6 of the Most Enthralling Fights in the Career of Joe Calzaghe

When he hung up his gloves in 2009, Joe Calzaghe achieved the rare feat of retiring with an undefeated record.

The Welshman—who started out at super middleweight before moving up to light heavyweight in the closing stages of his career—won all 46 of his professional outings.

To celebrate Calzaghe's birthday on March 23, here is a review of six of his biggest fights.

There were, however, some memorable moments that didn't quite make the final cut.

The southpaw had his hands full for five rounds against Omar Sheika in 2000, while later that same year he got the better of fellow Brit Richie Woodhall.

Calzaghe hit the canvas for the first time early on against Byron Mitchell in 2003, only to stop the American in the second round.

The bout with Sakio Bika also came close to earning a place in the top half-dozen, with Calzaghe having to cope with a nasty cut following a head butt.

You can, of course, add your own personal memories via the comments section.

1. Calzaghe vs. Chris Eubank (October 11, 1997)

Calzaghe was expected to face WBO super middleweight champion Steve Collins in 1997, only for the titleholder to suddenly announce his retirement.

Instead, the young Welshman ended up taking on Chris Eubank in Sheffield for the vacated belt.

Calzaghe quickly made an impression on his experienced opponent, dropping him to the canvas in the opening seconds of the first round.

However, if he was hoping that knockdown would lead to a quick win, he was sadly mistaken.

Eubank recovered from the early setback to become the first man to take Calzaghe the full 12 rounds.

In the end Calzaghe won comfortably on the scorecards, getting the nod (118-109, 118-110 and 116-111) from the three judges at ringside.

Although he was a clear winner, Calzaghe has since admitted, per BBC Sport, just how tough that night was for him: "Physically and mentally, the Eubank fight drained me."

2. Calzaghe vs. Robin Reid (February 13, 1999)

Calzaghe had comfortably seen off Branko Sobot and Juan Carlos Gimenez Ferreyra in his first two defences of the WBO title before he went up against Robin Reid.

The Englishman was a former WBC champion but had only fought once in the previous 14 months going into the bout in Newcastle.

Calzaghe had not been in action in 10 months since beating Ferreyra in his home city of Cardiff the previous year.

The bout with Reid saw the southpaw face the real prospect of suffering a first defeat as a professional.

A hand injury he suffered in the early stages hurt the champ's cause, though he was able to carry on and go the distance.

The judges gave the champion the win via split decision. Two judges scored it 116-111 in his favour, while the other gave it to Reid by the same score.

The challenger insisted in an interview with DogHouseBoxing.com in 2005 that he should have won: "I have studied a tape of it, and I seriously believe I won that fight by at least two rounds."

3. Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy (March 4, 2006)

Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy were undefeated world champions when they went toe-to-toe in Manchester in 2006.

The American Lacy arrived in England with the IBF belt in his possession. He had recorded victories over two former Calzaghe opponents in Omar Sheika and Robin Reid, forcing the latter to retire after seven rounds.

However, Calzaghe proved too quick and busy for Lacy in a ridiculously one-sided contest that somehow went the distance.

With the fight staged in the early hours of the morning to accommodate an American television audience, Calzaghe turned in a performance that Steve Kim of MaxBoxing.com described as a "clinic."

The only blemish for the Welshman came in the 11th round when he lost a point for hitting his rival around the back.

It did not make a difference to the final scores, however. Calzaghe won 119-107 on two of the cards, with the other making it 119-105 in his favour.

He knocked down Lacy in the last round and beat him badly throughout. Lacy was never the same fighter again after the defeat, losing five of his next 11 fights.

4. Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler (November 3, 2007)

Calzaghe took on another unbeaten world champion in 2007, with Mikkel Kessler travelling to Cardiff for a huge unification clash.

The Dane Kessler arrived as the holder of the WBA (super) and WBC titles. He also boasted a 39-0 record, which meant someone's perfect record had to go.

An estimated 50,000 fans watched the bout at the Millennium Stadium, per Ben Dirs' fight report for BBC Sport.

Calzaghe found it tough going in the early stages, though he began to take control in the middle rounds.

The home favourite threw more than 1,000 punches, according to CompuBox Stats (h/t BoxingScene.com)—nearly twice as many as his opponent.

His relentless efforts resulted in his winning on points after 12 enthralling rounds.

The judges at ringside all marked it comfortably in Calzaghe's favour; two scored it 116-112, and the third had it 117-111.

The victory marked the end of the road for Calzaghe at the super middleweight limit.

5. Calzaghe vs. Bernard Hopkins (April 19, 2008)

Calzaghe's first outing at light heavyweight was not an easy one.

Having enjoyed a long reign at super middleweight, he travelled to Las Vegas for his US debut, taking on Bernard Hopkins at the Thomas & Mack Center.

The step-up perhaps looked like a mistake when Hopkins, who was 43 when the pair met, dropped his younger opponent in the first round.

The fight became scrappy after that, forcing referee Joe Cortez to often step in.

The official in the ring lectured both men in the fourth but opted not to deduct a point after Hopkins complained of being hit with low blows in both the 10th and 11th rounds.

Calzaghe's greater work rate saw him do enough to get the verdict from two of the judges, though the other scored Hopkins the winner.

The Pride of Wales said afterward, per Ben Dirs of BBC Sport: "It wasn't pretty, but I won the fight. It wasn't my best night, but I know I won."

With the victory, Calzaghe gained The Ring Magazine belt.

6. Calzaghe vs. Roy Jones Jr. (November 8, 2008)

Calzaghe followed up his victory over Bernard Hopkins by taking on another American legend in Roy Jones Jr.

Along with his loyal band of supporters from Wales, Calzaghe travelled to Madison Square Garden in New York to put his perfect record on the line.

Jones had seen his reputation as the best pound-for-pound fighter on the planet slip following three successive defeats between May 2004 and October 2005, with two of them coming at the hands of Antonio Tarver.

Still, he had been a world champion at light heavyweight before and was going into the bout with Calzaghe on a three-fight win streak.

Just like the bout against Hopkins, Calzaghe found himself on the canvas in the first round. However, he quickly recovered and seized control. In the seventh he landed a shot that opened up a nasty cut above his rival's left eye.

Jones was hampered by the damage but still able to carry on through to the final bell.

The judges all scored the bout 118-109 in Calzaghe's favour, which improved his record to 46-0.

In February the following year, he announced his retirement.