Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy
Calzaghe outclassed Lacy in a one-sided super middleweight unification.
Joe Calzaghe vs. Jeff Lacy, billed as Judgement Day, was a professional boxing match contested on 4 March 2006 for the IBF, WBO and The Ring championship. The bout pitted long-time WBO champion Calzaghe against up-and-coming IBF champion Jeff 'Left Hook' Lacy. It is notable for Calzaghe's dominant victory that cemented his position at the top of the super middleweight ranks.
Quick Facts
- Fight name
- Judgement Day
- Fight date
- 4 March 2006
- Location
- Manchester Arena, Manchester, UK
- Titles
- IBF, WBO and inaugural The Ring super middleweight titles
- Result
- Calzaghe defeated Lacy via Unanimous decision
Facts from the source article.
Background
By 2006, Joe Calzaghe had been the WBO super middleweight champion for more than eight years, claiming the vacant belt by beating Chris Eubank in 1997 and successfully defending it 17 times. Across the Atlantic, Jeff Lacy had won the IBF title in 2004 with an eighth-round TKO over Syd Vanderpool and was touted as a Mike Tyson-sized prospect. Despite Calzaghe’s own unblemished record, most American journalists and oddsmakers favored Lacy, and even UK fans had doubts. Calzaghe himself nearly withdrew after breaking his left hand against Evans Ashira, but his father Enzo and promoter Frank Warren convinced him to go through with the fight. The bout took place at 2:00 a.m. local time at Manchester’s MEN Arena, headlining Frank Warren’s Sport Network card and airing live on ITV in the UK and Showtime in the US. Jimmy Lennon, Jr. served as ring announcer, with Raul Caiz as referee.
The fight
The fight was a messy affair early on, with both trading punches at close range and Lacy getting through occasionally. After four rounds, Calzaghe dominated with superior hand speed and all-round boxing ability, turning it into a one-sided beating. Lacy was rocked several times and knocked down for the first time in his career in the 12th round. By round four Lacy was cut but still came forward; by round 12 his eyes were puffed up and he looked spent. Calzaghe had a point deducted for punching around Lacy's back at the break in the 11th. The judges scored it 119-105, 119-107 and 119-107, all for Calzaghe.
Aftermath
Jeff Lacy was never the same fighter again; he won his next three fights but then lost to Jermain Taylor. Calzaghe was propelled into the limelight, going on to have a successful career and be recognised in the pound-for-pound lists before retiring unbeaten. Calzaghe said he had been written off for eight years and that the fight had been on his mind constantly, adding that Lacy's punches did not trouble him. Boxing legend Sugar Ray Leonard, who admitted to knowing little of Calzaghe before the fight, said that within two rounds he was a Calzaghe supporter and stood up shouting in front of the TV.
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