BOXING is a sport littered with stunning upsets, but it would be one of the biggest upsets in many a year if Joe Calzaghe (pictured) lost his WBO world super-middleweight crown in Cardiff tonight.

One perfect punch can take out the greatest of champions and the record books are full of examples of fighters who came a cropper by underestimating apparent no-hopers.

But even allowing for all that I cannot see any way Danish-based Kenyan Evans Ashira can join the ranks of those who defied the odds by overcoming our man of Gwent at the Cardiff International Arena.

Newbridge-based Calzaghe is one of Britain's greatest world champions, make no mistake about that.

He is currently the longest reigning, having overcome 16 opponents since lifting the title by defeating Chris Eubank in Sheffield in October 1997.

And though some pundits claim he has fought too many 'no-names' to be called a 'great', he has always taken on and comfortably defeated the number one ranked challengers.

Ashira is not one of those, and for one very good reason -Calzaghe is all set to meet IBF champion Jeff Lacy in a unification bout at the ExCel Arena, London, next month.

A convincing win over the American on a fight shown live on Showtime in the States and a long-awaited chance at the light-heavyweight crown could come about.

To unify the super-middleweight division and become a double world champion before retiring undefeated is what Calzaghe craves above everything else.

He was never going to risk that with a voluntary defence against an opponent with the remotest chance of beating him and neither will he risk that by taking his eye off the ball and focusing too soon on Lacy and underestimating Ashira.

The Kenyan, managed by the legendary Don King, is not known for taking on poor fighters and indeed, Ashira isn't one.

He has been defeated only once as a professional in 25 fights and that in a world title bid.

But the title at stake was the WBA world middleweight title - and he was floored three times and stopped in two rounds by hard-hitting New Zealander Maselino Masoe.

He has since bounced back with a points win over another puncher in Quinton Smith, who stopped Lacy as an amateur, but nothing in his record suggests he can move up a weight and do better against one of the very best.

Indeed he fought as a light-middleweight early in his career, has always been on the light side, at 35 is two years older than Calzaghe and is not a big puncher.

He is a busy performer who, at just 5ft 7in tall, likes to get inside and bang away to the body, but he will find that extremely difficult against Calzaghe who has a superb jab and fast hands.

And Calzaghe can punch as his record of 31 KOs or TKOs in 39 winning contests show and as last challenger Mario Veit will testify.

Veit was KO'd inside a round the first time they met and was overwhelmed before being stopped in six in Germany in May, his only two defeats on an otherwise unblemished career.

So all the advantages are with Calzaghe favour and a victory is nigh on an absolute certainty - and perhaps very quickly.

On the same bill unbeaten Pontypool prospect Tony Doherty should win the vacant Celtic welterweight crown by defeating fellow Welshman Taz Jones.

Jones is tough and has fought over ten rounds, unlike Doherty, but has suffered three defeats. The Gwent 22-year-old will have too much speed, power and variety of punches and can win on points, if not inside the distance.

Cwmbran middleweight Gary Lockett at last meets Londoner Alan Gray, whom he was due to meet in a British title eliminator earlier this year.

Lockett is by far the bigger puncher with 17 KOs in 23 wins while Gray has only one KO on his record of 17 wins, seven defeats and two draws.

And though he has been stopped only once, Gray has not fought for 19 months (Lockett for 12 months) and another stoppage win is expected for the Gwent 28-year-old.

Olympic silver medallist Amir Khan faces Coventry's Baz Carey in his second pro fight, having stopped David Bailey in a round on his debut. Carey has lost 13 and drawn 3 of his 25 fights and is not expected to last much longer.