Jones: Garden to stage Calzaghe fight

1:25am Sunday 13th July 2008

Roy Jones Jr will take on Joe Calzaghe at New York's Madison Square Garden on September 20, the American has confirmed.

Unbeaten Welshman Calzaghe, 36, has indicated he will hang up his gloves after his bout with Jones, who claims the purse will be split 50-50 between the two men.

"When Joe fought in Vegas (against Bernard Hopkins), I ran into a lot of people who weren't happy with the arrangements and the way they had to go through all the stops to get there," Jones told BBC Sport Wales. "So I wanted to make it easier for the people to come from the United Kingdom to support the fight because I know how many will be coming."

Jones added: "Everything is being split 50-50. It's straight down the middle. I wouldn't have it any other way."

Calzaghe, who split with long-time promoter Frank Warren last month, gave up his WBC super-middleweight belt to fight Jones in a light-heavyweight contest.

Calzaghe earlier expressed his desire to fight in New York.

"I went to New York as part of the build-up of both the Mikkel Kessler and Bernard Hopkins fights and I love the place," he wrote in his weekly column in the South Wales Argus newspaper.

"I also think NY is a town where I would be very well received. There is a very large Italian-American population in Manhattan and that attracts me also.

"The biggest names in the sport - Ali, Leonard, Foreman, and Marciano - have all boxed at the Garden.

"It would also represent the best venue in America in order to accommodate my supporters from all over the UK."