05.03.06 – By Chris Acosta: We boxing fans love nothing more than two of a divisions’ best clashing because there’s a strong possibility of evenly matched fireworks. The checks and balances offer so much intrigue that we often forget one thing: just because we’re dealing with world-class fighters doesn’t mean those very checks and balances stack up on each side nice and evenly.
Joe Calzaghe has always been a wonderful fighter. His class is apparent in those fast hands and ability to control the flow of a fight (probably the most important yet overlooked aspect of a boxer’s repertoire). Sure he suffers from the Evander Holyfield syndrome of fighting down to the level of his opposition and his brittle hands seem to be hanging on borrowed time but sometimes you can tell a guy has the goods simply by the fact that he wins. Calzaghe has gotten awful good at winning. For eight years he’s repelled all manner of challenger, some impressively, some in a way hardly befitting a dominant world champion. But even though he’s managed to keep a glossy record, many wondered why a fighter with such a high reputation in the UK had yet to tangle with an elite American. Charles Brewer, Byron Mitchell and Omar Sheika were all good opponents but they weren’t Roy Jones or Bernard Hopkins and fights with Hopkins and light heavyweight tough guy Glen Johnson fell through igniting rumors of a “protected fighter”.
But suddenly Jeff Lacy came along, smashing his way through the ranks and knocking out one contender after another. The American was exciting to watch and more importantly, busy, keeping a schedule that kept in him public view. And if you were watching it was obvious that trainer Dan Birmingham had helped the young powerhouse develop other punches besides the left hook that is his moniker.
Suddenly, we started to forget about Joe Calzaghe.
I had a conversation with a fellow fight fan living in the UK a few days prior to the bout and we both agreed that this fight was going to come down to one thing: Calzaghe’s emotion. What makes the Welshman so fun to watch is his mental reflex; you hit him and he hits back. But there were moments in his career, when he showed a breathtaking ability to box and counter with a precision only seen in the prestigious pound for pound club. There was no doubt he would outbox Lacy early but sooner or later he’d stand his ground and with that perilous habit of punching from his waist, get buried in a hail of Lacy’s fists. There was no way he could maintain the discipline he would need for a full twelve rounds against a rival whom he would surely need it.
Boy, were we wrong.
This wasn’t just impressive, it was something special. From the beginning of the bout Calzaghe was a windmill of technical energy that never ceased. His jab was a laser, his combinations flowed with the relentlessness of a lightweight and his defense was a superb prelude to vicious counterpunching. Even more importantly, his sense of distance completely befuddled the younger man. After jabbing, Joe would dip and then come up punching, take a step to the back or side and then explode with punches.
Throughout the fight, Lacy seemed to either fall short with his punches or get nailed reaching, a sign that this rhythm was being stifled. After the first round, “Left hook” had a strange look on his face as if there were forces unfolding that were beyond his control. It had to be a harrowing feeling for a fighter with such an intimidating reputation to deal with, on
foreign soil no less but he soldiered on through a beating that would have crumpled most.
In the eighth round, Calzaghe began to wind up as if preparing to bolo punch and for a moment it looked as if he were toying with Lacy but we shouldn’t read into it too much. Joe was at the top of his game and there’s no doubt that the exhilaration overcoming him was responsible for the showboating. With two rounds to go, it would have been completely understandable if
Calzaghe had let up a bit, after all, he hadn’t lost a round. But to his credit he actually picked up the pace of his attack and nearly stopped Jeff in the final round. In fact, there were several times in the bout when it appeared that Lacy might be stopped, particularly in a painful seventh round. For all of the Welshman’s brilliance and ferocity, let’s take the time to salute Jeff Lacy’s heart as well. The American fought as hard as he could and never showed the slightest inclination to call it a day. He was gracious in defeat and acknowledged the need to improve his boxing skills. As for Joe Calzaghe’s future, there is the possibility of a complete unification against WBA king Mikkel Kessler whom I have personally never seen fight but am assured is a class boxer. He may seek out light heavyweight champion Antonio Tarver where a victory would bring him huge acclaim here in the States.
For years, Calzaghe has expressed his own self-belief that he is every bit as talented as the De La Hoya’s, the Hopkins’ and Jones’. Not many of us believed him. Now after witnessing his complete dominance over such a talented opponent who most picked to beat him, our ears are wide open.