TalkingBoxing Interviews
Talking Boxing with JEFF LACY
WED March 1, JULIUS STECKER - Speed and power attracts most fight fans, while heart and passion pleases all trainers. Fortunately for Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy, the 28-year old rising star has all of those qualities and then some.
The unbeaten IBF/IBO super middleweight champion, standing at 21-0 with 17 KO's, will be heading overseas for the biggest fight of his young career.
The St. Petersburg, Florida native will be taking on the respected and tough WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe, 40-0, at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester, England, in Calzaghe’s home country. The fight will be televised on Showtime Championship Boxing at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) as part of an action packed night of boxing this Saturday, March 4th.
With the five-hour difference in England, Lacy remains on his 'Florida time' all through training and up until the fight's early morning start. “Training is going great, right now I am taking this fight as the most important fight up to this point in my career,” explained Lacy before this significant encounter.
Many boxing experts are calling this match-up one of the year's best. Lacy is young, explosive and hungry, while Calzaghe is a seasoned veteran, who has yet to have a defining victory. It promises to be an intriguing and action packed match-up for which Lacy remains confident in a stoppage win. Even Calzaghe's lefty stance won't cause him trouble as he said, “I prefer to fight southpaws because they think they have an advantage over me." Lacy chimed in after that by saying, “The fight won't go the distance."
Leading up to this bout, Lacy had an outstanding 2005, destroying three quality challengers; Rubin Williams and Scott Pemberton, however his impressive knockout victory against top contender Robin Reid last August highlighted the year. For perspective, back in 1999, Calzaghe won a razor-thin 12-round split decision over Reid; thus making Lacy’s 8th round TKO destruction over all the more impressive.
For anybody who saw the IBF jr. welterweight title fight between Kostya Tszyu and Ricky Hatton last June, they understand how loud and rowdy the M.E.N. Arena can get, even in the early morning. So one would have to question, why Lacy would take on such a big fight against a fighter of Calzaghe’s caliber in his home country. To “Left Hook” the answer was quite simple, “It doesn’t matter, I have been active and sharp, if anything it is added pressure on him, I know what I have to do.”
While all the talk is on this upcoming fight, fans can’t help but wonder about a potential mega-fight down the road between Lacy and fellow 2000 USA Olympian, undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. Taylor has an upcoming showdown again one of the world’s top fighters, Winky Wright, on June 10th. If Lacy can get past Calzaghe, he doesn't envision any barriers in the way between him and Taylor, even a Taylor loss against his good friend Wright, who Lacy sparred and trained with in preperation for Calzaghe.
“That fight is still going happen regardless if Taylor losses to Winky Wright. It is something the fans will demand. Look at Erik Morales and Manny Pacquiao, Morales lost coming into that fight [a decison loss to Zahir Raheem] and that fight still happened. It is going to be a fight that fans want to see.”
All of the Taylor talk is down the road, with this defining encounter with Calzaghe taking his full attention. Fight fans get ready for what promises to be one of the years best. Lacy had this to say in closing, “expect me to win and to take his title and retain mine. I will not be denied!”
Jeff Lacy Workout Quotes, Ready for Showdown | Lacy Declares March 4th 'VJ Day'
Forum
