Joe Calzaghe believes winning last year's BBC Sports Personality award ended interrogation about his legendary boxing career not gaining the respect it deserved.
Calzaghe became the first Welshman since showjumper David Broome in 1960 to land one of British sport's most prestigious honours.
He is among the 10 short-listed nominations for this year's award - the winner will be announced on Sunday night - alongside Olympic gold medalists like Chris Hoy, Rebecca Adlington and Ben Ainslie, plus Formula One world champion Lewis Hamilton.
Unlike in the boxing ring, Calzaghe could struggle to make a successful title defence, but he will relish once again rubbing shoulders with British sport's elite.
He said: ‘It has been a great year with the Olympics, and whoever wins it deserves it.
‘They are all great champions who deserve the utmost respect.
‘It was fantastic last year. I won it, I think, by 50,000 votes, which put a nail in the coffin of those questions about me not getting respect or credit I deserved.
‘I was stunned by it. It was brilliant - and my dad also got trainer of the year as well, which was fantastic.’
Calzaghe will inevitably find himself subjected to questions about his boxing future, and whether or not he intends retiring after 46 undefeated fights.
But he says it will be January or February before he gives ‘some serious thought’ to his boxing future.
Speculation remains rife that last month's world light-heavyweight title victory over Roy Jones Jnr in New York could have been 36-year-old Calzaghe's final bout.
Current IBF light-heavyweight world champion Chad Dawson, Nottingham's newly-crowned WBC super-middleweight king Carl Froch and American Bernard Hopkins have all been mentioned as possible Calzaghe opponents in 2009.
But the Newbridge boxer told PA Sport: ‘When things die down in January or February, I am going to go on holiday, start giving some serious thought and weighing up the options.
‘I am not thinking about boxing at the moment. I am just relaxing and taking time out with my family.
‘I am more concerned about Christmas shopping and stuff with the kids.
‘You've got to think is there anything better than what I have achieved?
‘That's what I have got to work out. You've got to balance things up. Is it worth it?
‘After coming off a great fight like Ray Jones Jnr in Madison Square Gardens, which was like a script, how does it get any better than that?
‘Rocky Marciano's record (49 fights unbeaten) used to be a spur to me years ago, but I haven't really thought about achieving that.
‘I don't want to be boxing in three years' time. Realistically, I box twice a year, which means I will have to be boxing for two or three years to beat that record, and I don't want to do that.
‘I was given an option two years ago of fighting three times a year, pick easy fights and beat the record, but I would rather fight big fights against big names.’
Calzaghe is currently on a whistle-stop tour of the country promoting his DVD, Joe Calzaghe - My Life Story, which documents an astounding career as told by the longest reigning world champion in boxing history.
