Joe Calzaghe believes he answered his critics by outclassing Roy Jones Jr with a unanimous points victory at Madison Square Garden in New York.

The 36-year-old Welshman felt his perception in America of being carefully matched in Europe throughout his career was now well and truly buried. "I'm just overwhelmed at the moment," Calzaghe said. "It took me eight years to get a unification fight and I was more frustrated than anybody.

"I wanted to show the world that I've always been a true champion. It was through no fault of my own that I didn't get the big, big fights that I always wanted.

"I beat Mikkel Kessler, and became undisputed [super-middleweight champion in 2007] and after that there was only two more things I wanted to do. That was to come to the States because you guys never thought I'd come over and beat two legends in the ring, one in Bernard Hopkins and a bigger legend in Roy Jones Jr."

Like the Hopkins fight, Calzaghe was floored in the opening round, but he came back to wear down Jones, causing a damaging cut above the former four-division champion's left eye in the seventh round that Jones' corner could not staunch. Jones went to hospital shortly after the fight to be stitched and did not appear at the post-fight press conference.

"Deja vu, man, I got put on my arse in the first round in both fights," Calzaghe said. "It was not in the script but I think I showed what a true champion is all about, by coming back."

Calzaghe also felt he had proved a point to those critics that questioned his punching power, labelling him 'Slappy Joe'. "I've had problems with my hands for years and years but I was able to train good for this fight," he said. "I've belief in my punching power and I felt I grew into the weight [for the light-heavyweight division] much better for this fight than I did for the Hopkins fight and I felt stronger. I knew I had to make Roy Jones respect my punches and I felt I did. I think I stunned him on a few occasions."

Despite having promised before the fight that he would retire following his meeting with Jones, the Welshman said it would be his intention to go away and think about any decision on his boxing future. "I'm 36, nearly 37 and I'm not going to announce anything right now," he said. " I said before the fight it would possibly be my last fight but I'm just really happy. I enjoyed it, except the first round of course.

"I can't answer those sort of questions right now. Those are the answers I'm going to go away and evaluate. I don't really like to do rematches. I just want to spend some time with my family, have a rest. I'm so happy with what I've achieved this year."