Hope on Calzaghe's NY undercard

Hope will be fighting off the back of his first defeat

Merthyr light-middleweight Kerry Hope has been added to the Madison Square Garden undercard for Joe Calzaghe's 8 November showdown with Roy Jones Jr.

The 26-year-old southpaw, who is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, has yet to find out who he will be fighting.

Hope will want to bounce back after suffering the first loss of his 12-bout career against Matthew Hall in March.

"I've never been to America and it's always been a dream of mine to fight in New York," said Hope.

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"If you name any great fighter, they will have boxed at Madison Square Garden.

"After I lost to Hall, I thought about chucking it all in.

"I had got a bit complacent in the build-up and was just going out drinking."

Hope joins stablemate Tony Doherty on the undercard at the self-styled "world's greatest arena".

In the last few weeks it's been hard to tell if Roy wants to fight me or marry me Joe Calzaghe

Joe Calzaghe flies to the States on Sunday for a series of media conferences in New York and then Los Angeles.

"I don't want these things to be cosy," said Calzaghe in his column for the South Wales Argus. "I am not interested in being Roy Jones' friend for now.

"The guy ducked me for years and now the fight is on because his need is far greater than mine is, it's as simple as that.

"I am looking forward to getting out there and telling him that I am the better fighter, now and 10 years ago, or five years ago, or whenever.

"I am not going to be telling him how much I respect him. Honestly, in the last few weeks it's been hard to tell if Roy wants to fight me or marry me, but after next week he'll be under no illusions that he's in for the fight of his life."