Homecoming

Promoter Frank Warren revealed his plan in an interview with the Argus today in which he described the Newbridge southpaw as the greatest British boxer in his lifetime and revealed he was ready to finance a statue to Wales' latest sporting hero.

He also revealed that in addition to world number one light-heavyweight Antonio Tarver and former greats Roy Jones Junior and Bernard Hopkins, new world middleweight supremo Jermain Taylor, twice conqueror of Hopkins, was among his future targets for Calzaghe.

And he said Calzaghe, already Wales' richest ever boxer, could expect to make millions more over the next few years.

"Joe will fight in July and I want to put it on in Cardiff at the Millennium Stadium. We want the homecoming," said Warren, still on a high like the rest of us after Calzaghe's stunning display in Manchester in the early hours of Sunday morning.

"The Lacy fight would have been at the Millennium Stadium had it not been for the rugby.

"If we can get some support from Cardiff council and so forth there shouldn't be a problem.

"You wouldn't get a 70,000 full house but I think, given the right opponent, we could get 45,000.

"I did Nigel Benn v Chris Eubank with (fellow promoters) Barry Hearn and Don King and we got 45,000.

"Joe against an Antonio Tarver, Joe against a Jermain Taylor and I don't see why we couldn't get 45,000 people in.

"The one thing about Wales, and I can't think of another country like it, is that they honour as well as support their fighters. They have four statues to different fighters erected down there.

"And I'll tell you something, I want to know the cost of a statue for Joe and I'll put the money up for it."

He continued: "Jermain Taylor (due to meet Lacy stablemate Ronald 'Winky' Wright in June) is another one I'm looking at along with Tarver, Bernard Hopkins if he's still around -I think Tarver will be too big for him when they meet (in June) - Roy Jones and Marcus Beyer, if we can send somebody over to kidnap him.

"We'll probably make a decision in the next few weeks. I have to go out to the States and talk to some people and I have to sit down with Joe."

Warren is adamant Calzaghe is the best British boxer of the last fifty years, "and many people agree with me, including Barry McGuigan," he said.

"They talk about Randolph Turpin, who beat the great Sugar Ray Robinson, and it was a great win, but look at the background.

"Robinson was over in Europe and had five fights in two months before fighting Turpin, wasn't training, was just coming over and knocking a guy out in each country and didn't take it seriously.

"He went back to the USA and next time around, bang, he did the job against Turpin. That's not happened with Joe.

"Joe would have destroyed Randolph Turpin and what he did against Lacy was phenomenal. The referee should have stopped it.

"I have worked with some great boxers, Ricky Hatton, Nigel Benn, Naseem Hamed, Chris Eubank, and I've always said Joe was the greatest I have been involved with.

"I go back to the statement I made in 1999 when I said he would be the fighter of the Millennium.

"People have short memories. What Joe did on Sunday was phenomenal, but look at what he did to Chris Eubank, who said it was the hardest he'd been hit.

"What cheeses me off is the typical British mentality. That fight was all about the loser rather than Joe, the winner, who we should have been praising.

"Joe had been due to fight Steve Collins, a guy who had twice beaten Eubank, who had twice beaten Nigel Benn, a guy who had beaten everybody.

"But Joe was not phased by fighting him and at the end of the day Collins I believe retired rather than fight Joe.

"Add to that Joe's performances against other quality American fighters such as Omar Sheika, Byron Mitchell, Charles Brewer - all brilliant.

"So I was not shocked at Joe's performance against Lacy because he is a great fighter, especially against guys who come to fight.

"The stinkers he has been associated with have been against opponents who have run."

On Calzaghe's financial prospects, Warren said: "He's already the richest fighter to come out of Wales and he can go on to earn a lot more.

"Whether he makes as much as $10m dollars in the next few years depends on exactly who he fights, but he will be well paid, that's for sure, and it will be in the millions."

And Warren concluded by saying: "I'd ike to pay tribute to Joe's father Enzo. He has done a fantastic job preparing and looking after his son over the years. He is also deserving of the highest praise."