By T.K. Stewart - The great fight writer, Jimmy Cannon, once described boxing as “the red light district of sports.” With that in mind, it can easily be said that Jeff Lacy has seen the best and the worst of that seedy neighborhood.
After a successful amateur career that saw him compete in the 2000 Olympic Games, Lacy burst onto the professional scene eight years ago. He was a darling of the Showtime network as many of his early bouts were telecast on their airwaves. Lacy's style was well-suited to the rigors of the pro game and it seemed he was scoring one highlight reel knockout after another as he blazed to certain stardom.
And Lacy did meet with much success. After 16 victories he won the vacant IBF super middleweight title in 2004 and by the end of the next year he had already defended that belt four times.
For Jeff Lacy the sky seemed to be the limit. He had appeared on nearly every television network that still broadcast boxing on a regular basis and he was even appearing in ESPN commercials. It was though that with the careful guidance of Shelly Finkel, Jim Wilkes and Gary Shaw that Lacy would be the new face of boxing and that he would develop into a crossover star capable of carrying the beleaguered sport of boxing on his thick shoulders. [details]
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