Retired champ Calzaghe rules out Froch fight

NEWPORT, Wales (AP)—Joe Calzaghe has no interest in coming out of retirement to fight Carl Froch, saying the WBA super middleweight champion is not in the same class.

The 37-year-old Welshman retired in February after winning all 46 of his fights and said that he had no interest in facing Froch, who knocked out Jermain Taylor with 14 seconds left in their fight Saturday night in Mashantucket, Conn.

“Enough is enough with Carl Froch calling me out,” Calzaghe told the South Wales Argus. “I can tell you categorically that I will not fight the guy even if I did come out of retirement, which I am not going to do.”

Froch called on Calzaghe to return to the ring after beating Taylor, even though he trailed most of the fight. But Calzaghe, who won his last two fights at 175 pounds against former world champions Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr., said the English fighter was not good enough to lure him from retirement.

“I am sick to death of him drumming up free publicity for himself by using my name,” Calzaghe said. “No one who watched the fight can believe he’s in my class. He’s my stalker.

“For the first eight rounds against Taylor he was like a goalkeeper with no defense. He was being outclassed and outfought by a middleweight who’s seen better days.”