17.11.07 Signing Joe.. By Frank Warren

"I can still remember clearly the day I signed Joe Calzaghe back in 1996. He and his dad Enzo came to meet me in Scalinis restaurant, we all got on well, and it was easy to do a deal.

Also present that day was Trevor East, then head of ITV sport, and he and I out-lined some of the big plans we had for Joe.

Trevor is now with Setanta Sports, but like me, he's never lost his faith in Joe, and it was fitting that Trevor was one of the reasons why Joe's fight with Mikkel Kessler last weekend came off.

At the end of the fight after he had unified the super-middleweight division, Joe made a point of leaning out of the ring and shaking hands with Trevor - a nice touch from one of boxing's nicest guys.

Despite being a world champion for 10 years, Joe's entourage still consists of one man - his trainer/ father Enzo.

In fact, the only thing that's different these days is the size of his gym. When Joe started out it was just him and his Dad, he trained alone with Enzo, day after day. He told me he found training a lonely business.

Now, as success has bred success, training for Joe is a job he loves, as Enzo’s reputation has grown now looks after around 10 fighters, including two other world champions, Enzo Maccarinelli and Gavin Rees the growing stable Joe said the camaraderie has made it more of a buzz for him now going to the gym.

It's an uplifting story in a sport that, thanks to the likes of Joe and others, is enjoying a golden period, as witnessed by the 50,000 fans who turned out to see him defeat Kessler at the Millennium Stadium.

And what a fight they saw. When Calzaghe beat Jeff Lacy to win the IBF super-middleweight title, he was so good didn’t think he would improve on that performance.

But no one could question the credentials of Kessler who was a much tougher fighter, a two-belt world champion who caught Joe with some good shots including some of the best uppercuts he has faced in his career.

The trouble with Joe is if he gets caught he doesn't back off to regroup and get behind his superb jab. He wants to trade. Joe took everything Kessler landed with and then came roaring back with more, throwing twice as many punches as the Dane in a simply gutsy and brilliant display.

I've been involved in a few special nights, but for me, that was my best evening in boxing.

Afterwards, Kessler was magnanimous in defeat, and I think once Calzaghe leaves super- middleweight, he'll be the man to clean up. He's certainly got the heart of a champion.

If you've not yet seen the fight, make sure you watch it on BBC's at 1.00pm this afternoon - it's a classic.

I'm delighted that Joe will be getting even more exposure, and that the BBC is showing boxing again.

It's only the third show I've had broadcast by the Beeb, but I went with them rather than ITV because I didn't want the fight hidden away late at night on ITV4.

So what next for Joe?

He's already nailed on to be inducted to the Hall of Fame, having unified the super-middleweight division, reigned for 10 years - and for my money, proved to be a better champion at 168 pounds than even the great Roy Jones Jnr and remember, Joe did it without the help of steroids.

I think he's the best fighter I've worked with - he certainly is the best British fighter in my time in the game.

The fight that Joe really wants is against Bernard Hopkins, and I'll be doing my damndest to get it on, but Hopkins has to realise that Calzaghe is as big an attraction and we certainly are not going to wait till next July for it.

Just think whenever Hopkins has been involved in a "super fight", his opponent has always been the draw, and it will be the same if he meets Calzaghe, who will want equal money.

When has Hopkins ever put 35,000 or 50,000 arses on seats?

How many fans turned out to see Hopkins the last time he fought? It’s a fact the attraction has always been his opponent.

For once, Carl Froch was respectful towards Joe after the win, but he's not really an option at the moment - he still hasn't beaten a world class fighter. And he needs to get a move on otherwise he'll be the oldest "prospect" in the game. Froch is 30, an age where Joe had already been a world champion for five years - and by the way Joe ain’t vacating any titles.

IBF light-heavyweight champion Clinton Woods is another option, but Joe won't be steamrollered into anything in the coming weeks, and we will make a deal that's right for him, and only him. Joe is the attraction, not these wanabees.

Boxing is very much on the up at the moment, with a series of big fights being held over the next two months, starting with Haye-Mormeck tonight, then Hatton-Mayweather, Khan-Earl and Mitchell- Johanneson.

It's caught the public's attention, with double page spreads in all the newspapers, lots of TV coverage and people talking about the fights both at home and at work.

In all the column inches post Calzaghe-Kessler, there was only one negative piece, penned as usual by Matthew Norman in a provincial London paper.

He claimed that no one knows Calzaghe as his fights are not on terrestrial TV and the fight was hidden away in the early hours of the morning. Funny, four of Joe's last five fights have been on a terrestrial channel.

As a Spurs fan, Norman doesn't know much about a crowd of 50,000 - as well as millions more watching on Setanta and the BBC - but he got it wrong as usual.

When he does retire, Calzaghe will leave big shoes to be filled, but there is enough talent in the country at the moment for someone to come through and try to take over his mantle, but 10 years as a champ is a tough act to follow.

It could even be Amir Khan, Kevin Mitchell, Alex Arthur or even young Frankie Gavin, who became Britain's first-ever amateur world champion last weekend in Chicago.

At the moment, Calzaghe has got an autobiography out called No Ordinary Joe.

The title is apt - Inside the ring he's a superman, yet outside the ropes he is an ordinary Joe - no entourage or bullshit.

As I was leaving the Millennium Stadium on Saturday, a car pulled up alongside mine.

Joe was in the passenger seat being driven home by his partner Jo-Emma, with his two young sons in the back seats.

There was no hangers-on, no party to go to, just one of the best pound-for-pound boxers in the world savouring his greatest victory with those who mean the most to the homeboy. With no thoughts of moving to Switzerland or abroad.

We met with Prince Charles this week who presented Joe with an award at Cardiff Castle. There with him were his proud mum Jackie and trainer dad Enzo – they were so full of pride for their son.

He isn’t a No Ordinary Joe – he is an exceptional sportsman and the nation should be proud of this extraordinary fighting man.

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