The Neutral Corner

BY MARCUS HENRY

We've all heard this before. A boxer ready to leave the sport after capturing a major title. Joe Calzaghe told the Daily Mirror he is ready to hang up the gloves. But he doesn't want to leave without a bang. And he's hoping to have his one last hurrah against Bernard Hopkins. He's even willing to move up to light heavyweight to do it.

"I have got two fights left - tops," the WBC, WBA and WBO super middleweight champ told the Daily Mirror. "I might even have one more and then decide to pack it all in and then get on with the rest of my life. Who knows?"

He says making money is not a motivating factor. We'll see, especially if he gets his wish and mixes it up with Hopkins. Floyd Mayweather said he was ready to retire after the De La Hoya fight. That "retirement" lasted for all of three months as Mayweather put his John Hancock on a contract to fight Ricky Hatton. A fight in which he made $10 million.

Money talks...