The women behind Joe Calzaghe

Apr 19 2008 by Abbie Wightwick, Western Mail

One’s always at the ringside, the other can’t bear to watch him box. As Joe Calzaghe prepares for the biggest fight of his career, Abbie Wightwick spoke to the two women in his life about how they’ll cope in different ways when the champion steps into the ring in Las Vegas

THEY’RE the two most important women in his life and both want him to retire. One attends every one of his fights, the other refuses to watch.

Joe Calzaghe’s mother and girlfriend admit they are full of nerves as the champion boxer prepares for his Las Vegas showdown with Bernard Hopkins. Although they have total confidence in Joe, that doesn’t stop tension before the fight which starts at 4am British time tomorrow.

Once the bell rings, his mother, Jacqueline Calzaghe, will be pacing her house in Newbridge, in the Valleys, occasionally sneaking a peep at the television.

She cannot bear to see her son hurt and has never watched the whole of one of his fights.

“I am stressed out with anxiety. I can’t help feeling that way,” Jacqueline said.

“I can’t wait until it finishes and it’s all over.

“I will check on the TV from time to time to make sure he’s all right.”

As far as Jacqueline is concerned, this light heavyweight fight will be the worst in her son’s career – but that’s no different from usual as she considers each battle the worst.

Joe may be the undefeated super middleweight champion but protective maternal instinct kicks in the moment fists are raised.

She fears that if she went in person she might jump into the ring herself.

Rather than easing over the years, Jacqueline says her stress levels during fights have risen.

She neither sleeps nor eats properly before one of her son’s bouts in the ring and prefers to be alone for the event.

Once the fight has started she trails through rooms cleaning her already spotless house to pass time.

“I will be having a nervous breakdown,” she admitted.

“I will turn the telly on. He’s there and I want to see he’s OK.

“Every fight is the worst fight. I feel sick in my stomach.

“I just want to be on my own. I won’t go to sleep the night of his fight. As a mother you don’t know what’s around the corner. Anything can happen. Joe knows what he’s doing and he uses his brain as well as his fists, but you do worry as a mother.”

When Joe was young she worried that he would get beaten up walking back in the dark from the gym.

Later, when it became clear he was a good boxer, she fretted when fellow school kids tried to goad him into punch-ups. And she hates seeing him with black eyes and bruises.

As a champion boxer it is more obvious who his rivals are and where he stands, but it is a mother’s prerogative to worry.

Although Jacqueline doesn’t usually feel any antagonism towards her son’s opponents in the ring – “they are people with mothers and fathers too” – she doesn’t like what she’s heard of Bernard Hopkins.

“He’s well known as a dirty boxer. He’s said he’ll make Joe spit blood,” she said, clearly unsettled.

The veteran US brawler has said a few more things too.

Hopkins’ increasingly lurid pre-fight taunts include his proclamation that he’ll never let a “white man” beat him. That comment met accusations of racism but he went on to tell Joe’s children – Joe and Conner – to “say goodbye to their dad” and said Joe “is going to need one of those special doctors to rearrange his face after I get done with him”.

This would be enough to strike fear into any mother’s heart but Jacqueline knows deep down that this is unlikely to be Joe’s toughest fight, despite being billed “Battle of the Planet” by promoters.

She thinks that record went to Joe’s spar with Jeff Lacy.

Joe famously threw more than 1,000 punches to defeat Lacy in Manchester in March 2006. The performance was described as “one of the all-time great British world championship performances” by a BBC commentator but Jacqueline did not enjoy the night until it was over.

She may not be feeling as bad for this fight, but it will be a close run thing.

She is on record as saying she didn’t want Joe to fulfil his ambition of taking on the American light-heavyweight Hopkins. She felt her son had nothing to prove and was already recognised Stateside without it.

But Joe has always said he wanted to fight in Las Vegas. It is part of fulfilling his dream as a boxer and she recognises that, even if she doesn’t like it.

Besides, Joe has a confidence that is infectious and bookmakers have made him clear favourite for the bout.

Joe will be 7lb heavier at 175lb when he takes on “Executioner” Hopkins for his first light heavyweight showdown. And he has remained calm in the face of increasingly unsportsmanlike catcalls from the 43-year-old American who was king of the middleweight division for 12 years between 1993 and 2005.

When Hopkins announced “Don’t be surprised when I make it look easy and I make him (Joe) look amateurish, but only after I’ve given him punishment” Joe’s more dignified riposte was simply, “I am 100% sure I am going to stop Hopkins and win the fight.”

Joe has also referred to his opponent as “dull” and accused him of “playing dirty”.

He also, surprisingly, shares his mother’s dislike of watching boxing saying he finds it boring. In US interviews this week he said he has only glanced at Hopkins’ previous fights and knows what his style is.

His father Enzo likes to keep tabs though and has copies of Joe’s battles, faithfully recorded each time by Jacqueline.

As a mother she seems never to have got used to her son’s profession, despite respecting it.

They are close and she has been speaking to him daily since he flew to the states two weeks ago.

She says Joe is in good spirits and enjoying the climate and the people.

“I speak to him every day. He’s confident and there are Welsh flags flying out there.

“It’s not all support for Hopkins. I’m glad Joe is recognised there. He’s known out there and has had a good reception.”

Joe is staying in a rented villa close to The Strip with his girlfriend of four years, Yorkshire born model and actress Jo-Emma Lavin.

He has enjoyed the backing of fans who travelled to see the game and has been training at the Planet Hollywood Resort to shouts of support.

Once the clash begins Jacqueline will be keeping an eye on the referee as she peeps round the door at the television screen.

What she hates most is when opponents don’t play fair. That gets her parental hackles up.

“One fighter was head butting Joe once and the ref did not see it.

“That really frightened me. It was horrific. I saw it. If I see anything like that I’m at the end of my tether,” she said.

Joe has said publicly that he has “every respect” for tonight’s referee, Joe Cortez.

He is also younger and a better fighter than Hopkins, promoter Frank Warren has assured fans.

Joe also has a steadfast streak that leaves Jacqueline in no doubt about his ability. She might not like what he does for a living and she may not like his determination to carry on despite injury, but she has the greatest respect for his success.

Joe is not one to lose his head any more than his nerve, and she can appreciate that.

Jacqueline said she recognises his talents and has always tried not to let her nerves show.

She always rings to wish him luck just before he gets his gloves on. But there have been times when she’s begged him to retire immediately after he’s left the ring victorious.

“If I don’t hear from him I always ring him just before he goes into the ring.

“He answers my number because it comes up as ‘mam’ on his phone.

“He understands that I’m worried but I don’t phone up to cry on the phone, I don’t want to kick his confidence. I’m not like a baby so I just say, ‘Joe, good luck’ and try to be strong for him.

“During the fight I just walk around the house. I have got the fight recorded for Joe and my husband to see when they get back, and I peep to see he’s OK. I have got to take a look but I don’t like it and leave the room.”

She doesn’t say so but Jacqueline must be all too aware of the terrible tragedies that can occur. Welsh boxing legend Johnny “matchstick man” Owen from Merthyr Tydfil died after being knocked down in a world title fight in Los Angeles in 1980.

Her husband Enzo, who is Joe’s trainer, and daughter Sonia have both flown to Vegas for the fight and she knows they would ring her immediately if things turned bad.

Their other daughter, Melissa, is heavily pregnant and staying at home. She will be ringing her mother on the night and following the fight closely.

Joe’s sons with former wife Mandy, Joe, 13, and 11-year-old Conner,have also travelled to Las Vegas to support him.

They’ll be watching the fight and worry less than their grandmother.

“They are quite strong, children are,” says Jacqueline, who has eight grandchildren.

“They don’t see the danger in it.”

Although Joe may have let his mother take the strain he is unwilling, as a parent, for his own children to enter the fray.

“Joe does not want them to be boxers. He’s probably seen what I can see.

“It’s a case of don’t do as I do, do as I say. It is a dangerous sport.”

All mothers worry but Jacqueline believes, quite reasonably, that as a champion boxer’s mother she has unique fears to face.

She may not fret that he’ll get beaten up in a dark alley on the way home, but she is all too aware when his confrontations take place and with whom.

Not for her the bliss of ignorance.

She always knows the exact moment battle commences and would prefer not to get a blow-by-blow account.

Jacqueline said she gets some solace knowing that Joe’s life is not at risk in the armed forces.

“I can’t imagine how the mothers and fathers with their sons in Iraq must feel. I think of them.

“At least I’m not on my own. He’s not going to war but to me he is going to war in that he’s fighting on his own.

“My son is coming home to me. It’s not quite so bad for me.

“I’m glad he’s not in that (the Iraq and Afghanistan hostilities).”

When the clash with Hopkins is over she will be relieved but she won’t really celebrate until her son retires for good.

“I will put the flags out when he says he’ll retire.

“He told everybody before that he was going to retire but he hasn’t.

“I’m hoping he’ll retire in the next six to 12 months.

“I can’t wait until he finishes. I have tried to persuade him to retire. I am still trying to get him to retire. I can see that he’s still got confidence and has stuck to his goal now with the other belts and higher weight.

“I am happy for him and confident but I’m also afraid for him.”

This view is shared by the other woman in Joe’s life, girlfriend Jo-Emma.

Taking a front row seat as your man punches the daylights out of someone does take its toll.

Before leaving Wales for Las Vegas last weekend the 26-year-old model said she couldn’t wait for Joe to hang up his gloves.

She has not missed a single fight in their four years together, preferring a ringside seat to know what is happening moment by moment.

But she doesn’t enjoy it and suffers pre-battle nerves.

Although she is confident he’ll succeed, tension mounts in the days before the fight, reaching a peak on the day.

“I don’t go happily to his fights. I have butterflies all day,” says Jo-Emma.

“When we first met I hated it and would cry because I thought it really hurt.

“Now I understand boxing more. I still get really stressed but I’m really confident in him.”

She views the clash with Hopkins as “crucial” but believes it won’t be difficult for Joe to win.

“I don’t think it’s going to be one of his hardest fights. The fight against Kessler was harder.”

It was Joe’s victory over Dane Mikkel Kessler at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff last November that made him undisputed world super middleweight champion.

Although she always has dinner with Joe the night before a fight, his girlfriend takes no lucky mascots. Neither does she doesn’t believe in the superstitious rituals to ensure victory favoured by some sports people.

Instead she will be slapping on the war paint for the Hopkins confrontation which is being televised live from the Planet Hollywood Ring at the Thomas Mack Centre in Las Vegas.

“It is Las Vegas and it is glitzy, but I always like to look nice anyway,” Jo-Emma said.

She tries to remain stoical about Joe’s sport.

“I’m not excited about the fight (with Hopkins). I don’t get excited. I get tense.

“It will be nice when he stops. It’s not nice your partner getting punched for a living and punching other people.

“I’m looking forward to him retiring. It will be a relief. It will be a lot easier and less stressful.

“I don’t worry that he might really get hurt because I am super-confident in him.”

Speaking ahead of the showdown Jo-Emma said her own career is also going well and she is looking to their future together beyond boxing.

She has a photo-shoot modelling a new line of clothes in the US during their stay and although she won’t be with him immediately before the fight they will spend time together between training.

Since arriving in Las Vegas, Joe has been training at the Planet Hollywood Resort and Casino.

Despite the temptations on offer he is not into gambling and the couple are unlikely to take part in one of the resort’s tourist helicopter trips, because Joe is scared of heights.

Whatever happens in the ring the couple have no plans to cross the Atlantic permanently. Even if Joe conquers the US, Jo-Emma says they will stay in Wales.

The couple live together in a luxury mansion close to the Newbridge home of Joe’s parents and sons.

And although Joe has a growing portfolio of property abroad, including homes in Turkey, Egypt and Margarita, the couple are rooted here.

Jo-Emma, who comes from outside Hull and has been modelling since the age of 19, considers Wales is her adopted home.

She plans to start designing a jewellery and clothes range as well as modelling and would like to work with Joe.

They have been asked “to do a couple of modelling things together” but were holding fire for the moment, she said.

And, while Joe may be happy working out in the gym, Jo-Emma can’t stand the boredom.

She keeps fit walking her golden retriever instead.

“I get so bored at the gym. I just walk a lot. My mother is 52 and has never been bigger than a size eight. I get it from her.”

Jo-Emma is keen to be recognised in her own right beyond Joe, but for the moment, he is firmly in the spotlight.

In what could be his final year fighting – if the women in his life have any say in it – he is determined to prove he can shine outside Wales.

Although tomorrow’s non-title light heavyweight bout has no belt at stake it is still vital for Joe and his supporters. The fight sparked such interest among his fans that many booked flights before the precise date was set. If he wins Joe faces a possible career finale against Roy Jones Jnr or Jermain Taylor, according to pundits.

That would ensure him a place in boxing’s hall of fame.

He has already been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year, but yearns for far more, something Jacqueline and Jo-Emma recognise.

He has suggested that he would like his last fight to be at the iconic Madison Square Garden in New York where his Italian heritage would ensure a rapturous reception.

“I want to look back on my career and say I was one of the best,” Joe has said. “As soon as I won the world title in 1997 I wanted to head up a fight show in Las Vegas, now I am doing that.”

Among those wishing him well will be Tom Jones – the thought of which is the only thing that brings a note of lightness into Jacqueline’s voice as she mulls over the bout. He will be singing Land of My Fathers for Joe in front of 25,000 fans in Vegas.

Even so, she’s not sure she can face watching more than a few seconds of the Welsh anthem sung by one of our best singers under such circumstances.

It’s sure to help put fire in her son’s belly though.

He was disappointed to miss Tom’s concert at the MGM Grand because of his preparations for the fight.

With Jones singing and Joe Calzaghe in the ring it will be a truly Welsh event in Vegas.

So will Jacqueline be tempted to watch her recording of the fight?

“No,” she says simply: she can see what boxing has done for Joe and what he has done for the sport, but as a mother it will never seem right to watch her son give and receive a beating.

So, if you’re watching the showdown, spare a thought for the woman who stuck plasters on the boxer’s grazes as a child and who never wants to see him hurt.