Kung naging mas maliit at lumalaban sa mas mababang timbang, tiyak na hinamon na ni Briton super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe si Filipino boxing superstar Manny Pacquiao.
Ito ang inihayag kahapon ng 37-anyos na si Calzaghe sa kanyang boxing column sa South Wales Arus.
Maliban kay Pacquiao, ang tanging Asian fighter na nagkampeon sa apat na magkakaibang weight division, gusto rin sanang makasagupa ni Calzaghe, nagretiro na bitbit ang malinis na 46-0-0 win-loss-draw ring record kasama ang 32 KOs, sina Ricky Hatton at Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
“I’ve said it before in this column, if I was at a weight category where I could fight the likes of Ricky Hatton, Manny Pacquiao or Floyd Mayweather, then it would be a different story, they are fighters to carry on for,” ani Calzaghe.
Nakatakdang hamunin ng 30-anyos na si Pacquiao ang kaedad niyang si Hatton para sa suot nitong International Boxing Federation (IBO) light welterweight title sa Mayo 2 sa MGM Grand Garden Arena sa Las Vegas, Nevada.
Sakaling maagaw ang IBO belt ng pambato ng Manchester, England na si Hatton, ang American five-division king namang si Mayweather ang pinupuntirya ni Pacquiao.
Bukod sa edad, ang kawalan rin ng matinding kalaban ang naging dahilan ng pagreretiro ng tubong Hammersmith, England na si Calzaghe, naghari sa super middle-weight class ng World Boxing Council (WBC), World Boxing Association (WBO), World Boxing Organization (WBO) at International Boxing Federation (IBF).
“I confided in a few people that I trusted that I felt it was all over and then when I met the British press the next day (worse for wear I must admit after no sleep) I made it clear that I was pretty sure I was done,” sabi ni Calzaghe. (RCadayona)