By Dr. Peter Edwards
It was only a matter of time before IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy began to weigh his options, which include a possible move to the light heavyweight division.
Right now, and probably more than ever, Antonio Tarver and Jeff Lacy need each other. Following his trilogy winning decision over Roy Jones Jr. in October, Tarver was left without any big name opponents. He could tease the public all he wants on a possible showdown with Mike Tyson, but that fight will never materialize. There is no money for him at cruiserweight, unless he stops asking for seven figure paydays and that is very unlikely to happen.
Tarver does not hold one of the recognized titles in his weight class, but he is still the recognized champion. The four reigning champions at light heavyweight are relatively unknown to American fans, which is bad news for Tarver. The fact that even the most hardcore boxing fans have no idea who the champions are at 175 pounds, makes it that much harder for Tarver to make a living. If he loses to any of them, he is finished. If he beats any of them, nobody cares. Who would have pictured the man who finally ended Roy Jones’ aura of invincibility, facing these kinds of problems?
At the moment, Tarver is forced to bait name opponents from the lower weight classes to move up and challenge his light heavyweight superiority. What else can he do? Tarver faces another opponent that he will not be able to beat, Father Time. At age 36, time is running out and he needs big fights now. We saw shades of age in his third meeting with Jones, as Tarver was visibly tired by the eleventh round. The longer he waits, the less time he will have to bank on the post-Jones money train.
In comes Jeff Lacy, a fighter with similar problems. Because Lacy is only 28, he could wait it out longer than Tarver, but because he is so hot in a sport starving for the next big star, he wants to become that star before another young fighter raises his game. The way boxing is mapped out these days, one big win is all it takes to get recognition. Lacy wants that big win and wants it now.
After months of chasing WBO super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe and being unable to secure a fight for one reason or another, Lacy appears to be ready to move on to bigger and better things. Rather than face one of the other champions within his own division, he wants to take a necessary career risk by moving up to face a bigger opponent.
We don’t know if Lacy’s power will move up with him to light heavyweight and we don’t know if Tarver can handle Lacy’s heavy punch output. Is Lacy the strongest fighter Tarver has ever faced? Probably not. But, Lacy does have a similar style to Glen Johnson, which gave Tarver problems. Lacy is also more accurate, more active and stronger than Johnson.
The fight has enough buzz to make Tarver his requested seven figure payday and Lacy will likely end up with the biggest purse of his career. The money is there for both men to take. Tarver seems less reluctant than Lacy for a potential meeting by brushing the challenge off and calling Lacy unworthy of facing him in a recent interview.
A fight with Lacy is the biggest fight Tarver can make right now and maybe for a long time. Bernard Hopkins has gone on the record with a challenge to Tarver, should he beat Taylor in their December rematch. A Hopkins win is far from a sure thing and even if he wins, the chance of Bernard moving up to face Tarver is shaky at best. Tarver can forget Jermain Taylor, he won’t be thinking about a move to light heavyweight for at least a few years.
Is Tarver’s ego going to get the best of him again? He took Glen Johnson lightly in their first meeting and suffered a loss that derailed his career and caused semi-permanent damage. I still don’t think Tarver has fully recovered from the Johnson loss because his win in the rematch was not spectacular. Fading in the late rounds of a fight with a washed up Roy Jones won’t repair his career either. He needs this fight with Lacy, more than Lacy needs a fight with him.
If Tarver wants to do something that Roy Jones did not do in the late stages of his career, he should sign to face the hungry undefeated challenger and dare to be great. The time is now, either both fighters get on the train or watch it pass.
