Enzo Calzaghe

Calzaghe was born and raised in Bancali, a hamlet of Sassari, in the Italian island of Sardinia to parents Giuseppe and Victoria.[1] He moved at the age of two, with his family, to Bedfordshire.[1][2] Whilst there he attended school alongside Hungarian-born Joe Bugner, who would later become a European heavyweight champion boxer.[2] Calzaghe's father taught him to box to protect himself from school bullies.[2] The family returned to Italy when Calzaghe was 13 and whilst there he tried to make a career as a footballer - at one point he played on the same team as Gianfranco Zola.[2][1] Calzaghe said of his early life: "Where I come from, in Sardinia, boys like me either became waiters, boxers or footballers. Well, I didn’t end up as any of them – although I’ve had a go at most".[2]

He has two daughters named Sonia and Melissa and one son called Joe.

Calzaghe played the bass guitar for his uncle's band 'Survival'. He was conscripted into the Italian Air Force at the age of 19 and immediately found a place in their Milan football team, where he spent much of the next two years.[2] Upon completing his national service in 1969, Calzaghe decided to travel around Europe, making money as a busker. He hitch-hiked from one city to the next for the next couple of years, often sleeping rough in city squares and phone-boxes.[1][3][2] After being abandoned by a travelling companion in Amsterdam he traded his ring for a passage on a tomato ship to Whitstable, from where he travelled to Bournemouth where his aunt ran a restaurant his brother Antonio worked for.[1][3] His aunt had sold the business to return to Italy but convinced the new owner to take him on as an employee.[3] Calzaghe worked at the restaurant during the day and slept there at night, in order to save up enough money to go back home to Sardinia. He saved the cash but, when he got to Southampton station, the tannoy announced a train to Cardiff was due. In Calzaghe's words: "Sod going home, let's try Cardiff".[3]

In Cardiff Calzaghe found work at a Wimpy where he fell in love with a waitress, Jackie, who would become his wife just four weeks later.[3][1] They moved in with Jackie's parents in Markham before getting a house near Blackwood that was near to a boxing gym.[3] Calzaghe was, at the time, working variously as a bus conductor and window salesman whilst also playing in bands with his brother.[3][1]

Whilst in Cardiff, Calzaghe got involved in the local boxing gym and met Paul Williams, who was trainer of the Newbridge boxing club.[3] Williams invited Calzaghe to bring Calzaghe's son Joe along as he was being bullied at school.[3][1] Joe became a regular at the gym and Calzaghe became Paul's assistant trainer." Williams retired when Joe was 18 and Enzo took over the gym, which he ran until 2002.[3][1] Calzaghe also won 'Coach of the Year' at the BBC Sports Personality awards, The Ring magazine trainer of the year for 2007,[4] and the Futch–Condon Award, awarded by the Boxing Writers Association of America, for Trainer of the Year 2007. He effectively retired from coaching in 2008, though his gym continued.[1]

A special ceremony was arranged for Calzaghe to be awarded an MBE in Ystrad Mynach, Caerphilly in 2010, presented by the Lord Lieutenant of Gwent, Simon Boyle, because Calzaghe was unable to attend the ceremony at Buckingham Palace. [5] A bridge has been named in honour of Enzo and Joe in their home town of Newbridge.[1] As well as Joe, Enzo had two daughters named Sonia and Melissa, and 9 grandchildren, Joe Jr, Connor, Christopher, Chloe, Elysia, Dylan, Louisa, Jacques, Alba and two great grandsons Logan and Alfie. A granddaughter Elodie.[1] He died on 17 September 2018, after a series of rumours regarding his health and false reports of his death on the preceding days.[6]

• Lutz, Tom (31 October 2008). "Small Talk: Enzo Calzaghe on booze, Charlotte Church and sleeping in phone boxes". The Guardian. Retrieved 14 September 2018.