Calzaghe is BBC Sports Personality

12 April 2012

Boxer Joe Calzaghe has been crowned BBC Sports Personality of the Year.

The 35-year-old Welshman beat off strong competition from racing star Lewis Hamilton, who came runner-up, and fellow boxer Ricky Hatton, who achieved third place in the public vote.

Accepting the award via video link from Las Vegas, he said: "I am shocked. It's a massive honour and it caps off a wonderful year for me.

"I am very proud of it, it's a tremendous achievement. To get two boxers in the top three - wow!"

It was a double celebration for the Calzaghe family as Joe's father, boxing trainer Enzo Calzaghe, won Coach of the Year.

Paying tribute to him, Joe, who is one of three world champions coached by him, said: "It's amazing. He definitely deserves it. I am tremendously proud."

Football legend Sir Bobby Robson picked up the 2007 Lifetime Achievement Award and received a standing ovation and huge applause as he made his way to the stage.

He said: "I am absolutely delighted to be here to receive this prestigious award. It's a terrific honour.

"Nobody wins anything on their own. This award really is an extension and opportunity for me to say thank you very much to everybody that has supported me."

Presenting the award, Sir Alex Ferguson said: "The reception he has received tonight tells you everything. To retain that enthusiasm and love for the game is an amazing achievement. It's a miracle."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in