Check Out This Great Fight on Showtime This Saturday Starting at 9PM!
| Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy puts his IBF Super Middleweight strap on the line this Saturday night when he takes on rugged contender Scott Pemberton at Caesars Tahoe in Stateline, Nevada. Be sure not to blink.
Lacy has swept all before him as a professional, and he certainly lives up to his nickname – only four of |
Click for larger image
© Tom Casino/Showtime
|
his twenty professional opponents have heard the final bell. He is coming off a very impressive performance against England’s Robin Reid in August, when he scored an eighth round TKO. It was the first time Reid had been stopped as a pro. This, combined with his solid decision victory over perennial contender Omar Shieka in December last year and his sensational title winning effort against the tough Syd Vanderpool make "Left Hook" a warm favourite heading into Saturday’s fight.
But it would be a brave man to completely discount the chances of Scott "Sandman" Pemberton. Hailing from New Bedford in Massachusets, Pemberton also boasts a victory over Shieka – two of them in fact. He scored a
controversial split decision in July 2003 but left no doubts as to who the better man was in January 2004 when he pounded out a tenth round technical knockout.
"Sandman" is riding the crest of a five fight winning streak, all but one of them by knockout, and is in no hurry to see it stop. He too carries TNT in both gloves, with 24 KO’s in his 29 victories. One thing can be counted on –
Pemberton will be hungry, maybe more so than anyone Lacy has ever encountered in the paid ranks. You see,
after eleven years as a professional prizefighter, the highest purse he has ever collected is $35,000.
Pemberton fights not for belts, but to keep a roof over his family’s head. Throughout his career he has been forced to take various kinds of manual labour jobs to supplement his income and keep the wolves from the door. As the man himself says “I HAVE to win this fight.”
These are problems Lacy has never known. An Olympian in Sydney five years ago, he has been groomed for the big time since he started his pro career in 2001, and has collected some sizable chunks of change along the way. Likeable and unassuming, "Left Hook" was left bitterly disappointed when Welshman Joe Calzaghe pulled out of their December superfight after sustaining a hand injury in an unnecessary tune up. He hopes to take out
his frustrations on Scott Pemberton come November 5. Or will Calzaghe’s injury mean that lady luck is looking out for Scott Pemberton for a change? Wasn’t it a hand injury to a higher ranked opponent that got Rocky his shot at Apollo? Just checking…
And remember, if two kids are fighting over ten bucks in the street, my money goes on the hungriest one
every time.
Click to read more boxing articles by Greig Johnston
Discuss in Boxing Forum
Related Boxing Articles...
The IBF super middleweight title fight between undefeated defending champion Jeff Lacy (20-0, 16 KOs) and hard-hitting No. 7 contender Scott Pemberton (29-3-1, 24 KOs) on Saturday, Nov. 5 >
Round One: The two power heavy punchers meet in the center of the ring, beginning with Pemberton jabbing early, but not landing anything. Lacy is already displaying defense, something his >
In his last fight of the year, Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy ended 2005 with a phenomenal splash! Some would have thought that the matchup against the game and durable Scott >
***With Ringside Boxing Images**
Click for larger image© Mark DeSistoSaddoBoxing.com
Headlining the Gary Shaw Productions - Showtime televised card last night from >
Two Brawlers, One Ring And A Collision Headed for Stateline, Nevada
In the sport of boxing, fans and writers alike anticipate fights that will have us on the edge of our >
Jeff Lacy
Scott Pemberton
Both 168 pounds
Rafael Marquez
Silence Mabuza
Both 118 pounds
>
SHOWTIME On Demand is replaying two exciting SHOWTIME CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING telecasts featuring unbeaten IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy (21-0, 17 KOs) and his WBO counterpart, undefeated Joe Calzaghe (40-0, >
PROVIDENCE, RI – The world’s number one rated super middleweight, Scott “The Sandman” Pemberton, along with his promoter Jimmy Burchfield, have announced that they would welcome a shot at IBF >
Click for larger image © Tom Casino/Showtime Boxing
Undefeated IBF super middleweight champion Jeff "Left Hook'' Lacy hits the >
Jeff Lacy and Robin Reid work the mitts during an open media workout Wednesday in Tampa, Fla. Fight is this Saturday on SHOWTIME at 9 p.m. ET/PT (delayed >
