Jeff Lacy – Pressure is His Business, and Business is Good

It’s been a long time – over five years - since Jeff Lacy last graced a ring in his home state of Florida. Back then, the current IBF super middleweight champion was just one of a bunch of hopefuls vying for a spot on the 2000 US Olympic team. It was the ultimate in pressure for the 22-year-old: earn a spot on the team, and win or lose in the Games, you would be assured a certain amount of publicity and exposure that could give you a decided edge in the pro game.

Lose, and you’re just another faceless name, forced to travel through the backroads and alleyways of the boxing business. Want proof? Let me run some names by you:
Arthur Palac, who lost a one point decision to Lacy in the box-offs? Working as a DJ named Artek.

Randy Griffin? 22-1-1 and a well-regarded middleweight on the rise. Haven’t heard of him? You wouldn’t be alone.

Jerson Ravelo? 14-1 super middleweight who saw injuries and a loss to David Lopez derail his progress.

Brad Austin? 6-1 super middleweight who hasn’t fought since a 2001 loss to Manu Ntoh.

But you know the man who emerged from the trials, don’t you? Otherwise you wouldn’t be reading this. And it all began for Lacy during those last two tournaments, when he pulled off his greatest victories in front of his friends and family in Tampa.

“I dealt with the pressure, and that was the first step,” remembered Lacy, a few weeks before his August 6 bout with British contender Robin Reid (Showtime 9pm ET/PT) at the St. Pete Times Forum. “This fight here (against Reid), it doesn’t even amount to the pressure that I received to make the berth to the Olympics, and I dealt with it well then, and I don’t think it’s gonna affect me. If you look at my style, the crowd usually chants to see action. I’m a pressure fighter, I come out and fight. And people that see me fight are gonna get their monies’ worth.”

There have been no refund requests yet for those witnessing the controlled fury of the 28-year-old champion (19-0, 15 KOs), who burst on the scene after the 2000 Sydney Games with brutal knockouts in the ring, and a quiet class outside of it, legitimately marking him as one of the sport’s future superstars.

Lacy was the first of his 2000 Olympic teammates to win an established world crown, achieving the feat via an eighth round beatdown of veteran Syd Vanderpool in October of 2004, and already, “Left Hook” is embarking on the third defense of his crown, a healthy workrate for a young fighter, especially a champion. Plus, being in the gym and in the ring constantly removes some of the negatives associated with his lack of pro experience. And though he faces a veteran of over 40 fights in Reid, Lacy is undisturbed by such numbers.

“Being a world champion in under 20 fights, a lot of my opponents that I’m getting into the ring with - as well as Robin Reid - have more ring experience than I do, as a professional,” said Lacy. “But if you look at my amateur background, boxing is boxing. It’s my life and it’s something I love to do. I love to get in there, and it’s not like I get in there and I’m out of shape. Everybody had to start somewhere, and everybody is getting their experience somewhere. For me to be in the ring with those type of fighters, they think they have the upper hand by having more fights than me as a professional. But if you look at my amateur background, it says a lot.”
What says more about Lacy is his work ethic and sheer joy in the ring when it comes to getting down and dirty and pounding out a win. This is no shrinking violet when a fight becomes a hard grind. That’s what Lacy enjoys the most.

“That’s the type of fighter I’ve always been,” he said. “I’m a boxer-puncher and I love to be able to lure guys into not moving around, and stopping in front of me and fighting. That’s my style of fighting and I love that. That’s where I’m at my strongest point.”

Will Reid be lured into a war though? The native of Sefton, England – who is best remembered here for his losses to Joe Calzaghe and Sven Ottke – is 34 and probably not willing to stay in the pocket too long with the younger fighter, even though his chin has proven sturdy enough to take whatever comes his way. Lacy doesn’t care though; he’s ready for 12 if necessary.

“I expect him to come out and present a great challenge,” said Lacy of Reid. “He’s coming to get something that I have, and that’s the IBF super middleweight championship of the world. And I know he’s not gonna come to lay down. He’s gonna come in shape, he’s an experienced fighter, and I’m just gonna be ready for him. I’m in the best shape of my life, I’m in shape to go 12 rounds if I have to, and I’m mentally and physically ready for the fight.”
Lacy should be ready, especially with the prospect of a fight with WBO champ Joe Calzaghe reportedly on the table if he and the Welshman both win their upcoming bouts. And what better way to showcase yourself and start the bells ringing over in the UK for the unification bout than to beat a UK fighter?

“That’s what I’m looking to do,” said Lacy. “I’m out here to unify the division. Joe Calzaghe has the WBO title, and he’s one of the guys I’m shooting for.”

If Lacy does secure the Calzaghe fight (always a dicey proposition given Calzaghe’s penchant for pulling out of fights or refusing them outright), it will be an opportunity to reach a bigger audience than he ever has before, something recently experienced by his Olympic teammate Jermain Taylor, who made his pay-per-view debut on July 16 against Bernard Hopkins.
“I’m very happy for Jermain and his success in winning the undisputed middleweight championship of the world,” said Lacy, “but I’ve always believed that good things happen to those who wait. I’m not in a race to make it to that position on pay-per-view. If it’s gonna happen, it’s gonna happen. I don’t add that pressure to myself. Everything happens for a reason, is the way I look at it. I’m not gonna wish that I was there before him. I only have control over what I do.”

And that straight shooting, matter of fact manner is why Lacy is one of the more refreshing fighters in the world today. From before his professional debut to his world championship days, Lacy hasn’t changed a bit. He’s one of the most accessible and pleasant athletes in this game, and success has definitely not gone to his head.

“I owe that to my upbringing and the love I have for the sport,” said Lacy. “I don’t consider myself bigger than the sport. One of the main things is that I understand what comes along with fighting. People are going to acknowledge you. That’s what I want. I don’t understand how fighters get to a certain position in their life as a fighter and they feel like they’re bigger than boxing and they don’t feel like they have to do the things like sign autographs or talk to the press. They get a big head, and then you take all that away from them and they’d be dying for someone to ask for an autograph. I chose a sport that allowed me to be on television, and I’m never gonna get bigger than the sport. If I can sign a million autographs, I’m gonna try and sign a million and one.”

Keep winning, and Lacy’s million may jump up to two pretty quickly, especially if he can add Calzaghe to his victims list. Of course, that may entail being not only the underdog to the longtime champ, but doing it at 2am in the UK, much like the recent Ricky Hatton-Kostya Tszyu bout in Manchester.

“Trust me, I’d be physically and mentally ready if we had to train at 2 o’clock in the morning,” said Lacy.

And about being the underdog for the first time in a looooong time, maybe since his days in the amateurs?

“To tell you the truth, I really like being the underdog going into a fight because when people already expect it, it gets to me more,” he said. “That’s the pressure I don’t like, when people expect you to go in there and blow a guy out.”

It’s the only pressure Jeff Lacy doesn’t like, but one he may have to get used to.