Was Jeff Lacy all hype? Or did Calzaghe just ruin a good fighter?

He wasn't all hype, Jeff had some decent names under his scalp. What happened is that his deficiencies (short for the division, slow hands, slow feet, injuries, no defense) caught up with him. His power and physical strength were legitimate but when he couldn't dispatch Omar Sheika that was very telling. Jeff was fighting these guys that were way taller, and stylistically he just didn't have the ability to KO all of these giant, tall guys. Then he ran into probably one of the top 3 SMWs ever in Calzaghe and was severely humbled (no shame in that). After that he started breaking down physically..............the end.

His style wasn't made to last long.

 

he had world class power but delivering it at world class level was an issue.Guy had no idea what a southpaw was.

 

This is about as well put as it can get. Like usual, it's somewhere in the middle. I remember Jeff from his amateur days and though he was a good fighter, when the hype started building in his pro career and he was dubbed the "next Tyson" I knew he was gonna unfortunately fall short of a lot of peoples expectations. SMW also wasnt his weight class imo. He wasnt very big and he was very short compared to a lot of the divisions best.

I'm not the biggest Calzaghe fan, and its nothing personal I just......... His punching technique was gross, but keeping in mind he had brittle hands and I give him credit for adapting and having the career he had. Even though I'm not his biggest fan, Joe C. was absolutely legit -- HOF/ATG career. I would have loved to have seen a fight between he and Ward, IMO the 2 greatest SMW's of all-time.

 

FTR -- Jeff Lacy is/was always a really good guy. Calzaghe was literally the absolute perfect storm type of fighter to dismantle him the way he did, and I'm.being real, no way did I think he was gonna be the one to do it at the time. In retrospect though...... Southpaw, height, reach, work rate, accuracy (sometimes), speed, and footwork. At the time I thought Joe would give Lacy some problems but in the 2nd half of the fight Jeff's power would bail him out again and hed just storm forward and walk through Joe. And even though I was never personally a huge fan of Joe Calzaghe as a fighter, I always thought he was a very good boxer and thought the only guys he'd lose to at 168 would be Kessler, Lacy, and Jermaine Taylor if and when he moved up to 168. I didnt think Andre Ward was gonna start off at 168 and spend the large majority of his career there because when he finished his AM career it was at LHW(178 lbs.) But if I knew that, I'd have bet the farm on Ward to trounce Lacy like Joe C. did.

For guys here that have boxed -- and please understand that I dont consider that a prerequisite to being a smart and knowledgeable boxing fan, because ive met plenty of guys that never did but are still far more knowledgeable a fan than I and understand and know more about the sport than I do -- but the guys who have competed and trained know how much of an impact size (especially frame size) can have between two guys. I always thought Lacy should have campaigned primarily at 154-160 with 160 being his max. I still dont think he'd have gone on to have a HOF-type career but I know he'd have left a far greater legacy than what he did. He had been stopped 1-2 times as an amateur that I know about and or saw, but he primarily competed in the AM's at MW(165 lbs.) -- where he was a 2000 US Olympian and had two victories in those Olympics before being stopped in the 3rd against Gaydarbek Gaydarbekov -- and the first time I met him back in 1996(I was 13 at the time) was at a regional tournament and even though he was built like a tank and had a reputation as a fearsome puncher, he always lacked height and frame size against most of his competition. Size plays a huge role in a fighters punching power and ability to take a punch. Jeff was listed at 5'10 but I highly doubt that's accurate, id give him 5'9 and that's at best and probably using my imagination. Considering he was ALWAYS considered a murderous puncher, even in the AM's, while fighting above what I think was his best weight, I'd say more than proves that he was p4p a MASSIVE puncher with a GREAT chin with the latter adding to his demise exponentially.

I'm not saying he was ever the most skilled guy -- he wasnt -- but he certainly was much more skilled than given credit for, you dont achieve the success Jeff did as an amateur without it, though he certainly was always more a specimen than a highly skilled boxer-puncher or swarmer. I saw him fight Ding Wilson in the amateurs at MW(Ding won) and Ding went on to have an excellent start to his pro career and was a much better boxer than he will be remembered for, and Ding was an absolute banger with a cast iron chin before it finally began failing him. Ding was a CW and a legit 5'10, maybe 5'9 but a big dude nonetheless(and like Jeff an absolute class act, as much a class act as you will ever come across in boxing.) Jeff never will get the credit he deserves for what he once was innthe ring, but when put into context its really quite remarkable the success he was able to achieve at the highest levels in the pros and AM's.

Look, I think as fans, too often too many of us fail to recognize the human factor involved in all of this. Like an group in society you have your good dudes and bad dudes and some in between. Please understand Jeff was always among the best MEN in the sport, he really was a class act, and he poured his heart and soul into the sport and all he ever tried to do was the best he could. He was 100% a much better fighter than he will be remembered for, and it's the fans of the sport that placed those unachievable goals and hype on him, not Jeff himself. He always had a lot more skill than he was ever given credit for, was routinely and consistently undersized compared to so many of his opponents in the AM's and Pro's, and before the Calzaghe disaster, had some of the most legit p4p power and chin in boxing. Boxing was all he really knew, he put everything into it and always let it all hang out. There are plenty of a-holes in boxing (I never was a huge fan of Pavlik as a person, he was always cocky as he'll everytime I met him but thats not to say he was an a-hole either) but Jeff was never one of them. It bothers me more than I could ever say how disrespected he and his career and ability/skills became after the Calzaghe fight. Believe me, I know life isnt fair, but please keep this all in mind when reflecting back on Jeff and his career.

The Calzaghe fight absolutely ruined him. The beating he took that night was beyond immense and he should be given a whole lot more credit for never giving up and for staying upright the whole fight, but he probably never will get that credit. And the worst part is that its prolonged beatings like those that primarily lead to progressive and irreversible degenerative neurological diseases. Good guys really do finish last way too often. Please, remember him as a fighter far better than most do and understand he was a class act as a man through and through. He only ever tried his best and did the best he can. Joe Calzaghe was IMMENSLEY slept on before the Lacy fight, and people rightfully began realizing how much of a talent he really was and I'm glad and proud of him for that, he earned it. But Jeff Lacy was 100% absolutely a world-class fighter up until that point with some truly shocking gifts and talent and was an even better man. It's really gonna burn my soul if Jeff dies very young from CTE or some other disgusting degenerative neurological disease, broke, and with a totally unfair legacy(if you could even call it that) compared to what he actually was to that point in the ring. And in a sport with some good guys, some bad guys, and some guys in-between: Jeff Lacy was ALWAYS in a class of his on as a person. Please dont ever lose sight of that.

 

jeff had world class power, thats it.

 

Maybe a tad overhyped, but you also have to remember that he did have shoulder issues. He was a new face, past the up and coming stage, and had beaten what were considered solid contenders, going into the Calzaghe fight. He was also a physical specimen. His nick name was left hook, if you can't use your best weapon at the top level, when you have his plodding, brawling type of style, then you are pretty much **** out of luck though. His bad shoulder had a lot to do with how his career played out. He totally melted under the bright lights in the Calzaghe fight. The confidence of being able to throw how you want may have changed how that fight played out, but Calzaghe's pity pat, boxing would have always given the plodding Lacy issues. I can't recall seeing such a mental melt down though. Lacy was better than he showed that night. He fought as if somebody was sitting ringside with a gun in his girlfriends gut.

 

wasn't he know as left hand Lacy that probably helped Joe

 

Probably THE classiest post I've had the pleasure of reading in years on here .

 

Thanks man, I appreciate it.

 

You're welcome top man , how is Ding doing these days, any idea ? That kid was all class when he used to post here also .

 

Trust me mate I was ringside during the fight and Mrs Lacy was vocally in full flow, she even out shouted Shaw which is a feat in itself.

 

TBH I'm not too sure, I was introduced to him on a few occasions when I was just a kid growing up and you're right, he was ALL CLASS. I ran into him twice when I was an adult and one of the greatest and most endearing things I remember about him(and there was a lot, he had that magnetic and charismatic type of personality, just a really warm, personable, and cool guy that you could tell was genuine and not forced) was that if he met you once, no matter how briefly, he always remembered you and everything you said/talked about with him, the type of guy that made you feel special and like someone, even if you weren't -- like me.

It's funny you asked because I was just thinking about if it was Ding or another CW who was highly ranked and prominent at the time who used to post here. I was pretty sure it was Darnell but couldn't quite remember. Now that you mention it, it must have been him.

I really hope all is well with him, not many guys you'd ever come across who would be better role models than Darnell. He was in some serious wars back in the day that really affected him as a fighter and his career later on, and it was heartbreaking to see, especially for someone who idolized him so much growing up and was made to feel like a pretty special kid and later on in life guy when as far as accomplishments are concerned, I wasn't, and if anything, a massive underachiever and screwup.

 

We all underachive in life at some point, anyway it's how we end up that counts so keep your chin up mate , and yes it was Ding who used to post here and he was as you say in some ferocious wars ( **** I can still remember that left hook he put David Rodrigues to sleep with ) an absolute peach of a shot , he came on here a few days later and was modest as **** . Like you said I hope he's doing well later in life now the dust has settled on his career . At least he can say he had chance to travel lol that kid sure got around the world and wore his passport out .

 

Hey thanks for all that buddy, I really do appreciate it and it makes me so happy to hear someone else shares those same views and followed his career and appreciated it as much as you. From the bottom of my heart brother, thank you, really made my day.

 

It's all good mate and if you do happen to bump into the ding a ling man could you please give him my regards and tell him to get his fuggly arse back on this board .lol