Away day holds no fear for Calzaghe

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Calzaghe's current status as a domestic superstar who can attract over 50,000 to watch him fight is a far cry from the hell he faced on his hard road to the top.

"I know what it's like to be booed and spat at. People forget that when I fought guys like Robin Reid, David Starie and Richie Woodhall in England, I was the foreigner," said Welshman Calzaghe. "The worst was when I fought Mark Delaney in Brentwood in 1996. The crowd were really hostile - you could see the hate on their faces - but I just fed off that."

Calzaghe was responding to one of the chief criticisms of his stellar career that he has been too reluctant to venture out of his south Wales comfort zone, and that his legacy should be judged accordingly.

"Hopkins thinks I've had it easy but he'll never know how hard it's been for me," added Calzaghe, who squares up to Hopkins in their light-heavyweight showdown in Las Vegas on Saturday.

"It happened right from the start when I was denied the chance to represent Great Britain at the Olympics because my face didn't fit.

"I'm convinced I should have qualified for Barcelona, then I would have won a medal, turned pro and not missed out on the Benn, Eubank and Collins era. I would have been a superstar overnight.

"But everything I've been through just makes me enjoy these moments more. Moments like when I was cheered before Ricky Hatton's fight. I've been through a lot and now I'm finally getting the rewards.

"Anyway, who is Hopkins to question my record? He's only fought outside America once, in Ecuador, when he was floored twice and was lucky to escape with a draw. He hasn't been out of his backyard since.

"So he's been in prison as he loves to keep reminding everybody. Big deal. Does that make him a harder man or a better fighter than me? Of course it doesn't. It doesn't mean a thing."