"Maybe I should change my ring name from 'Left Hook' to 'The Magic Man' since I'm the one who made Tarver disappear." - Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy on Antonio "Magic Man" Tarver running away from Lacy's challenge.

Lacy Gives Up On Fight With Tarver (tampatribune.com 8.21.06)
St. Petersburg super middleweight Jeff Lacy officially called off a proposed fight with Tampa light heavyweight Antonio Tarver after weeks of frustrating contract negotiations. "I'm happy with our decision, but I'm just sad the local fans can't see this fight. I wish we could have brought together a fight that everyone had been talking about," Lacy said. (full story).

Tarver Needs To Re-Think His Strategy In Regard To Lacy (Tampa Tribune 7.18.06)
"...Antonio Tarver always has been candid with others, but someone needs to be truthful with him. Tarver has a deal in front of him to fight St. Petersburg super middleweight Jeff Lacy this October at the St. Pete Times Forum. The deal has been on the table for several weeks, but Tarver will not sign it. His list of reasons stretches longer than the Sunshine Skyway bridge, but few are buying it." (full story)

Fights Outside Ring Could Sink Tarver-Lacy Bout (Tampa Tribune 6.10.06)
Tampa lightweight Antonio Tarver and St. Petersburg middleweight Jeff Lacy are fighting so hard outside the ring, the possibility of their winter showdown in Tampa is dwindling in negotiations.

"...Tarver is Tarver. He's always going to be Tarver," Lacy said. "He's tap dancing. He doesn't really want to fight. I said this in the beginning, and I'll say it again. He [Tarver] doesn't have the heart to take the fight. Right now, I'm getting tired of tap-dancing with him." (full story)

Tarver-Lacy showdown in works (Las Vegas Review Journal 6.18.06)
Former champions coming off stunningly lopsided losses, might meet in October (full story)

Lacy To Return To Ring Oct. 7 (tampatribune.com 6.11.06)
Lacy (21-1) will return to the ring Oct. 7 to fight an undetermined opponent on Showtime. Tampa and Las Vegas are the leading candidates to host the fight, but promoter Gary Shaw said he is unsure where it should be held. (full story)

Tampa Tribune: Lacy Wants to Declare His Independence
Tampa Tribune:  Lacy-Calzaghe Notebook
St. Petersburg Times:  An Unfriendly Chap
St. Petersburg Times: Chuckle Far From Laughing Matter
St. Petersburg Times:  What They're Saying
Secondsout.com:  Jeff Lacy, the midnight brawler
Las Vegas Review Journal: Lacy to Rule on Calzaghe's Turf

Calzaghe wins unanimous decision (St Pete Times 3.6.06)

A moribund sports puts faith in Lacy (St Pete Times 3.1.06)
The St. Petersburg fighter happily takes on the task of savior and may have the
qualities to do it. (full story)

Lacy crosses pond looking for a good fight (New York Daily News 3.1.06)
Five years ago, Jeff Lacy was scheduled to make his professional debut on Showtime along with another group of 2000 U.S. Olympic team boxers. But when Lacy pulled off his shirt at the weigh-in, his opponent thought better of getting into the ring against the 168-pound prospect and caught the first bus back to Cleveland. (full story)

Joe: He'll feat the heat (thesunonline.com 3.1.06)
JOE CALZAGHE last night warned American Jeff Lacy he will be the toughest slapper in town when they clash to discover who is the world’s top 12st fighter. (full story)

Calzaghe is out to make Lacy pay (BBCSport.com 3.1.06)
"Lacy has said I can't hit," said Calzaghe, who is putting his WBO title on the line at Manchester's MEN Arena. (full story)

Despite the Hype, Lacy's Critics Take Aim (secondsout.com 2.3.06)
To many fans, the upcoming fight between Jeff Lacy and Joe Calzaghe is all about age and momentum (full story)

... "On March 4 there's going to be some explosives," stated Lacy (21-0, 1 ND 17 KO's). "You're going to see two warriors who are going in there to fight. You're going to get your money's worth. I'm going over there to do my thing and I won't be denied."...

Calzaghe Has The Chance To Spell Out His Success (Tampa Tribune 3.2.06)
"... Joe Calzaghe. His name probably drew a mental question requiring a Google search." (full story)

A crossroads in England (The Boston Globe 3.1.06)
Joe Calzaghe knows he has waited too long for the moment that will finally arrive for him Saturday night in Manchester, England, when he tries to unify the super middleweight title at the expense of undefeated American champion Jeff Lacy. (full story)

Lacy questions Calzaghe's heart (secondsout 2.23.06)
IBF super-middleweight champion Jeff Lacy believes he will carry the superior thirst for battle into the mouth-watering 168lbs war with WBO counterpart Joe Calzaghe on March 4. (full story)

Lacy is ready for Calzaghe (The Sports Network 2.20.06)
Speed and power attracts fight fans, and heart and passion pleases all trainers. Fortunately for Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy (21-0), he has all of those qualities and then some. (full story)

Lacy and Co. Ready to go Globetrotting (maxboxing.com 2.17.06)
As always, when fighters fly overseas to ply their craft, there are logistical issues to deal with - first and foremost, getting acclimated to the different time zones and environment. (full story)

Lacy's fight preparation becoming weighty issue (Las Vegas Review Journal 1.29.06)
Making weight is often the most difficult task for a boxer, not the fight in the ring. But Jeff Lacy, who meets Joe Calzaghe on March 4 in the biggest super middleweight fight in more than a decade, has a different problem with his weight. (full story)

 

Calzaghe's fear of flying didn't stop him from flying to New York to face Lacy and the U.S. press on Tues, Nov 29th. "This is probably the single biggest super middleweight fight since Roy Jones and James Toney (in 1994)," Gary Shaw, Lacy's promoter said. Frank Warren, Calzaghe's long-time promoter concurred with Shaw's assessment. (photos by Tom Casino/SHOWTIME)

Jeff Lacy: Everything You Ever Wanted In a Prizefighter (eastsideboxing12.28.05)
Amidst the recent signing of the Jeff Lacy/Joe Calzaghe superfight to be held at the M.E.N. Arena in Manchester on March 4th fight fans not only in the United States but abroad as well have been raving about this potential diamond of a bout. (full story)

Lacy risks hitting the road (dailynews.com 12.12.05)
Calzaghe and Lacy. Sounds like some kind of television detective show. Like such a show, there figures to be plenty of intrigue leading up to the super middleweight title unification fight between Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy scheduled for March 4 in Manchester, England. (full story)

Lacy-Calzaghe and the End of Sarcasm (thesweetscience.com 12.6.05)
All the rhetoric should be behind us now, shoved under a rug, off a cliff or maybe behind a shelf, wherever it is that accusations, sarcasm and innuendo go to die. The fight between IBF super-middleweight champ Jeff Lacy and long-time WBO champ Joe Calzaghe is set for March 4 in Manchester, England, and that should overshadow the finger-pointing, the busted plans and the constant bickering that have marred this fight from the very beginning.    (full story)

Life found on Planet Super Middleweight (secondsout 12.2.05)
The Super Middleweight division is probably one of the most exciting to watch due to the size and athleticism of its participants. Quite often, a fighter who weighs in at 168lbs will still have the speed of a lighter weight fighter, but have the punch of a heavier boxer. It is a division where one-punch knockouts are as likely to occur as a ferocious 12 round battle. (full story)

Q & A with Jeff Lacy (thesweetscience.com 11.22.05)
"... I’m never the type of person that does a lot of talking or says anything like I’m saying now, but I’m not traveling all the way to England to fight in his hometown to get robbed by a decision. I’m going to leave the decision in my own hands. I will be going over there to knock him out. "
(full story)

HEADLINES FROM NEW YORK

Calzaghe-Lacy: Finally! (fightnews.com 11/29.05)
"...Many fighters don't frequently travel overseas to defend their titles as they are afraid of being on the wrong end of a controversial decision. "There are not many people who have belts who are willing to leave their soil," said Shaw of Lacy. But "Left Hook" said he's confident that won't happen. "I'm going over there to knock him out," he said with a smile..."(full story)

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IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff Lacy (left) and WBO Champion Joe Calzaghe pose with their respective belts at a press conference Monday, Nov. 21, at Browns Courtroom in London, England.  The undefeated titleholders were on hand to announce their world-championship unification bout on SHOWTIME March 4, 2006.  SHOWTIME will televise the 12-round showdown LIVE at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed on the west coast) from the MEN Arena in Manchester, England. CLICK HERE FOR QUOTES FROM NOV 21 PRESS CONFERENCE