In front of a raucous crowd at the MEN Arena in Manchester, England, undefeated WBO/IBF/The Ring magazine super middleweight champion JOE CALZAGHE, boxing's current longest-reigning world champion, successfully defended his titles for the 19th consecutive time of his nine-year championship reign. Calzaghe (42-0, 31 KOs), making his HBO debut, scored a gritty and convincing 12-round unanimous decision over Sakio Bika (21-2-2, 13 KOs), with the judges scoring it 117-110, 117-110, 116-111.  The fight will be televised in the U.S. Tonight! on HBO's "Boxing After Dark" at 11 P.M. ET/PT.
 
            A fourth-round headbutt from Bika resulted in a cut over Calzaghe's left eye -- the first time the undefeated champion had ever been cut in his 23-year professional career.  But despite Bika's dirty tactics throughout the fight (the referee deducted a point from him later in the fight) Calzaghe dug down deep, as he has done throughout his career, punishing the two-time world title contender to win the decision going away.  After the fight, Calzaghe addressed his future.
 
            "I am looking forward to coming to America to show I am the real deal.  Bernard Hopkins is the man and 100% I would fight him in his own garden if that is what it took to get him into the ring with me.  He can fight me next to prevent me from tying his record for consecutive victories or wait one fight to prevent me from surpassing him on the all time list."    
 
            Calzaghe, who has held the title since October 11, 1997, and is arguably one of the greatest fighters in British history, moved into a sixth-place tie with former strawweight champion Ricardo Lopez on the all-time list for consecutive title defenses and within one of Bernard Hopkins and Larry Holmes, the former middleweight and heavyweight champions, respectively, who are tied for fourth with 20 consecutive defenses.  Former heavyweight champion Joe Louis tops the list (25), followed by former light heavyweight champion Dariusz Michalczewski (23) and former super middleweight champion Sven Ottke (21).