THIS week has been extremely hectic as I’ve divided my time between promoting our show, training in the gym with the boys and even appearing at the Brit Awards.

It was pretty bizarre to be honest, going to the Brits with my girlfriend Jo Emma to present an award.

I say an award, because to be honest, on the night, as you might have seen, I totally forgot what I was presenting!

I knew it was a Best International something, but I couldn’t for the life of me remember what when the camera was in front of my face, I think you could tell I don’t do that kind of thing a lot!

Luckily for me the presenter Fearne Cotton did remember the award I was presenting and promptly reminded me!

It was best International Album and the winners were the Kings of Leon, a favourite band of mine.

The whole awards show thing is still pretty foreign to me; I get more nervous doing something like that than I ever did stepping out in front of large crowds in the ring.

The two main presenters of the show were James Corden and Mathew Horne from Gavin and Stacey and I’ve met them before.

Both of them are big fight fans which was why I let Corden get away with a few comments as I came out on to the stage, otherwise he would have been in trouble!

Fearne Cotton was doing stuff backstage and she interviewed me with Natalie Imbruglia.

So, overall, it was a good experience, although other commitments sadly meant we were unable to attend the post show party.

I met some familiar faces on the night, like, of course, our very own Tom Jones (who also loves his boxing and who sang the national anthem when I fought Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas), although sadly we didn’t meet the big star of the night, Wales’ own Duffy.

Anyway, enough with the celebrity name-dropping – I didn’t exactly meet many anyway – and on to far more important matters, such as boxing!

So this weekend, Saturday night to be precise, we kick-off Calzaghe Promotions with a bumper show at Merthyr’s Rhydycar Leisure Centre.

It’s such an exciting new chapter for dad and I and I am really looking forward to going along and hopefully seeing a great night of boxing.

How far we can take Calzaghe Promotions remains to be seen, competition among British boxing promoters is exceptionally fierce at the moment, which is why we’ve decided to start small and to work predominantly in Wales.

The boxing fans in Wales made me, they followed my career when I couldn’t get a unification fight and struggled to sell out the Cardiff Ice Rink and it’s them (or you, more specifically) we owe a debt of gratitude to.

It’s easy to forget about all the talented young fighters in this country, but the more involved we’ve become in promoting the clearer it is that several guys just need that bit of exposure that we can provide.

The top of the bill fight between Kerry Hope – a Merthyr boy who has shifted more than his fair share of tickets – and another Welshman Taz Jones has all the ingredients. They are both front foot fighters and with a bit of bad blood between them this could be something of a war.

Jamie Todd, who is part of the furniture in our gym now, makes his second professional fight and we’ve also got some top class local Gwent fighters on the bill. Two mates of mine keen to help out with the first show will be fighting, Paul Samuels (who shares a birthday with me) and Jamie Arthur, a Commonwealth Games gold medallist.

Ticket sales have been good and I am told that the Merthyr crowd create a hell of an atmosphere, so here’s hoping it’ll be a brilliant night.

Hopefully I will see plenty of you there.

Just a final brief note regarding the coverage of my retirement.

Last week a few people questioned my decision, the national papers jumping all over quotes from my former promoter Frank Warren and others that I am bound to change my mind and return to boxing for a pay day.

What can I say to that? People are entitled to their opinions, but I don’t understand why people won’t take what I am saying at face value.

To repeat myself, I am thrilled with my career and feel this is a perfect time to retire with no obvious challenges left for me.

I’ve beaten two legends in America, won in front of 50,000 at the Millennium Stadium and been an undefeated champion for over ten years.

I’ve said ‘never say never’, but only because I am determined not to pull the wool over people’s eyes, how on earth can anyone say categorically how they will feel a year in the future?

But in terms of me fighting again? Don’t bet on it. That’s the best way I can explain it.