Delaney in five rounds at the Brentwood Centre thirty years ago this month, his first professional fight in hostile territory and a key step toward world championship glory. The Welsh super-middleweight dropped Delaney multiple times before the referee waved it off, as Sky Sports first reported in an exclusive retrospective with Calzaghe.

Calzaghe entered 16-0 and had won the British title at the Royal Albert Hall, but his promoter Mickey Duff lost the purse bid to Barry Hearn. That meant traveling to Essex to face an unbeaten opponent on ITV. "The Brentwood Centre was hostile. It was the first time I had been in that kind of environment," Calzaghe told Sky Sports. "There was booing, spitting, name calling, but I just embraced it and fed off it."

From British contender to world champion

Calzaghe floored Delaney in the opening round with his left hand and controlled the fight until the stoppage. Duff reportedly groaned afterward because he had wagered on a knockout inside four rounds. Calzaghe said he found himself apologising despite delivering his biggest win to date.

A week before his next scheduled defence against Paul Wright, Calzaghe rolled his ankle in a pothole during a run in the Welsh valleys and was forced to withdraw. He never defended the British strap again. "It would have been brilliant to get that beautiful belt," he said, referring to the Lonsdale Belt he would have won outright with one more defence. "But my goal was always to be a world champion."

Calzaghe split with Duff shortly after the injury, signed with Frank Warren, and relinquished the British title. By October 1997 he had beaten Chris Eubank to claim the WBO super-middleweight championship, which he held for over a decade before retiring unbeaten. His next scheduled appearance has not been announced.

Source: skysports.com