Joe Calzaghe was fighting for the 46th - and possibly final - time in a 15-year professional career, got off the canvas from a first-round knockdown to beat eight-time, four-weight world champion Jones at Madison Square Garden on Saturday night.

Welshman Calzaghe won on points. He lost the first round but won every one of the 11 remaining rounds on all three judges' scorecards to retain his Ring Magazine light-heavyweight championship title. Calzaghe scored a resounding 118-109 victory on all three of the judges' scorecards.

It was a stunning display from the 36-year-old, extending his professional record to 46-0 and capping a series of victories in recent years that has included memorable triumphs against previously undefeated super-middleweight world champions Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler and American ring legend Bernard Hopkins.

"I'm so, so proud of what I achieved and where I've come from," Calzaghe said.

"It's been so hard for me for years and so to be top of the bill at the Garden against a four-weight world champion in Roy Jones Jr, what can I say, I'm just so, so proud.

"At the end of the day, it's got to be in the top three (performances). Obviously up there with Lacy and Kessler.

"After the first round I dominated and I felt it was a much better fight than the Hopkins fight."

Calzaghe said that he would think things over with his family, including his father and trainer Enzo, before making any decision on whether or not to retire from boxing.

"I'm not sure about it," he said.

"I'm going to chill out and make a final decision in a few weeks."

He had given his prospects of victory a major boost midway through the fight against Jones when he cut the American above his left eye.

He then went to work on the area so that his corner could do little to staunch the flow of blood and, the British star said, Jones was thrown out of kilter by his shifting gameplan.

"I cut him on the left eye so it's my right hand I worked on," Calzaghe said.

"He's expecting the big left hand all the time but using the jab, I knew my jab was the key weapon.

"So I was picking him apart with the jab and when he got cut I was landing my jab on that cut all the time.

"So it was getting worse and worse, and he couldn't see that great after six or seven rounds, and I was in total control.

"I dominated the fight. Roy caught me with a great shot in the first round but after that I just regrouped, used my boxing skills and had it in control."

Perhaps the only disappointment for Calzaghe was that the Compubox punching statistics issued after the fight revealed he had thrown 'just' 964 punches.

"Is that all?" he said jokingly.

"I'm a bit disappointed I didn't get to 1000-plus but it's not bad for a 36-year-old man."

Calzaghe also paid tribute to the estimated 7,000 fans that crossed the Atlantic to see their man fight at the mecca of boxing, Madison Square Garden.

"It was just awesome, the atmosphere was great, and big thanks to all the fans that came out," Calzaghe said.

"They really gave me a lift and I'm proud to fight a great fight there."