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The Showtime network has come out guns blazing in 2005, delivering excitement in both their monthly championship boxing and their ShoBox:The Next Generation series as well. With HBO having a moderately quiet year, for their terms, we have seen Showtime step it up with crucial fights such as Corrales-Castillo, Judah-Spinks II, and Hatton-Tszyu, while also featuring worthy prospects such as Robert ‘The Ghost’ Guerrero, Sechew Powell, David Estrada, and others. This coming Saturday the excitement continues as IBF Super Middleweight Champion Jeff ‘Left Hook’ Lacy bumps heads with grizzled Englishman Robin Reid in a somewhat low-profile but still risky affair.
Jeff Lacy represents what is good about boxing. The young man from St. Petersburg, Florida goes about his business with a blue-collar work ethic and delivers high drama in abundance. With Lacy you can expect a relentless attack, a willingness to exchange in close, and plenty of power to boot. The guy is rarely in a bad fight and has often been the show-stealer to the main event in the past. We saw him come out of the 2000 Olympics on fire, blazing his way to an 8-0 record with all of the wins coming by knockout in a sign of things to come.
In his title winning effort he broke down Syd ‘The Jewel’ Vanderpool in a wild melee of a fight. Vicious uppercuts on the inside lead to Vanderpool’s demise as Lacy’s power shined through.
Against Omar Sheika he was in tougher than expected, absorbing some cold blows to the chin before coming on strong for a unanimous decision. Most recently we saw Lacy at his best as he hammered away at Rubin Williams, showing a seemingly endless amount of stamina in scoring a 7th round TKO.
This Saturday is just another day at the office for Lacy, but Reid isn’t one to be taken lightly. Yes, his career has lacked some serious momentum as of late and yes, he looks to be a step or two slower, but Reid can be a very game dog if thrown the right bone. For anyone who’s seen him they might tell you that while nothing great stands out, he is solid overall and has been in with some stingy customers himself. His title losing effort against Joe Calzaghe in 1999 reflects on his overall game, as he was down for the task but still a bit outclassed in losing a split decision. Reid isn’t coming in with as much respect as you might expect but he knows what it’s like to go to war with a belt on the line and things should be interesting.
Whatever happens this Saturday, it should be fun. I remember telling Lacy once, after the fact, that I had predicted he was going to come up short against Vanderpool. Lacy paused for a second, a bit miffed perhaps, and replied ‘Nothing wrong with that. That’s just your opinion. My job is to prove people’s opinions wrong.’ It’s obvious that Lacy is a proud man who looks to his IBF belt as one of his dear priorities in life. That passion for the game has lead him to where he is today, and mixed with his exciting style it has been quite the ride for all fans. Saturday night the wheels are in motion once again, and I think it’s safe to say we won’t be disappointed.
The Jeff Lacy-Robin Reid telecast begins this Saturday, August 6th at 9PM/ET. Showtime will televise the proceedings.
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© Copyright / All Rights reserved: Doghouse Boxing 1998-2005
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By Chris Robinson (August 1, 2005)
