Joe Calzaghe Opponent Named

Welsh boxing hero to face Cameroon’s Sakio Bika

Joe Calzaghe, his left hand healed, now back in the gym, will return to the ring against Cameroon’s Sakio Bika at Manchester’s MEN Arena on October 14.

Promoter Frank Warren has promised the unbeaten Calzaghe a February mega-fight if he can do to Bika what he did to Jeff Lacy in March.

“I have had a lot of frustration in my career but I plan on making up for it in October and I have the great incentive of what may be a unification fight in February,” Calzaghe told The Times of London. “I have been training hard for the last five weeks and have had no problems. I know nothing about Bika but from his record he looks like a tough fighter.”

The Australia-based Bika, 27, has only one loss in 23 professional fights. He put up an exceptional showing against the WBC super-middleweight champion Markus Beyer in May before the fight was declared a technical draw after four when the champ suffered a bad cut.

“If Joe comes through we have got a big TV date in February for what will be a mega-fight,” Warren said. “Joe has had a lot of injuries but when he is on top of his game I don’t think anybody can live with him.”

Also on the card will be the WBO cruiserweight title clash between Johnny Nelson and Enzo Maccarinelli.