IT'S been a really bittersweet week for me, the relief I feel that the High Court case with my former promoter Frank Warren has been settled going alongside the disappointment I feel at the defeats for two Team Calzaghe members at the weekend.
I don’t want to dwell too much on the court case, I am just thankful it’s all over now and that I will be paid the money owed to me for the Bernard Hopkins fight.
I am comfortable in the ring, boxing in front of many thousands of people, but the court case has been a new and frankly tough experience.
Relief really is the only word I can use now that it’s all over, it’s a stressful process to go through and I am exceptionally happy it’s all over.
I am now looking forward to moving on with the next chapter in my life as an ex-boxer, with media work and Calzaghe Promotions the next projects for me to focus on.
Obviously, I was absolutely gutted to see both Bradley Pryce and Enzo Maccarinelli beaten at the weekend, both of them were rightly favourites for their respective fights and it’s shocking to see them both lose.
I will deal with Bradley first, because obviously a lot has been said since the fight about Enzo’s loss.
In Bradley’s case, it simply wasn’t the Bradley Pryce we are used to seeing and no one is more aware of that than him.
From the first bell to the end of the second round when the fight was waved off, Bradley wasn’t at the races.
He looked weak, ponderous and he got caught early with a big shot that he never recovered from.
It’s hard for me to say why he fought the way he did. But the fact that he hadn’t been in the ring for almost a year can’t be overlooked.
But let’s not forget that Bradley’s reign as Commonwealth light middleweight champion was an excellent one, I would argue he’s shown the best consistency and form of his career in the past two years.
He should take heart from that and I know he is aiming to get back into the ring as soon as possible.
I sincerely hope that he’ll get a shot at redemption sooner rather than later.
Bradley knows he didn’t do himself justice in Manchester and all he wants now is a chance to set the record straight by getting a win in his next fight.
I still believe he is a potential world champion fighter, I have thought that since we first met, I was just about to begin my professional career and Bradley was just a kid.
He’s made big changes to his lifestyle in the last few months and I have every faith he’ll come back strong from this.
I was equally gutted to see Enzo Maccarinelli losing to Ola Afolabi in the ninth round of their interim WBO cruiserweight title fight; it was exceptionally frustrating to watch on the television.
Enzo wasn’t at his best from the first bell, but he’s clearly a class above the guy he fought because even when not at his best, he was still winning virtually every round.
However, as a fighter you know when someone is struggling and I was getting very twitchy as the fight went on, because Enzo just seemed so flat, so far short of his usual level of performance.
Obviously, what was disappointing was the blame game that started afterwards, Enzo saying it was because of a lack of sparring and that he will have to think about his future with dad as his trainer.
I am in a difficult position here, Enzo is my best mate and obviously we’re also talking about my dad, so I am leaving it to them to talk through and see what they decide to do.
But, as with Bradley, I think that Enzo’s ‘ring rust’ played a massive part in the loss.
No amount of sparring can prepare you for actually stepping in the ring and Enzo essentially boxed four rounds in 16 months before fighting on Saturday.
I don’t think it was fair to point the finger at dad for being in court, it was just unfortunate.
Enzo knew dad was going to be in London and to be fair, dad doesn’t decide on what dates Enzo or Bradley fight.
I know Enzo is desperately hoping for a rematch and I sincerely hope he gets it. Whatever he decides to do, whether he stays with dad (and of course I hope he does) I will always be his biggest fan, he’s a great fighter and an even better friend.
Finally, it looks like May 2 is the date for the next Calzaghe Promotions show in Merthyr.
Kerry Hope v Taz Jones II will feature prominently and there is a great chance that Hari Miles, Tony Doherty and former world champion Gavin Rees will also be on the bill.
More on this in the coming weeks.
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