13.04.05 – WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion Joe Calzaghe could land a bumper £1millon payday if he beats Mario Veit on May 7 in Germany. The power-punching Welshman heads to Braunschweig to defend his title against Veit – who he flattened in a blistering 120 seconds four years ago – after German promoters Universum won the right to stage the rematch with a whopping £920,000 purse bid.
Calzaghe is set to receive a cool £736,000 for his nights work but he has also put a £10,000 bet on himself to knock Veit out again in the first round at odds of 25-1. Another first round blitz of Veit would land Calzaghe with winnings of £250,000 pushing his fight cash to a staggering £1m.
The 33-year-old star is still seething that his clash against Brian Magee last month was scrapped after German TV put a block on the fight and he is now even more determined to do a quicker job on Veit.
Not only does Calzaghe have the cash bonus as a motivator, a unification fight against IBF Champion Jeff Lacy is in the offing if he comes through against Veit..
“I’m still angry about the Magee situation and will take it out on Veit,” stormed Calzaghe.
“The ideal scenario is that I knock Veit onto his promoters lap to finish him off once and for all and then move on to a unification fight against Lacy,”
“After months of hard training for the Magee fight I was in fantastic shape – probably in the best condition I have ever been in – and because of the German’s medalling the fight was cancelled,”
“I only took a week off though and went straight back into training and I will make Veit pay by destroying him for all the trouble he has caused,”
“Veit’s improved slightly but one thing that will not have changed is his chin and once I connect it will be the same as the last time,”