AMERICAN Showtime television are prepared to pay world middleweight champion Bernard Hop-kins $3.5m to fight Joe Calzaghe at the Millen-nium Stadium later this year.

Showtime chief Jay Larkin is convinced after Saturday's sensational win by Calzaghe over Alabama's twice world-champion Byron Mitchell, the Hopkins fight would be a 72,000 sell-out.

Both he and Calzaghe promoter Frank Warren intend to talk with the American and US promoter Don King this week with both convinced the prospects of it going ahead are better than ever.

But should it fail to materialise WBO world super-middleweight champion Calzaghe is prepared to move up to light-heavyweight or heavyweight and go to America to get the bigger pay-days he deserves.

A unification series is on the back-burner because Larkin believes WBA champion Sven Ottke is unknown and not an attraction in the United Sates.

"I believe the fight must go ahead at the Millennium Stadium and every one of the seats would be sold," said Larkin.

"The United States would be hard-pressed to come anywhere near that kind of gate unless a Las Vegas casino stepped up.

"Hopkins has never been one not to go where the fight is. I know him fairly well and he's not intimidated by anyone.

"He's a hell of a fighter and I don't believe coming to Cardiff is the issue. The issue is being paid what he thinks he's worth.

"We agreed a deal of $3m dollars for him to fight Joe once before and the next day he changed his mind and said he wanted double.

"Perhaps if we now up the ante a little bit we can get him. I think he will now see the Calzaghe fight as more of a challenge and more money to be made.

"Saturday's fight showed a different Joe Calzaghe, one that appeals to Americans, a brawling in-your-face style and that will help turn the tide in Joe's favour dramatically.

"Joe proved that he's up there with the great champions."

Warren said: "Hopefully now Joe will firmly establish himself in the States and he will get what he wants.

"We'll have a chat with Hopkins this week. It will be Joe's biggest pay day and keep him happy."

He added of the Mitchell thriller: "This was a career-defining fight for Joe and he's established himself as head and shoulders above anybody else in the division.

"I thought it was a super performance by him and that second round was one of the most exciting I've seen in a world ring for a long, long time.

Calzaghe said: "I would like a big unification fight. I want to win the other belts.

"I've fought and beaten five former champions and it's about time I got a big money fight with Bernard Hopkins or a unification fight."