Joe Calzaghe has confessed that he is ‘gutted’ to have been voted off Strictly Come Dancing, but a new signing to Calzaghe Promotions and their strongest line-up to date for their next show has eased his disappointment.

The undefeated two-weight champion boxer yesterday unveiled details of Back 2 The Future, the third show under the Calzaghe Promotions umbrella, featuring the long-awaited return of Pontypool welterweight Tony Doherty and former Commonwealth champion Bradley Pryce at the top of the bill.

However, it’s the most impressive card yet from Calzaghe Promotions, with a host of other fighters keen to make their mark at the Newport Centre on November 20, including the first new addition to the famed Newbridge Boxing Club in sometime.

Calzaghe Promotions have signed London-based Cypriot fighter Chris Evangelou, a decorated amateur boxer and former actor who has now relocated to train full-time with Enzo Calzaghe.

Evangelou had offers on the table from both Matchroom and Hatton Promotions but chose to sign with Calzaghe Promotions because Joe is his hero, the first real coup for Joe and Enzo as promoters.

He joins Gary Lockett managed prospects Ryan and Jeff Evans, Steve Sims trained fighter Lee Lewis and Newport light-heavyweight Hari Miles on the bill, former world champion Gavin Rees not used this time as he is potentially being lined up to appear in the next Prizefighter competition.

For Calzaghe, the show comes at a perfect time and he’s vowed to return to his dad’s gym and help his fighters train, now that his dancing shoes are hung up with his boxing gloves.

He explained: “I am gutted if I am honest, I wasn’t a natural dancer but I thoroughly enjoyed the experience.

“I feel bad for my partner (Kristina Rihanoff) because I feel like I let her down, but I thought I was finally finding my feet and now I am out.

“However, now I can focus on the boxing and this show is really exciting, it’s great that we’ve been able to sign a talented young fighter like Chris Evangelou. Hopefully he’ll be the first of many, we want to bring in quality fighters from all over Britain.

“I have great belief in the fighters we already had in the gym, guys like Bradley Pryce, Gavin Rees and Tony Doherty, it’s great to see him back and I know his fans will be thrilled to see him.”

Joe admits it has taken the best part of a year for his Calzaghe Promotions to be able to compete with some of the better-established promoters.

He said: “We started at the bottom, but things have progressed with Paul (Stretford, football agent) on board.

“We have an actual team in place now. It’s like anything, you’ve got to learn the ropes and gain some momentum and we hope to have a successful show in November and then another one in February.

“It’s more difficult to promote than fight, with the economy as it is especially, but we want to promote Welsh talent and give boxing fans what they want to see. I can relate to the boxers, I know all about the politics in the sport and it’s nice to see that our fighters have shown great loyalty to my dad – it’s been a hard year for him and I feel like we’re coming out on the other side now.”

Evangelou confirmed his delight and signing with the Calzaghes, relocating to Newbridge to train with Enzo.

He said: “It’s a dream come true for me, Joe Calzaghe is my hero and even though I had other offers on the table, I couldn’t turn down this opportunity.”

Headliner Tony Doherty, inactive for 20 months, is expecting to come back in a blaze of glory, promising to be in line for British, Commonwealth and European honours in 2010.

“I know some people saw that I had ballooned in weight and said I would never fight again, but I’ve trained non-stop for eight months and I feel fantastic,” he said.

“I can’t wait to remind people how technically gifted I am and to show that I belong in any company in Britain – I don’t believe there is a better welterweight fighter out there.”

Calzaghe’s business partner Paul Stretford revealed that former world champion Rees could well be on the next Prizefighter, a move that would represent a risk with a potentially huge reward for the man nicknamed ‘The Rock.’ He said: “We want to do the best for our fighters and Prizefighter could represent a huge opportunity for Gavin, but nothing has been signed yet and there is a lot of talking still to be done. We’re delighted they want Gavin on the bill and if it happens, have no doubt he’d be a big success.”