07.12.07 – By George Ulrich: There is so much attention given to this fight’s main event many people are forgetting this fight is going to have two very entertaining under card matchups.
Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy vs. Peter Manfredo Jr. These boxers have two things in common. They both have a common opponent in Calzaghe, and both are coming off of surgeries.. In Jeff Lacy we have a fighter that has been through a lot in the last two years and is looking to get back to the business of knockouts and left hooking his way to a title. He’s naturally stronger than Manfredo and possesses knockout power that’s been on display many occasions. He was once dubbed the next great middleweight. I believe he still possesses very dangerous power, and we’ll soon get to see where his confidence is at. He has not fought since his surgery. He’s been quoted as saying that his left shoulder is 100%, but without any evidence of that, it remains to be seen. I imagine there will be quite a bit of ring rust as his layoff has been quite some time because of the surgery.
Peter Manfredo Jr. is coming off of two wins since the loss to Calzaghe. Freddy Roach is back in his corner which is good news for Manfredo. Manfredo has good defensive skills and does have power, not on Lacy’s level, but it is to be respected. He dismantled Scott Pemberton and dispensed an overmatched Joey Spina, both in KO fashion. His defense is enough to give Lacy trouble at times with the way he covers and keeps his head moving. Should Manfredo go to the body often he could sap some of Lacy’s strength going into the later rounds. Manfredo has a very respectable left hook himself, as we saw in his fights with Spina and Pemberton, the key for Manfredo is going to be avoiding that patented Lacy left hook, and maintain a stiff jab even through the later rounds. The books here in Vegas have Lacy as a 6 to 1 favorite, but I think it’s going to be a little closer than that.
I’m also excited to see the knock out artist Daniel Ponce De Leon in action. His 30 KOs in 34 fights is Mike Tyson like, and he’s always entertaining. He’s been matched up with Eduardo Escobedo. While I can’t comment on Escobedo, I think he’s going to have his hands full tomorrow night with the powerful Ponce De Leon.
It’s going to be a great night at the fights tomorrow night. I hope these matchups live up to all the expectations and more.