Mr Calzaghe Page #2

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I was like the skinny

boy from a different area

who was the British champion, obviously

getting picked on by older kids.

And because I was pretty quiet,

you know, /'d take it to heart.

There wasn't that many

foreigners as well in our days.

And I think a lot of it

came 'cause Dad was foreign

and we had a lot of

things like spaghetti...

It was like our name as well, Calzaghe.

- It was like...

- Yeah.

They always called us

"dirty, stinking, Itai"

"Look at what he is, look

at olive oil guy", you know.

Joe probably was isolated.

He had no brother with him.

Because if he had a brother with

him, they wouldn't bu//y him.

Joe unwittingly, as we/I,

he had a lot of girl attention,

which Joe never wanted

because Joe was so shy.

'Cause he was a good looking boy.

And there was a lot of jealousy,

I think, 'cause of that, as well.

One day, they came to the house

and there was about 40 of them on bikes.

Yeah they did, yeah.

So, Dad just said, come in

one by one and he'll beat 'em up.

You know, /et's have a go.

They didn't. They just drove

off on their bikes, didn't they?

I find it difficult

to talk about it, I do.

I find it hard to talk

about it, it upsets me.

Boxing was my way of

escaping and having self-worth.

You know, feeling good about myself

/ think that when he

was taking the physical pain,

it was taking his emotional pain out.

'Cause Joe was such an emotional person,

he's so sensitive, it's unbelievable.

I think that that was

his way of getting...

When he'd come from

school feeling so hurt,

that he would go and do that,

and it would get the anger out.

Everything is meant for a reason.

I look back at everything, and

/ don't regret nothing, you know.

Maybe toughened me up, maybe

it made fighters that tried

to, to bully me verbally.

Maybe that education in

school made me strong.

Joe Calzaghe,

18 years old,

from Newbridge way.

Joe Ca/zaghe, he really has got

something going for him out there.

And then my trainen Pau/ Williams,

wanted me to turn pro with him.

He came up, he tried to make

me sign something to manage me.

I was still a kid, and I

thought, "/ can't do this"

The experience now, of

Michael Smyth, catching up with Calzaghe.

He's good, but he's got to be careful.

And I just to/d him. And

Paul gave the keys to my dad.

And I never saw him again.

My dad took over.

I'll manage it, myself.

But what happened, any boxer

disappears, and it's just one man alone.

It's just me.

I spent everything I had

to carry on with his gym.

At the time, we were

playing in a band, me and Enzo.

Picked up the phone.

He said, "I'm gonna quit. "

I said, "What do you mean, you're

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