By Dr. Peter Edwards
If you looked up workhouse in the dictionary, you would find a picture of Jeff Lacy (20-0, 16Kos). On November 5, at Caesars Tahoe in Nevada, Lacy steps in the ring for the fourth time in less than 12 months. This also marks the fourth consecutive fight on Showtime?s championship boxing series in less than a year.
None of the previous three fights in the four fight equation were against pushovers and his fourth opponent, Scott Pemberton, is no different. Last December, Lacy outworked a game Omar Sheika on route to a unanimous decision victory. Sheika came to fight and put on one his best performances in recent memory. Lacy was able to fight him off and repeatedly shake Sheika throughout the fight with his harder punches.
Three months later, he stopped the once beaten Rubin Williams within seven rounds. Williams was once regarded as a rising prospect in the division, until his career was derailed by suffering a first round knockout loss to unheralded Epifanio Mendoza. Williams was able to show off his boxing skills in various points of the fight, but Lacy?s aggressive come forward style was too much for Williams. He was able to move Williams back with power punches and walked him down until Williams succumbed. The referee, Tony Weeks, saved Williams from further punishment as Lacy was beating up Williams against the ropes.
In what was supposed to be one of Lacy?s toughest assignments, he overpowered Robin Reid and made it look easy doing so. It was a big accomplishment for Lacy to stop Reid within eight rounds of their twelve round fight, a big accomplishment because he became the first man to stop the iron-chinned Reid. An accomplishment that undefeated rival Joe Calzaghe was unable to earn when he faced Reid several years earlier.
After a proposed bout with Joe Calzaghe was scrapped because of an injury sustained by Calzaghe in his last outing, Lacy began searching for the toughest available opponent in the division. Lacy made a call and Pemberton answered.
Pemberton (29-3-1, 24KOs) has not tasted defeat since August 2, 2002, when he was knocked out by Charles Brewer in six rounds. The other two losses on Pemberton?s record have also come by knockout on, but he suffered them in 1996, a very early point in his career.
Since the loss to Brewer, Pemberton has restored his career by winning five bouts in a row, four of them by way of knockout. The two fights that gave Pemberton the most recognition were back to back wars with Omar Sheika. The two battles with Sheika were fight of the year type encounters, with both men taking punches as good as they dished them out.
The first meeting resulted in a close split decision victory for Pemberton, the rematch was a different affair altogether. Pemberton, who found himself in trouble early in the fight, was able to come back to stop Sheika in ten rounds.
All of this brings us to our current bout. While Pemberton is game, possesses good boxing and survival skills, he is not on the same level with a hungry rising star like Lacy. It appears that Lacy is looking to make a big statement here, as he did in his August bout with Reid. Unfortunately for Pemberton, he is a lamb being thrown in the ring with a lion.
Lacy has the advantage over Pemberton in every category, except possibly boxing skills.
There has never been a claim of Lack being a spectacular boxer or possessing the best defense, but his strength, aggressive nature and ability to take punch more than makes up for any shortcomings.
With a tentative fight with Joe Calzaghe hanging in the balance for the first quarter of 2006, Lacy not only needs to win, but has to do it impressively. Most expect him to do just that. When comparing the recent fights of both Lacy and Calzaghe, Lacy has been in the ring with the better level of competition and is winning his fights more convincingly.
In my opinion, the fight is going to go two ways. Either a cautious Pemberton stays back until Lacy catches up to him or Pemberton decides to go for broke and slug away until Lacy?s power inevitably wears him down. Regardless of Pemberton?s strategy, I fully expect Lacy to pick up another impressive victory and move towards a unification showdown with Joe Calzaghe in 2006.
