Jeff Lacy was a rising super middleweight star prior to his March 4, 2006 demolition at the hands of Joe Calzaghe. Since then things haven’t been the same for the 2000 U.S. Olympian.
In December of 2006 Lacy staggered to a razor thin majority decision of Ukrainian Vitali Tsypko although few ringside observers felt Lacy had done enough to win. His next fight came a year later in December 2007 against The Contender favorite Peter Manfredo, Jr., a fight that appeared on the Ricky Hatton – Floyd Mayweather, Jr. undercard. Left Hook Lacy was again underwhelming in victory.
Tonight Lacy fights …read more

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The September 20 light heavyweight title match between Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs) and Roy Jones, Jr. (52-4, 38 KOs) has officially been postponed because of a Calzaghe right wrist injury.
ESPN’s Dan Rafael quotes the fight’s promoter as saying “(Calzaghe) told me it’s an injured right wrist,” the promoter said. “I was told that he hurt it on Sunday punching a heavy bag.”
The initial word is that the match could be rescheduled for November. No word on whether the fight’s proposed venue, New York’s Madison Square Garden, would be available during that month. The NY Knicks …read more

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ESPN.com is reporting that middleweight champ Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik will face boxing’s Methuselah Bernard Hopkins on October 18 in Atlantic City, New Jersey’s Boardwalk Hall. The bout will be fought at a 170-pound catch weight and will be broadcasted on HBO Pay-Per-View.
Pavlik’s promotor Bob Arum admitted to ESPN that “This fight was not our first choice, but it was the only alternative we had to make a buck.” How’s that for salesmanship? You know Bob, it wouldn’t have been this fight fan’s first choice either — that would have been …read more

Image details: Joe Calzaghe Media Interview served by picapp.com
ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael has just reported the worst kept Breaking News in boxing: 2008’s Top 5 pound-for-pound boxer Joe Calzaghe’s next fight will be against 2002 Top 5 pound-for-pound boxer Roy Jones, Jr.. They will fight for Calzaghe’s 175-pound light heavyweight title.
The 36-year-old Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KO) will fight the 39-year-old Jones (52-4, 38 KO) on September 20, 2008 in Madison Square Garden on HBO pay-per-view. Oh, if only this fight had taken place a few years ago. Maybe then I’d be inspired to spend my hard-earned $50-60. But this fight choice …read more

In the mail today I received an advanced copy of George Kimball’s forthcoming book Four Kings. The book profiles the four great middleweights of what the book’s subtitle refers to as “The Last Great Era of Boxing”: Leonard, Hagler, Hearns, and Duran. No first names are needed.
I’m usually the first person to dismiss and be angered by baby boomer claims that athletes were different then and that their era of sports was the best. The glorious eighties. Problem is that when I am confronted with their challenge of “well then, whose a great middleweight now?” I can only stammer back …read more

The shadow of Chris Byrd (40-4-1) will make his much ballyhooed light heavyweight debut tonight against Brooklyn’s Shaun George (16-2-2) on ESPN2’s Friday Night Fights (9:00 p.m. EST).
Byrd’s most recent fight was last October when he was TKO’d in the 11th against 2004 Athens Super Heavyweight Olympic gold medalist Aleksandr Povetkin. Povetkin weighed in at 226 1/4, Byrd at 211 1/4. It was a far cry from Byrd’s own Olympic medaling weight: a svelte 165.
After winning the middleweight silver medal in Barcelona 1992 Byrd immediately placed himself on the heavyweight trajectory. “Guys I knew I could beat (at heavyweight) …read more

The news that 21-year-old English lightweight phenom Amir Khan might be relocating to the States ranks as a wonderful unexpected charm. The lanky Lancashire lightweight is 17-0 and has been widely hyped in Britain as the next big thing, the diamond in the island nation’s boxing resurgence.
Khan has the hype and the talent of Joe Calzaghe and Ricky Hatton but his stated aim to train across the pond and fight under the tutelage of a Mayweather or Buddy McGirt shows that he does not share their isolationist ambitions. His dismissal of Oliver Harrison, his trainer for all 17 of his …read more

Image details: Joe Calzaghe Media Interview served by picapp.com
If you call your opponent a “sore loser” doesn’t that necessarily indicate that you’re a sore winner? In Joe Calzaghe’s case it just means that he’s a classless boxer who doesn’t know when to shut up or give a great fighter credit.
What this all means is that Calzaghe is at it again, talking to BBC Two in a Sunday interview, view it here, spouting off about everything, professing his love for countryman Tom Jones and Al Pacino, insulting Bernard Hopkins‘ performance and attitude, harping about the referee and American judges, and …read more

Image details: Bernard Hopkins v Joe Calzaghe served by picapp.com
Joe Calzaghe is no Ricky Hatton. He doesn’t bring legions of Britons to Las Vegas, he’s not gracious to his opponent in post-match interviews, he doesn’t want to fight dangerous young fighters, but, most importantly, he’s able to find a way to win, however controversially, against his American opponent thus maintaining his undefeated record.
Calzaghe escaped the 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins’ technical, throwback counterpuncing style with a high volume of pitter-pat slaps and occasional rabbit punches scoring a close split decision victory and the linear light heavyweight title. Judges Ted Gizma (115-112) and …read more

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Welsh superstar light heavyweight Joe Calzaghe is finally coming to the United States. Las Vegas to be specific. It’s been a long time coming. He’s held a world title since 1997, he’s undefeated in 44 professional bouts, and he could be boxing biggest drawing power. (35,000+ attended both of his last two fights).
But all 44 of the 36-year-old’s fights have taken place on European soil and the respect from American fight fans never really materialized. We say it’s easy to be fast and powerful when your opponents are …read more