Calzaghe, 36, aims to cement his name in boxing history next Saturday by beating American legend Roy Jones Jr in New York to extend his unblemished record to 46 FIGHTS and his undefeated reign as a world champion to 11 YEARS, 28 DAYS.

And in a new official DVD on his life story, the English-born southpaw details the vital elements of his training regime which have helped him become undisputed world super-middleweight and light-heavyweight king.

ROUND ONE: Calzaghe’s father and trainer Enzo laid out the path to greatness when his son was just eight — with a piece of old carpet in the lounge of their Newbridge home.

“If it wasn’t for Dad I wouldn’t have been a boxer in the first place,” recalls Joe. “He taught me the basics and I would punch a rolled-up carpet, the settee — I’d even punch the walls.

“Then he bought me a little punchball when I was nine and I was pretty good.”

“He wanted to be Rocky Balboa,” says Joe’s sister Melissa. “He used to watch the Rocky films and knew all the words by heart.”

“I was 10 when Dad took me to Newbridge Boxing Club gym for the first time,” adds Joe.

“I was scared. The noise of all these grown men punching bags startled me at first but trainer Paul Williams couldn’t believe how good I was.”

ROUND TWO: “As a teenager I had a lot of rows with my father,” says Joe.

“There were a lot of conflict. But he kept me on the straight and narrow. If it hadn’t been for him I would have gone out drinking and chasing girls.

“At the time I hated him for it but now I’m grateful for him kicking me up the a*** as a kid.”

ROUND THREE: Calzaghe continued to use the ramshackle 60-year-old wood and tin gym as his base after turning pro.

“The gym was so dirty visitors used to wipe their feet on the way OUT,” says Joe.

“There were just two punchbags, a speedball and the tiny ring was just a few ropes laid round the carpet floor.

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“When the council came to inspect the gym they warned me that it was in such a poor condition it could collapse and I could end up falling into the river underneath.”

ROUND FOUR: But after 22 unbeaten fights, he won the WBO super-middleweight championship in Sheffield when he out-pointed Chris Eubank.

“I got paid £80,000,” says Joe, “which is not a lot of money, especially after tax.”

“Even though I won the world title I still couldn’t buy the house I wanted until I had made a few defences.”

ROUND FIVE: “The hut was freezing in the winter and boiling in the summer and yet I still won the world title.

“I stayed there for another three years and remained world champion so it goes to show if you have the talent and desire you can become a champion no matter where you train.”

ROUND SIX: Calzaghe then moved to a new gym on the none-too glamourous Prince of Wales Industrial Estate in Abercarn, which he has used as his base for the last eight years.

It’s still only a converted rugby clubhouse but it houses his prized possessions — a pair of tatty old ripped red gloves that he wouldn’t swap for the world.

“I’ve had these gloves for four years and look how wrecked they are,” he says.

“I could afford a new pair but I love these. I put so much padding on my hands that I need the biggest gloves in the gym.

“I use them for pad work, bag work, everything.”

ROUND SEVEN: Then Joe unveils the biggest help he’s had in preparing for Jones Judgement Day.

It’s an electronic gadget fitted with sensors to measure the speed and power of punches.

Joe helped design the Counter- Punch machine with lifelong friend Kevin Davies and has been using it for some time.

He insists it helped him defeat Bernard Hopkins to win the Ring Magazine world light-heavyweight championship in Las Vegas on his last trip to the States.

“I have kept this quiet because it has significantly improved my hand speed, says Joe.

Edge
“And I didn’t want anyone else finding out about my secret and stealing it.”

His record is an incredible 1,696 punches in three minutes — an average of nine punches per SECOND. And that has already given him a huge psychological edge over Jones.

For the 39- year-old American was invited to try and beat Joe’s record when he visited his gym last month to promote the fight.



ROUND EIGHT: “We brought him in the gym and I told him what my record was and he didn’t fancy it,” declares Joe.

“Jones is quick but not quick enough. He can’t throw 1,000 punches a fight like I can.

“I see myself knocking him out. It’s a brilliant machine. I use it to test my fitness as I prepare for a fight.

“I’ll do maybe three or four rounds on it, throwing on average 1,500 punches.

“I have very fast hand speed for my weight, I punch from unusual angles and I’m pretty awkward. I like my style.” It’s a style that has made him Britain’s longest-serving world champion in ANY sport.

The Jones showdown will be his 24th world title fight.

You need tremendous stamina to last that long and Joe has it in buckets.

ROUND NINE: “These hills around my home are the key,” he says. “I’ve run up these hills since I was 13.

“Training on these hills has given me the stamina and developed my lung capacity.

“It’s part of the secret of being a world champion for 11 years.”

ROUND TEN: “And when I’m in full training for a fight something kicks inside me.

“I still have that hunger even after being so successful and winning all these titles.

“It doesn’t matter how talented you are, if you haven’t got the hunger you are gonna get beat.”

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And Calzaghe has no intention of losing to Jones in Madison Square Garden in the fight being billed as the Battle of the Superpowers.

ROUND ELEVEN: “I get used to starving, to dehydration, to make the weight but it makes you stronger,” says Joe.

“It makes you want to kick the s*** out of the guy in the ring.”

But even though he has been offered £5million to shelve retirement plans and face British rival Carl Froch, he doesn’t want to beat Rocky Marciano’s record of 49 unbeaten fights or Joe Louis’ record of 25 successful world title defences.

ROUND TWELVE: “I will always be thankful for boxing. I have a good life now,” says Joe.

“I haven’t got many marks on me. I’m proud I haven’t got a squashed nose and cauliflower ears and that shows I must be doing something pretty good.

“But I don’t want Rocky Marciano’s record.

“He’s a legend. I don’t want to beat Joe Louis’ record.

“I’m happy with what I have achieved. You can always be too greedy.

“It’s best to stick two fingers up to boxing before boxing sticks two fingers up to you.

“I don’t want boxing to end me. The magic thing is to get out while you can still speak.

“I don’t want to be slurring my words in 10 years. I have been blessed and I don’t want to take the p***.

“I am intelligent enough to know when to call it a day.”