The undisputed super-middleweight champion of the world held off stiff competition to win the 2007 BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award on Sunday. And this is none other than Joe Calzaghe. Ten sporting celebrities competed for the public vote on the night during the live show. The public voted for their BBC Sports Personality of the Year by telephone during the show. The shortlist of ten contenders was put together by an expert panel of leading sporting experts from a selection of more than 30 newspaper sports editors (national and regional) and magazines and the BBC Sports Personality Of The Year panel of 12 sporting experts. Calzaghe lost out last year in the poll to equestrian Zara Phillips and joked then that he was not disappointed. He confessed after his win that though he said he didn’t care last year, he had lied. Calzaghe, 35, unified the super-middleweight division with a unanimous points victory over Denmark’s Mikkel Kessler at Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium last month. It was also a good night for Enzo Calzaghe, father of Joe, who won the coach’s award. Former England manager Sir Bobby Robson was awarded a lifetime achievement award presented by Sir Alex Ferguson. The England rugby team won the sports team of the year and South Africa’s blade-runner, Oscar Pistorius, won the Helen Rollason Award. Roger Federer was named the overseas sportsman of the year for a third time, and the Young Sports Personality of the Year Award went to diver Tom Daley.
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Carl Froch to fight Denis Inkin in WBC title eliminator
In Carl Froch, Britain have a really huge and promising hope to stamp its authority on the sport of boxing. While football and cricket make up the bulk of the sporting culture in Britain, boxing is often relegated to the sidelines to be practiced by a chosen few. But that could change to a considerable degree should Froch beat Russia’s Denis Inkin and gain the right to battle it out for the prestigious WBC title. Although the fight is yet to be given a date and a venue, the anticipation and hype are already multiplying. Froch is 30 years of age and is unbeaten in 22 fights and the WBC has made the statement that should he beat the 29-year old Inkin, who is himself unbeaten in 31 professional encounters, then the boxer from Notthingham would qualify to fight 35-year old Joe Calzaghe for the WBC title. Froch is certainly the favourite to win the fight against Inkin. The duo confronted each other in an amateur tie in 1999. Although things have much changed in the last 8 or so years, Froch’s recent run of confidence and public support should see him through against Inkin this time around too. Carl Froch says: I’d like to think Joe Calzaghe will be there when I get past Inkin. I want to keep that dream alive. I’m one fight away from the ultimate aim and the biggest prize in boxing, the WBC title. Inkin is a decent fighter who is cool and skilful. I boxed him as an amateur in 1999 when he beat me on points but I put him down in the last round with an uppercut that really hurt him. This will be revenge. Image Source: Monokli