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No Ordinary Joe


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Editorial
Synopsis

It was past three o'clock in the morning when Joe Calzaghe experienced the sweetest validation of his professional life. Victory over Jeff Lacy, a 28-year-old American compared to a young Mike Tyson because of his power and "take-no-prisoners attitude", left no one in doubt about the world super middleweight champion's talent. Hugh McIlvanney, the doyen of British sportswriters and a veteran chronicler of fights, described what he had witnessed as "one of the greatest displays of superb technique, confidence and fighting intelligence a British boxer has delivered in a major contest." For years, Calzaghe's virtuosity remained a legend of the Welsh valleys. His defeat in 1997 of Chris Eubank brought him to prominence, winning for him the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super middleweight title. But despite a record number of defences of the belt, his career lacked a defining contest. A long line of challengers and ex-titleholders were disposed of but the biggest names in American boxing avoided the ultimate showdown he craved.

Hand injuries further obscured the true level of his aptitude for an art he began to learn from his father, Enzo, at the age of eight when - inspired by Sugar Ray Leonard - a rolled-up carpet in the family home in Newbridge became a makeshift heavy bag. This is the story of Calzaghe's extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in his hometown of Newbridge, to his ascent to personal greatness, becoming the first super middleweight boxer to win the prized belt awarded by The Ring, the bible of boxing, in the division's near 20-year history. As reticent outside the ring as he is remarkable once he steps inside, for the first time Calzaghe reveals his fears and motivations and the real extent of the hand injuries that have dogged his career. One of Britain's foremost sporting champions, a warrior and working-class hero, this is the story of the triumphs and trials that made Calzaghe a legend.

Editorial
From the Publisher

The autobiography of the greatest British boxer of all time
Editorial
From the Inside Flap

IT WAS past three o’clock in the morning when Joe Calzaghe experienced the sweetest validation of his professional life. Victory over Jeff Lacy, a 28-year-old American compared to a young Mike Tyson because of his power and "take-no-prisoners attitude", left no one in doubt about the world super middleweight champion’s talent. Hugh McIlvanney, the doyen of British sportswriters and a veteran chronicler of fights, described what he had witnessed as "one of the greatest displays of superb technique, confidence and fighting intelligence a British boxer has delivered in a major contest."

For years, Calzaghe’s virtuosity remained a legend of the Welsh valleys. His defeat in 1997 of Chris Eubank brought him to prominence, winning for him the World Boxing Organisation (WBO) super middleweight title. But despite a record number of defences of the belt, his career lacked a defining contest. A long line of challengers and ex-titleholders were disposed of but the biggest names in American boxing avoided the ultimate showdown he craved. Hand injuries further obscured the true level of his aptitude for an art he began to learn from his father, Enzo, at the age of eight when – inspired by Sugar Ray Leonard - a rolled-up carpet in the family home in Newbridge became a makeshift heavy bag.

No Ordinary Joe is the story of Calzaghe’s extraordinary life, from his humble beginnings in a ramshackle old gym in his hometown of Newbridge, to his ascent to personal greatness, becoming the first super middleweight boxer to win the prized belt awarded by The Ring, the bible of boxing, in the division’s near 20-year history. As reticent outside the ring as he is remarkable once he steps inside, for the first time Calzaghe reveals his fears and motivations and the real extent of the hand injuries that have dogged his career.

One of Britain’s foremost sporting champions, a warrior and working-class hero, this is the story of the triumphs and trials that made Calzaghe a legend.

Editorial
About the Author

JOE CALZAGHE, winner of three consecutive ABA titles as an amateur (a post-war record) and the dominant super middleweight in the world for the past decade, was born in 1972 in Hammersmith, London, growing up from the age of two in Newbridge, Wales. After 22 fights unbeaten he successfully challenged Chris Eubank for the WBO title, before defending successfully against a host of other ex title holders before beating Jeff Lacy to cement his pre-eminent status. He has two sons, Joe and Connor, and lives in Blackwood. BRIAN DOOGAN writes about boxing and football for the Sunday Times and is the long-time British and European correspondent for The Ring. For his coverage of boxing, he was named Specialist Correspondent of the Year in the 2004 British Sports Journalism Awards. A native of Lisnaskea in Northern Ireland, he resides in Luton.

Highly recommended
Review date: 2008-02-01 Rating: 10 out of 10

I read this book in 1 day and couldn`t put it down. Its a great insight into what makes a champion and what doesn`t. I particularly enjoyed the interaction between the other fighters that Calzaghe meets on his travels. It really gives you an idea what these people are like in real life. It is a chronological, in-depth story of Calzaghe's life, good and bad times.

I also found it interesting to read his side of the story. Particularly when you read something in the news, it isn`t very often you get to hear the real story from the horses mouth.

It is very well written and pulls no punches!

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Reviews


No Ordinary Sports autobiography
Review date: 2007-10-27 Rating: 10 out of 10

This is without doubt one of the most entertaining and thoroughly enjoyable sports bio's i have read. Numerous stories during the book make you laugh, in particular the various spats between Joe and Enzo. Most notably when his dad parked 2 miles away from the weigh-in to avoid paying to park!!! Also, this book gives a great insight into Joe himself and honestly appraises his career and feelings prior to the big fights.
My favourite sports book of all time is Donald McCreas Dark Trade and i found 'No Ordinary Joe' is not far behind. Very well written and easy to read, so much so that i finished it in 2 days on holiday earlier this year.

An excellent read for sports fans, much better than the usual Autobiography's
Review date: 2007-10-26 Rating: 10 out of 10

The best Autobiography of a sports-man I have read.

I read Freddie Flintoff and Michael Vaughan's autobiographies when I was on holiday last year and to be honest they both seemed like token efforts devoid of feeling and not offering much insight - Don't get me wrong, they were professionally written and I don't regret reading them but when I put them down I was left with the question - Well, what have I really learned about the person? Put crudely, there was no X-factor.

No Ordinary Joe is different. The book is ghostwritten but unless i'd read it on the inside pages I never would have known as some of the thoughts seem very personal and honest - Very rare today!(I'm 29 by the way not 79)

No Ordinary Joe is a refreshingly honest and often amusing (In an intentionally dry way) look at the life and career of Joe Calzaghe. The book covers the background and history of his family and the influence (In particular that of his Dad & uncles) they have had throughout his career as well as his preparations, the fights themselves and how he saw/sees his career progressing and what he intends to do after boxing.

Importantly (and probably one of the reasons why I enjoyed it) the book doesn't dodge the controversial issues and, in fact, meets all of them head on. I have followed Joe's career closely and can't think of any accusation etc. that wasn't addressed - Being called chicken for pulling out of specific fights, Enzo being briefly sacked as his trainer, The honesty about where his career was at the point of the Omar Sheika fight.

In fact, the book opens with a quote from his father/trainer Enzo "If you pull out of the Lacy fight, all that you'll be remembered for in the boxing world is for being a f*cking chicken, is that what you want?"

There are numerous other frank quotes like this and while some people might have been tempted to stay away from this type of thing, seeing it unecessary/too risky to address, this book doesn't. Articles criticizing Joe are plentiful (often quoted from newspapers columns) and believe me when I say they have not been amended or watered down in order to influence the reader to see him in a better light, you just get the article and then you have Joe's take on it, which to me seems to be largely genuine.

The book of course covers all of Joe's professional (And the significant amateur) fights and I enjoyed the insight into his state of mind pre-fight, how his fight preparations went, as well as how badly and how surprisingly long his injuries have affected him. I was also pleased to see his healthy sense of self awareness in admitting that he sometimes can't half be a pain in the ar*e and a moody so and so.

A damn good and insightful read and to make a bad (but accurate) pun, it pulls no punches.

Nick




Fascinating if carefully monitored look at a boxing star
Review date: 2007-09-03 Rating: 8 out of 10

Joe Calzaghe's autobiography is a quick read and, for the most, entertaining enough. It's not orgies and sniping - like Nigel Benn's; it's not anecdotes and swearing - like Ricky Hatton's; it's a straightforward, seemingly, appraisal of a career that is yet to be done.

Calzaghe is an enigma. He is very low profile considering he is - without doubt - one of the best British boxers ever. For the legions who have heard of Amir Khan and Frank Bruno, there are small cohorts who know how good this guy is.

And, ironically, he takes a lot of stick. Go on a boxing talk board and say you're a Calzaghe fan and wait for the vitriol to pour down.

He doesn't say it directly, but Calzaghe is a complex man. He relates how two people close to him - his Dad Enzo (great trainer, by the way, my God how good is he!) and Frank Warren, the promoter - have told him, in no uncertain terms, to just get over the hand injuries and get on with it. He puts that in his autobiography, but still he is mumbling and fussing about his hands. It is almost cognitive dissonance: "I know everyone says I should just fight on, but listen tm my hand problems and feel sorry for me!"

There is precious little in terms of Calzaghe's personal life which, I feel, is a shame. Not that I want to hear the in and outs of his divorce, but he has cited how much it affected him and yet, apart from a line, we wouldn't know he was married.

There's a bit of the confessional about the book. JC knows he is an awkward so and so - he's an Ayrton Senna, a Nick Faldo, a Kevin Pietersen, a sporting perfectionist, a ludicrously talented man who has difficulty relating to those who just don't get it, who just don't get how good he is. He admits this, but, unlike Ricky Hatton, he has not learnt to stand back. To laugh at himself. He'd probably be a lot more happy if he did.

If you have ever seen Calzaghe fight when he means it, like he did for Jeff Lacy, you should be a fan and you should buy this book. The definitive work on the Welsh wonder, though, has yet to be written.

A highly readable book from a great champion
Review date: 2007-08-29 Rating: 10 out of 10

No Ordinary Joe is the autobiography of Joe Calzaghe and takes his story up to April 2007 when he beat Peter Manfredo Jnr at the Millennium Stadium, Cardiff. At the time the book was written, Joe had been the WBO super-middleweight champion for 10 years making 20 successful defences, as well as gaining the IBF super-middleweight title in 2006 in a fight against Jeff Lacy described by the respected commentator Hugh Mcllvanney as "one of the greatest displays of superb technique, confidence and fighting intelligence a British boxer has delivered in a major contest." Despite his record, recognition had been slow coming to Joe before the Lacy fight. This is surprising, as he has a broad appeal capable of crossing over to a female fan base with the looks that led to the offer of an M & S modelling contract (which he declined) as well as being a devoted father and family man. The book is remarkably objective for an autobiography and Joe is able to come up with a number of reasons for his comparatively low profile: He came after the barnstorming Benn-Eubank-Collins years and boxing's move away from terrestrial television to Sky; he has been dogged by hand injuries; the fact that his talent scared off the biggest names; possibly it's the British inability to fully embrace winners but perhaps most of all in a celebrity driven age, Joe has never been interested in the fame game. You get a clear idea from the book as to how Joe has developed as an athlete. He very courageously discusses how he was very badly bullied at school despite being a schoolboy boxing champion. This ended a reasonably promising academic performance and it could be that this intelligence was diverted away from academia to the ring. He acknowledges tensions in the relationship with his father and trainer, Enzo who clearly recognised his son's prodigious talent at an early age. There could have been more analysis of Enzo as his story is, in many ways, just as remarkable as he had no previous experience of boxing training. Although Enzo could see the talent, Joe's career was set back by a number of people who did not know how to handle it. So astonishingly the Wales ABA did not put him forward for the Barcelona Olympics qualifiers and whilst managed by Mickey Duff he was not being brought on sufficiently quickly. There are also some great anecdotes such as Joe's mounting discomfiture when Enzo decides verbally to have a go at Tyson. The forward by Sugar Ray Leonard is a little odd as it seems far more about Sugar Ray Leonard than about Joe but that's a minor quibble. Overall it's a highly readable book from a great and modest champion.

Product Details/Specifications


Authors:
Joe Calzaghe

Recording label: Century
Manufacturer: Century
EAN: 9781846051937
Binding: Hardcover
ISBN: 1846051932
Number of pages: 336
Publication date: 2007-05-24
Language: English (Unknown)
Language: English (Original Language)
Language: English (Published)

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