COMETH the hour, cometh the man.

Uncle Sam finally tilted his stars and stripes top hat to Joe Calzaghe on Saturday night as he proved beyond any reasonable doubt that he is the best super-middleweight in the world.

The prosecution accused the Newbridge southpaw of being average. A cardboard champion, the Charles Brewer camp suggested. But how wrong they were.

Calzaghe wowed judge and jury with the explosive manner he defended his WBO belt against highly-respected Brewer on Saturday night.

There was no knock down against the former IBF champion, who came supposedly protecting a glass jaw.

But the 117-112, 118-111, 119-109 points decision and Calzaghe's pulsating punch rate (a staggering 783 thrown in all) should be enough to land him a big money fight - be it at the Millennium Stadium against undisputed middleweight king Bernard Hopkins this summer or the likes of Roy Jones Jnr on US soil later this year.

What made the boxing establishment, on both sides of the Atlantic, stand up and take notice was the braveheart heroics of Calzaghe at the Cardiff International Arena.

The Welshman, now undefeated in 38 fights since snatching the WBO belt from Chris Eubank in 1997, came out in the eighth round with his hand in pieces.

Just 24-hours earlier, he had spoken about how a true champion triumphs through adversity. Hail the true champion.

Brewer, still brooding from losing his IBF crown to Sven Ottke in 1998 in a dubious points decision, played his part on the night.

'The Hatchet' from Philadelphia had been blunt in his put-downs during the build-up to the fight by questioning Calzaghe's credentials.

And a little kiss on the cheek from the champ himself on the final bell spoke volumes. It was a thank you for a stand-up fight which finally earned Calzaghe the respect he so richly deserves.

The 5,000 Welsh voices played their part too as Calzaghe strutted into the ring with an ice-cool stare and fire in his belly.

Buoyed by their super support, he pounced on Brewer right from the first bell.

It seemed every inch of frustration was unleashed in the first 10 seconds as both fighters brutally traded punches in the centre of the ring.

Calzaghe didn't want a war but, in the heat of battle, he couldn't help declaring one as, for once, relations between the two boxer's countries became decidedly frosty over 36 magical minutes.

He was determined to finish it early but Brewer wasn't going to lie down.

The 32-year-old veteran belied his performance against Herol Graham four years ago where he was floored twice before earning a 10th-round victory.

And it was no coincidence that Graham was Calzaghe's vocal supporter-in-chief, ringside. He lived every duck, every jab and every blow during 12 rip-roaring rounds as he was the one who had been there and got the Brewer T-shirt.

Calzaghe came out for the second still in overdrive, and let fly an enormous left hook, which was followed by a drilling into Brewer's face.

There were more fireworks in the third as the Welshman tried to make his usually lethal combinations count. Again, Calzaghe got embroiled in a mid-canvas brawl - forsaking the quick feet which usually make him so mobile.

Heart was ruling his mind and another brutal assault in the fourth came close to toppling Brewer but not close enough.

Calzaghe oozed confidence in the next three-minute onslaught and the home hero drew first blood in the fifth when his right hand split Brewer's nose.

But the challenger grew in stature over the middle rounds which, despite both fighters tiring, was still fought at a frantic pace.

Brewer's left hooks and uppercuts were beginning to find their way through as Calzaghe's own nose showed a sprinkling of blood.

Coming out in the eighth, Brewer seemed to smell the champion was hurt as he moved forward in sinister fashion.

But again Calzaghe weathered the storm and caught him with a huge left after being put on the back foot.

Both fighters were evenly matched in the final rounds and, coming out for the last, touched gloves in a high-five.

It was a moment that told of the enormous respect both men had for each other - despite much of the pre-fight ramblings.

Calzaghe knew he had to remain toe-to-toe with his opponent, who was now desperate for a knockout.

The beginning of the end was explosive as both fighters called on all their inner resources to see it through.

There was more trading centre-ring but, on the final bell, Calzaghe threw his arms in the air knowing he had conquered his biggest hurdle since winning his crown.

Calzaghe had drawn on every ounce of his being to thwart the assault on his crown. The king lives on.

* In the picture: Joe Calzaghe, left, showed class and guts against US challenger Charles Brewer.