David Starie on what happened against Joe Calzaghe, a terrifying brain infection and why he rejected Matchroom
David Starie tells Bernard O’Shea about his infamous contest with Joe Calzaghe, the brain infection that terrified him, why he rejected a deal with Matchroom and the night he won a title fight then put out a flaming caravan at 4am
IN January 2000 the so-called “Baddest Man on the Planet” landed in England and stayed for a fortnight. In between kissing babies, posing for photos, lavish shopping sprees, a brush with the Immigration Service and the mass hysteria caused during his visit to Brixton, Mike Tyson took just enough time out of his busy schedule to dispatch British heavyweight champion, Julius Francis, in two rounds at the MEN Arena in Manchester. The chief-support that night was Joe Calzaghe’s fifth defence of his WBO super-middleweight title against Britain’s David Starie. It was Calzaghe’s debut on American TV with Showtime broadcasting the fight in th