10.03.06 – By James Allan: I would like to take this opportunity to congratulate Joe Calzaghe on his fantastic performance and victory over Jeff Lacy last Saturday. Joe was almost punch perfect and it became patently obvious by the end of round three that Jeff Lacy was going to be in for a hard night. I can’t actually ever recall a more one sided fight in what was supposed to be a pick em. Joe has now cemented his position as the number one super middleweight, impressed American audiences and set himself up for the super fights he should have been having five years ago. With all of this in mind, I sincerely hope his next fight isn’t against Roy Jones Jnr.
Roy is nowhere near the fighter he was just three years ago. Three defeats in his last three fights, including two knockouts have pretty much put paid to Roy’s time at the top as the best pound for pound fighter in the world.
A fight between him and Joe would have been great, in 2003, but in 2006 it is hard to see it ending in anything other than a painful beating for Roy. In truth the only reason that Joe and Frank Warren are even talking about this fight is because Roy Jones is still a marquee name to those who only take a passing interest in the sport. Almost every knowledgeable fan recognises that Roy is now a spent force. At his peak, he was almost untouchable. A combination of speed, incredibly quick reflexes and power made Roy the best fighter of his generation.
The first two qualities have evaporated to the point where men who would have struggled to lay a glove on him in his prime are now regularly hitting Roy. Joe is a quick fighter, quicker than either Johnson or Tarver and after watching him destroy Jeff Lacy; it is hard to imagine Roy having much of a chance against him. There is no shame in Roy’s fall from the top. All fighters pass their peak sooner or later, Roy has passed his. He would be well advised to hang up his gloves and find something else to do within the game. He has made enough money to live comfortably for the rest of his life and he has achieved more than enough to ensure he gains his place in the Hall of Fame.
If Joe really wants to lay claim to being the best pound for pound fighter in the World there are other challenges he could face. He could stay at Super Middleweight and face the unbeaten Mikkel Kessler. Kessler hasn’t fought in the same class as Joe, but he has to step up sooner or later and with 27 KO’s in 38 fights he too can hit hard. A fight with Markus Beyer would be a real money spinner for both of them, the fact is however, that after watching Saturday’s display Beyer would sooner run a mile on hot coals than face Joe in the ring.
Like Sven Ottke, Markus is more interested in holding on to his belt than actually securing any legacy for himself. If he wants to move up to Light Heavyweight, Joe could choose to face Glen Johnson, a man he twice pulled out of fights against. A fight with Joe would bring a big payday for Johnson, and with his road warrior mentality he would be more than happy to take it. Failing that he could look to fight Clinton Woods. Woods is on a rich vein of form at the moment and the fact that he holds the IBF version of the title would make it an attractive proposition to Joe. Tarver and Hopkins have signed to fight one another so a fight with either of them is out of the question at the moment, but perhaps the winner of that would then be willing to face Joe or then again, they may decide to have a return against one another. The point is that Joe doesn’t have to wait around for them. He has plenty of options to pick from, let’s hope he picks the right one.
I would also like to take a few moments to comment on Jeff Lacy. Between all the deserved plaudits that have been thrown Joe’s way, let’s not forget the gutsy and courageous performance of Jeff. Yes he was outclassed and shown up as over hyped by Joe, but he took his licks like a real fighter in that ring. Let’s also remember that if it hadn’t been for Jeff’s willingness to travel to Manchester in order to try and secure his legacy the fight with Joe would probably never have happened.
Lacy came over to the UK as a real champion trying to cement his claim to being the number one super middleweight by beating his biggest rival in his own country. He took a pasting for his troubles, but he never quit and he made it to the final bell. Whether Jeff will ever really recover from this fight either mentally or physically we will have to wait and see, but he showed that he has the heart of a champion and deserves just as much respect as Joe does.