THIS is my final column from the UK before my fight with Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden on November 8, so let’s make it a good one.

The first thing I want to talk about is my dad and trainer Enzo Calzaghe.

You will have read this week that dad is thinking about calling it a day and walking away from boxing when I do.

He says he is falling out of love with the sport because of boxing politics, something I am hearing a lot these days!

But I don’t think people should fret too much that dad will throw in the towel, I don’t believe he will, not quite yet anyway.

He’s a temperamental Italian and he wears his heart on his sleeve, any journalist who has met him will tell you how honest he is – those who can understand him anyway!

He is feeling despondent about certain things at the moment, but he’s built the gym into one of the most famed stables in the world and that’s not the kind of thing you can just walk away from.

We are both friends with all the guys in the stable, it’s not just trainer and fighter and it’s a shame that at the moment there are some difficult issues to contend with.

But nothing is forever and once I have retired I hope I can help dad in the gym as well.

I feel like I’ve got some pretty decent experience to pass on and I know I won’t be happy just sitting on my backside talking about the past, it just isn’t my style.

I can see why dad said what he did, but I certainly wouldn’t encourage him to retire yet, he’s got loads left to offer.

Perhaps when I am retired – on November 9 – people will start to realise just what an amazing coach he is.

I’ve had a pretty great week, very busy but rewarding in and out of the gym.

Training has been fantastic, I am now approaching 100 rounds of sparring, something I haven’t physically been able to do for a very long time because of my fragile hand.

We’ve had guys coming into the gym to replicate certain traits of Jones, but I’ve also had Bradley Pryce and Enzo Maccarinelli and that has been really pleasing.

Outside of the gym I’ve done some great things as well.

On Tuesday I went to the Children’s Hospital in Cardiff to meet some of the patients on the Sky Ward who are suffering with cancer and leukaemia.

It came about because I am the patron of LATCH, the Welsh Children’s Cancer Charity.

Yesterday I had an equally interesting and inspiring day, in my capacity as the new patron of the Sparkle appeal.

This is something I have recently got involved with because of the Argus and it’s a fantastic project, building a huge centre in Newport that will help 1,200 disabled kids.

It’s so inspiring to meet these children and it is a real honour and a pleasure for me to be involved.

My entire week has also been captured by a camera crew from HBO who are currently filming my every move for their 24/7 series, which is screened on Sunday nights in the US, right after my mate Enzo Macc’s favourite show, Entourage.

I just want to finish by talking a bit about Kelly Pavlik, because I feel a sense of regret about the amount I have bad-mouthed him since Bernard Hopkins annihilated him on Saturday in the US.

My issue with Pavlik was more with his loud mouth trainer Jack Loew and the fact that every single time I spoke to a member of the press I was asked about Pavlik.

Everyone was certain that I should be fighting him and no one agreed with me that he is overrated.

I have been proved right and as the Argus said earlier in the week, I feel the fight on Saturday puts a totally new light on my own encounter with Bernard Hopkins.

But I want to apologise to Pavlik.

I said all along that he had fantastic heart and a great chin, he’s aggressive and is never in a dull fight.

It’s a situation similar to that of Mikkel Kessler who I believe is the top man at super middleweight by a million miles.

If Pavlik goes back down to middleweight then hopefully he can rescue his career.

It depends how he is after such a one sided defeat. Some guys come back stronger, some, like Jeff Lacy, become mentally and physically shot.

I hope things work out for Kelly, but I am pleased I don’t have people throwing his name about anymore, as I have heard some crazy things in the past few months.

People accused me of ducking him and that I was taking fights against over the hill legends.

Hopkins proved he is not over the hill and once I take care of Jones I bet he fights Hopkins and it’ll be massive news in America.

If I were to consider fighting past the Jones fight I would need a viable opponent. But the fact is, there are no more names out there that interest me.

In two-and-a-half-weeks time I will be retired. I don’t think it’s really sunk in yet, I am too focused on my last fight and ending my career undefeated.

l Tickets are still available for Joe’s super fight with four-weight world champion Roy Jones Jr at Madison Square Garden on November 8.

For details on how to get tickets, see Joe’s newly-revamped website, www.calzaghe.com