The Christchurch publican stepped into the ring for his first time since 1993 at Cowles Stadium last Saturday - and emerged a winner after claiming a points decision over fellow former Jameson Belt holder and New Zealand representative Danny Masterson.
Calvert’s main event capped his ‘Champions Collide’ charity fight night for the Trillian Trek for children. It raised more than $12,000 for the Team Wai Wakanui, the Christchurch arm of the charity formerly known as Variety Bash.
The 49-year-old, who fashioned a 7-0 record as a professional, said he dominated the four by two-minute rounds before a crowd of about 700.
“I felt good the whole time in there,” he said.
“The left hand was the difference between the two of us. Danny was a bit the worse for wear, he had a bleeding nose and a couple of bruises around the eyes.”
Calvert said he had retired from the fight game but not to the sport entirely after dropping from 115kg to 87kg as he prepared to take on Auckland-based Masterson.
“I’ll be back in the gym next week and I’ll spar a few people to help out, that sort of thing,” he said.
Calvert described the event as ‘a great night’ and was proud to have duked it out before fellow Jameson Belt holders Barry Galbraith (1986) and Jason Eade (1988).
Michael Kenny, the super heavyweight gold medalist at the Auckland Commonwealth Games in 1990, was also ringside.
