Joe Calzaghe is ready to shine on boxing's biggest stage when he faces Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden at the weekend.

Calzaghe, unbeaten in 45 professional fights after dominating the super-middleweight division for a decade, enters the so-called Battle of the Superpowers at light-heavyweight against a boxer widely considered the best pound-for-pound fighter in the world in his prime.

At 36, Calzaghe admits it is only this sort of challenge that can get him psyched up.

He said: "For years and years I've been fighting guys I've never heard of with names I couldn't even spell and fighters I'd never even seen tapes of.

"It's been very difficult to psych yourself up for those sort of opponents. When I fought a guy called Sakio Bika, who came in at quite late notice, I didn't know anything about the guy, so you go in blind.

"He was a lot tougher and stronger than I thought he would be and I got cut, it was a very dirty fight, but it wasn't a good match up."

Fights like his epic victories over American Jeff Lacy in Manchester in 2006 and Denmark's Mikkel Kessler at the Millennium Stadium last year have brought the best out of Calzaghe.

He added: "The bigger the occasion, the bigger the fight, the bigger the performance.

"I've always said I've got more chance losing against fighters I've never heard of than the ones I have."

To underline that point, Calzaghe revealed that despite forging a friendship with Jones after getting together to promote their own fight, he has stopped talking to his opponent after their last media appearance together last month.

The Pride of Wales said ahead of his bout at the Mecca of boxing: "I haven't spoken to Roy in six weeks. We know this is what we get paid to do."

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