BOXING legend Joe Calzaghe swapped rounds in a ring for rounds of applause as he came to Barrow.

The Italian Dragon paid a visit to The Nines to share some of his memories to a packed venue.

The boxing hero, who between 1993 and 2008 went undefeated, treated the crowd to some of his recollections from his time spent inside the ring.

More than 120 people packed out the venue, and dozens lined up to have a photo taken alongside Mr Calzaghe.

Speaking to The Mail before he took to the stage, the former super-middleweight champion shared his feelings about coming to Barrow.

He said: "It's nice to come here and see fans from different parts of Britain. It's nice to chat about your career after being retired for seven or eight years.

"Of course, it gives you a nice feeling when you travel across the country seeing fans talking about fights I had years ago."

He also spoke fondly about reliving his glory years in front of his fans.

He said: "I like reminiscing about my fights as I won them all. I don't think people realise that it took me a while to get to the top of the tree.

"I like to inspire people. It's the best thing that I can do."

Since retiring, Calzaghe has served as a patron for the Beatbullying campaign, and hopes to show youngsters bullying doesn't have to stop them achieving their goals.

Just one of the fans who came to see their boxing idol was Matt Messenger, 41, of Clarence Road, Barrow.

Mr Messenger who was joined by his wife, Donna, said: "We're big boxing fans. I'm hopefully going to get a picture with him.

"He's one of the best boxers the UK ever produced."

Another eager fan was Lee Mulholland, 37, of Barrow.

He said: "I'm a big fan. I've come specially here to see him. His fight with Jeff Lacy was one of the best fights I've ever seen.

"He's probably one of the most underrated boxers in the world. I think it's because he went to America late in his career.

"He's probably one of the best of all time."

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