Calzaghe targets 'freak' Hopkins

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The undefeated Calzaghe wants to cap his incredible career with two bouts before retiring at the end of 2008. The super-middleweight king, who unified the division by adding the WBA and WBC titles to his own WBO belt in the early hours of Sunday morning, is looking to step up a division to light-heavyweight.

And the 35-year-old Welshman desperately wants one of his opponents to be American star Hopkins, who turns 43 in January, telling Sky Sports News: "Who cares if he's a tough enough opponent? He's 42 but the guy is like a freak with regards to age. He's very professional, he doesn't drink and lives the proper life and he's in great condition still."

He added: "He's proved himself to be the number one in the division. I want to go up to 175lbs and fight the best."

Calzaghe cemented his place as one of the top pound-for-pound fighters in the world with arguably his finest performance at the weekend.

He beat Denmark's Mikkel Kessler in a unanimous points verdict at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium and immediately called out Hopkins, who had himself challenged Calzaghe after the American's last fight in July.

However, Hopkins is a notoriously tough negotiator and Calzaghe will be hoping the big-money backing of the Home Box Office pay-per-view network can help him seal the deal.

"Hopkins has been shouting his mouth off," Calzaghe said. "Let's see if he wants to fight me.

"It'd be great to fight him in front of my home crowd but I can't see Hopkins coming to Cardiff to be honest. It'll probably be me going to the States.

"I've no problem with that. I'll fight him in his garden, I'll fight him wherever he wants to fight. I'll beat Hopkins anywhere. I'll knock the guy out, if he has the courage to fight me that is."