Meeting Britain's Queen Elizabeth proved to be Joe Calzaghe's toughest challenge yet, the boxer revealed Wednesday.
The super-middleweight champion has confessed he was so nervous when he was introduced to the 82-year-old royal at London's Buckingham Palace he can't remember what happened.
Calzaghe, who received the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) from the queen, said: "I was pretty relaxed until I got to the front, then I started to get nervous. It's nerve-racking talking to the queen."
"It's a lot easier talking about boxing. I think she said I was undefeated. I blabbered something out. She said, 'I do a lot of charity work' and I said, 'I do a lot of work with children.'"
Calzaghe was recognized for his services to sport and voluntary services in his home country of Wales in the queen's Birthday Honors list. He was accompanied to the ceremony by his parents and his girlfriend Jo-Emma Lavin.
The boxer, who is renowned for his ability to defeat opponents in the ring with his devastating combination punches, didn't reveal if he had discussed his plans to retire with the queen.
Calzaghe, who recorded his 46th win by defeating Roy Jones Jr. at New York's Madison Square Garden earlier this month, also refused to confirm he is ready to hang up his gloves.
He added: "I'll be 37 in March so I'm no spring chicken. It'll have to be something really special to make me want to fight again but I'll decide in the New Year. There'll always be another up-and-coming fighter. It depends how long you want to go on. It depends if I want to push it a bit or stop."
 |  |  |  |  |  |
