By Jake Donovan

You know it’s a busy night of boxing when the most obscure fight listing of the night surrounds the ring return of a former champion and U.S. Olympic boxer.

Yet lost on all news pertaining to fights scheduled for December 11 is the comeback of former super middleweight titlist Jeff Lacy, who for the first time in his career headlines a show in his hometown when he faces Dhafir Smith in a 12-round bout at the Jannus Landing in St. Petersburg, Florida.

The bout marks Lacy’s first fight back since suffering the lone stoppage loss of his career, a 10-round beating at the hands of faded former pound-for-pound king Roy Jones Jr last August.

Lacy insisted afterward that he was done with the sport, having fallen on hard luck in recent years. It has been surmised that his career was never the same ever since the beating he caught at the hands of Joe Calzaghe in 2006. Not helping matters was the torn rotator cuff he suffered one fight later in his rematch with Vitali Tsypko.

Prior to running into Calzaghe, Lacy (25-3, 17KO) was regarded as one of the exciting fighters in the sport. The chiseled Floridian became the first member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic boxing squad to capture a major title, stopping Syd Vanderpool in the 8th round of their October ’04 vacant title fight.

His reign lasted 17 months, which included a celebrated homecoming of sorts when he became the first to drop (four times, no less) and eventually stop iron-chinned Robin Reid in their August 2005 bout at the St. Pete Times Forum in Tampa, Florida.

That win was followed up by a two-round thrashing of Scott Pemberton three months later, marking the last time that Lacy has managed a win inside the distance.

The loss to Calzaghe marked a string of six consecutive fights going to the scorecards, including a 2008 points loss to former Olympic teammate and fellow ex-champion Jermain Taylor.

His December 11 return will end a 15-month exodus from the ring, his longest stretch of inactivity, whereas his opponent, Smith (23-19-7, 4KO) will be fighting for the third time this year.

Smith enters the fight riding a four-bout unbeaten streak, albeit against lesser competition. 

Lacy fights in his birth town for the first time in his pro career, having fought three times in neighboring Tampa.

ELSEWHERE ON DECEMBER 11

As is commonplace to avoid scheduling events too close to Christmas, there are several events occurring around the world on this particular date.

HBO and Showtime once again go head-to-head, both featuring thematic doubleheaders.

Amir Khan tops the HBO broadcast as he faces Marcos Maidana in their highly anticipated junior welterweight showdown, on a card that features another bout significant to their weight division as Victor Ortiz takes on comebacking Lamont Peterson. The bout airs live from the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Showtime presents the opening leg of their bantamweight tournament, live from the Emerald Queen Casino in Tacoma, Washington. Abner Mares squares off against Vic Darchinyan in a major crossroads bout, while Yonnhy Perez defends his alphabet title against Joseph Agbeko. The bout is a rematch to their October ’09 thriller, in which Perez scored a late-round knockdown to win the fight and the title.

Lineal heavyweight king Wladimir Klitschko defends for the third time this year, as he faces unheralded Derek Chisora in Mannheim, Germany.

Chisora is promoted by Frank Warren, who will be home in jolly old England that evening, celebrating his 30th year as a boxing promoter with a huge 12-fight event at the Echo Arena in Liverpool.

Included on the show is: a super middleweight scrap between 2008 Olympic Gold medalist James Degale and house favorite Paul Smith; Kell Brook versus Philip Kotey in a welterweight bout with major implication on the shape of the division in 2011; and separate appearances by middleweight contender Matthew Macklin and rising light heavyweight Nathan Cleverly.
 
Jake Donovan is the Managing Editor of Boxingscene.com. Follow Jake on Twitter at twitter.com/JakeNDaBox or submit questions/comments to JakeNDaBox@gmail.com.