GREETINGS to all my readers, I must say that it’s great to be home after an absolutely crazy week in America.

I’ve been out in the States to promote my super fight with Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden on November 8 and it’s been completely non-stop.

I arrived back yesterday morning, was taken straight to a London hotel, had a 30 minute break and then went straight to a press conference at the Hard Rock Café in London. Hectic or what?

To be fair, I thoroughly enjoyed my time in America, far more than I’ve ever enjoyed doing a press trip before.

I guess knowing that this might be the last time I will ever promote a fight, put an extra spring in my step while I was out there.

People had hinted to me that the American press weren’t so keen on this fight, but they certainly seemed to really embrace both Roy Jones and I when when we were out there.

The fight has captured the imagination of fight fans in America and because of that, HBO are making their award winning 24/7 behind-the-scenes documentary series, the first time they’ve done that for one of my fights.

It’s a real thrill, they are coming over to film stuff from our gym next week, South Wales is firmly on the map now! I arrived in the States on Sunday night; we spent two days in New York and then flew to Los Angeles on Tuesday night for press engagements on the West Coast.

I suppose the reason I enjoyed the experience more, was for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, there was no hard sell of the fight. I don’t want to sound big headed, but America knows who I am now, I don’t have to sell a fight to disinterested journalists. It is also because, at the age of 36, I have finally learnt how to play the media game.

I enjoy talking to reporters, to radio stations, to TV companies.

They’ve taken the time to come and talk to me and in a way that’s quite an honour. It has taken me a long, long time to realise that, but they do say that with age comes wisdom!

To be honest, the whole week, spending time with Roy Jones, being the one who had arranged the trip (rather than have a promoter do it for me) was an incredibly liberating experience.

My feelings for Roy Jones haven’t really changed, but it’d be wrong if I didn’t point out they he’s been a real pleasure to do business with. We’re not mates, although I do admire him, but he was genuinely good company. I can barely compare the trip this time with the one I made at the start of the year with B-Hop, old man Bernard Hopkins.

That was a bit of a nightmare to be honest, because he was dreadful company, he’s like a droning record that is stuck. He just talks and talks and talks.

Roy and I did several interviews together – with radio stations for example – and things remained courteous. I’ve said before that I think staged animosity between fighters is a bit old fashioned, I think people see right through it and I am not going to act like a prat just to create headlines and neither is Jones. That kind of act is for guys like Hopkins.

Honestly, the whole week went without a hitch. Apart from once!

I must admit, I did get lost in New York. I was staying at a hotel in Times Square and went for my morning run, deciding that Central Park was the most logical destination.

I had been running around the park for a long-time when I realised that I had totally lost my bearings. I asked a guy how to get back to Times Square and he told me to take a taxi. I couldn’t do that; I was on a run after all, so I carried on running and eventually found my hotel about 45 minutes later. The run ended up being three times longer than I wanted to do. But I suppose that won’t do any harm.

I am pleased to be back and I am now looking forward to tomorrow’s press conference/meet and greet with my fans in Cardiff.

I love being in Wales and Roy Jones will get a good idea of what my fans are like – how passionate they are – because he’s going to be there as well.

Training goes back to normal next week – apart from the stuff with HBO – and that’ll be nice, catching up with the boys in the gym and putting in the hard yards that mean I will be able to KO Roy Jones.

Just like me he’s a showman, an explosive fighter and it should be a brilliant fight.

I just want to finish by saying how pleased I am that my stablemate Kerry Hope has been added to the bill for New York.

Just like Tony Doherty – who is also coming – Kerry has a massive chance to make an impression out there on a huge stage.

Kerry’s had a hard year, a disappointing year, after suffering his first professional defeat and it’s been a tough road back.

But now he’s fit and focused and ready to go and he’s looking forward to flying the flag for Merthyr at Madison Square Garden!