TalkingBoxing with JEFF "LEFT HOOK" LACY
"I duck nobody and I’m willing to fight anyone, anywhere, in their hometown. It doesn’t matter"
by
Brian Skjold
4/20 - That just about sums up IBF’s super middleweight champion, Jeff Lacy. He is willing to take and make the fights that are best for the sport. On August 6, in his hometown of Tampa, Florida, Lacy defends his title against former WBC super middleweight champ Robin Reid, on Showtime’s Championship Boxing Series. Like always, Jeff is looking to stay busy and stay sharp. He has no plans of waiting around for anyone.
“I want to get this mandatory out of the way. I’m not going to wait on Joe Calzaghe. I’m going to continue doing what I’ve been doing...staying busy and performing in the ring. If I sat around and waited that long I’ll only get rusty.”
If Calzaghe wins his upcoming bout against Mario Veit than a unification bout could be in the near future.
“I’m thinking, if in this August 6 fight everything comes out victorious, than I’m looking at Calzaghe.”
In a fight against Joe Calzaghe, Jeff Lacy knows he will have his hands full. But, he is willing to take whatever chances he has to in order to make it happen.
“I know we’re going to have to go over to Whales. I don’t mind fighting in his back yard. I think between me and Joe Calzaghe, it’s a fight that the fans want to see. It’s a fight that I desperately need, and I wouldn’t mind taking because it’s my goal to unify the division.”
Assuming everything goes according to schedule, Lacy plans on taking Calzaghe’s WBO strap in the near future. But, he has no plans of stopping there. Jeff is not only looking to unify the super middleweight division, but is looking to step out of its borders as well.
“I think I’m going to range out and fight middleweight. Once I unify the division, I’m ready to move on. If I have to grab an IBF title like I have already and move up to light heavyweight to grab a title there and come back down, I’m going to do it. It’s my goal to unify three divisions, no matter how I do it. I’ll go either up or down, as high as 175 or as low as 160. I want to unify the super middleweight division, I want to unify the middleweight division and I want to unify the light heavyweight division. That’s my dream.”
Along with his lofty unification dreams, Jeff Lacy would inevitably be locking horns with boxing’s elite fighters. And, if he ventures down to 160 pounds, that could mean none other than Bernard Hopkins. Recently Lacy issued a challenge to Hopkins and this is how it came about.
“We felt that Bernard Hopkins was looking over the super middleweight division. He wanted to fight Jermain Taylor, but they couldn’t reach negotiations in that deal. So, he wanted to go up and fight Glenn Johnson. So, I was thinking, why would he want to go right past my weight class and fight Glenn Johnson? He’s got a smaller fighter in a lower weight class than Glenn Johnson. And, he’s going to overlook me, and I have a world title! And, I’m pretty well known to the boxing fans. We thought maybe we’d take a shot and call him out.”
If these two fighters ever step in the ring together, Lacy feels he is ready, willing and able to meet all challenges from the undisputed middleweight champ.
“I have the perfect game plan to fight Bernard Hopkins. I don’t think he wants to deal with someone that puts the pressure on, that I put on in a fight. And knowing that I can take a pretty good shot, and being the bigger guy in the ring, I think it would be a dog fight. I know he’s going to come with a lot of his tricks, but I’m not going to care. His little tactics, I’ve seen all the time. People don’t know how to deal with his tactics.”
Jeff Lacy is one of the most active champions in boxing, but even with his busy boxing schedule, he still finds the time to enjoy some of his favorite hobbies such as bowling and playing pool. Another form of entertainment that has sparked his interest lately is the boxing reality show, “The Contender”.
“I think it’s great. I think ‘The Contender’ is a different look the fans get to take at what the life of a real fighter is. They get to see when a fighter is in tip-top shape. ‘The Contender’ gives you the look of the fighter before they hit the T.V. screen. All the ups and downs we go through. All the sacrifices we go through. And, that’s what I like about ‘The Contender,’ it’s showing the viewers the other side of a boxer’s life.”
Although Lacy doesn’t plan on competing on a boxing reality show any time soon he is working on a reality show featuring his life.
“Basically, it’s going to be like all the other reality shows. The cameras follow you around in every day life. For months now they’ve been following me around. You get used to the people being around with the cameras. You tend to forget all about the cameras and you keep going on about your life. When you want your privacy…you remember the cameras are there.”
Along with his many interests, Jeff Lacy is a fight fan just like us, and was kind enough to give us his expert opinion on the upcoming middleweight showdown between Felix Trinidad and Winky Wright.
“I think Winky is going to surprise the world. I’m not sure Tito is going to be ready for Winky. Winky is going to show people, in that fight, that Tito is easy to hit. Trinidad, don’t take a hell of a shot. It could be a late round knockout from [Wright] beating on his head for 12 rounds. My money is on a late round knockout. Pound-for-Pound, Winky should be in the top 2. Winky is a very skilled fighter and people are just now getting a chance to see that.”
At this stage in his profession, Jeff Lacy is poised for some huge bouts that could make or break his career. But, he doesn’t plan on disappointing.
“This year is going to be a great year for me. I’m going out to conquer another goal of mine, and that’s to grab a couple more world titles. I’m a man on a mission.”
Everyone from 160-175 pounds better be on the lookout…this guy is the Real Deal!
Discuss this at our Boxing Forum
