HE was no ordinary Joe. Unbeaten in 46 professional fights, reigning as world champion for 11 years, succeeding at two weights, and overcoming American legends Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jnr in their home rings - these achievements marked Joe Calzaghe as being an extraordinary sportsman.

But as the 36-year-old, born in London but brought up in Wales, enjoyed his first day in retirement, the question must be asked: is he Britain's greatest ever boxer?

Calzaghe's announcement that he was hanging up his gloves - "the hardest decision of my life" - was bound to elicit emotive responses.

Richie Woodhall, former world super-middleweight champion whose career ended with a 10th round stoppage at Calzaghe's hands in December 2000, insisted: "Joe is the No1 British fighter - ever. It might be another 50, or 100, years before another fighter like Joe comes along."

Enzo Maccarinelli, the former cruiserweight world champion who shared Calzaghe's unpretentious gym on the outskirts of Newbridge in south Wales, agreed with Woodhall.

"Joe was the best British fighter ever produced," he said. "He achieved things that most fighters can only dream of. He beat everyone put in front of him. He unified the belts. What more did he have to do?"

Ricky Hatton ran through Calzaghe's CV, observing: "He's done Vegas, Madison Square Garden, been world champion, two different weights, one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world, unbeaten. He'll retire as one of the greatest fighters that Britain has ever produced."

Hatton knows his boxing history, and his caveat "one of" is significant.

One candidate for the honour is Nigel Benn. Back in 1990, when Calzaghe was succumbing to his last-ever loss, as a 17-year-old amateur against Adrian Opreda of Romania in the European Junior Championships, Benn was successfully defending his world middleweight title against Iran Barkley in Las Vegas.

To have seen the Dark Destroyer, who had epic duels with Chris Eubank and the tragic Gerald McClellan, trade leather with the Pride of Wales would have been special.

Benn offered a generous and acceptable prediction of the outcome. He said: "Joe struggled against nobodies. But when he stepped up in class to fight the likes of Jeff Lacy, for instance, he made them look like nobodies.

"I'd have loved him to have been around in my heyday. I'll be honest enough to admit I think he would have beaten me. He'd have been in a fight, though."

Sir Henry Cooper, Frank Bruno, and Naseem Hamed have all carved their names in boxing history but were not in the same league as the southpaw. One man who was, though, was Ken Buchanan.

The Scot's stellar career included winning a 15-round decision against the slippery Ismael Laguna at Madison Square Garden over 37 years ago, and taking the great Roberto Duran 13 rounds at the same venue.

Laguna and Duran were in their prime but when Calzaghe beat Hopkins in Las Vegas last April, The Executioner was a fading 43 years old. And Jones was 40 and well past his best when he was outpointed in what will now go down as Calzaghe's last victory, in New York three months ago.

Buchanan gets my vote, ahead of Calzaghe with Hatton and Lennox Lewis, who unified the heavyweight titles albeit in an era when boxing's blue ribbon division was weak, tying for third.

But let's still celebrate a boxer who won three ABA titles at different weights, the British super-middleweight championship, held the WBO super-middleweight title for over a decade from 1997, and who triumphed in career-defining bouts with the previously unbeaten Lacy and Mikkel Kessler.

Calzaghe's achievements earned him a CBE and an MBE, and public acclaim as the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

"I've been boxing for 25 years and I have achieved everything I wanted to achieve," he said. "I've got no other goals to go for. That's why I'm calling it a day."