By Mark Vester
Former super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy was rocked several times and struggled to win a majority-decision over Epifanio Mendoza on Wednesday, but the win has now placed him on route to a showdown with former 2000 Olympic teammate Jermain Taylor.
Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella confirmed that a fight with Lacy will take place on the reserved date of November 15 on HBO. The site has not been established as of yet. DiBella says the bout is a crossroads fight for both men, and a loss can knock a guy back beyond repair.
"You can almost call this fight inevitable,'' DiBella told St. Petersburg Times . "This has been talked about since they were amateurs. They're still two of the biggest names in the business. But it's a crossroads fight for both. The winner makes a statement.
"If Jeff loses, it's a huge problem for him. He hasn't looked good lately. And Jermain, if he were to lose, that would be three fights in a row. This is hugely important.''
Taylor the paper that he plans to give his former teammate a boxing lesson.
"He had a hard time [with Mendoza]. He made an easy fight look hard,'' Taylor said. "He's still strong as an ox, but I figure I'll just have to give him a good boxing lesson.''
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