Lacy didn’t Fear the Reaper.

Click for larger image © Tom Casino/Showtime

For the first time since the stolen stardom of Gerald McClellan and the passing fancy of Roy Jones Jr., the American boxing contingent has a reason to care about the super middleweight division. At Robin Reid’s eternal expense, Jeff Lacy is that reason. Bludgeoned: the apt description for the job Lacy did on Reid who, before

last night, had not so much as taken a mandatory count. Being the catalyst for Reid’s five-knockdown capitulation makes Lacy an altogether more serious proposition than the eager young champion as he appeared to us beforehand. Of course, a six-round walkabout with the 17-16-2 Ramdane Serdjane was not sound preparation for a threat such as Lacy, but if you can pick holes in Reid’s recent opposition level, you cannot question his abilities. The chorus amongst British boxing fans must be, “I never thought I’d see the day,” but we have. Ominously for those fans, Lacy is willing to force Joe Calzaghe’s hand and concede home advantage for an IBF/WBO unification. Despite experience and credentials, Reid was not ready for Lacy, and honestly, looking at the last couple of years in his fighting life, nor is Calzaghe.

The projected date of a Lacy-Calzaghe fight is December of this year, marking Calzaghe’s fifth fight in two years. Since early 2004, Calzaghe’s opponents have all been completely insignificant. In fact, perhaps all but two of Calzaghe’s sixteen WBO title defenses came against shot or incapable fighters. Of the two credible challenges, I include Reid and a dose of generosity towards Byron Mitchell, already beaten by Sven Ottke at the time.

Calzaghe will fight one more time before the proposed Lacy fight. An as yet undetermined opponent waits for the chance to dethrone Calzaghe, but whoever he is, he will realistically stand about as much chance as the majority of his predecessors. Perhaps Calzaghe’s one and only great performance was in winning the title against an aged Chris Eubank; his flooring of Eubank that night was as monolithic an achievement as Lacy’s battery of Reid. The performance against Eubank was a long time ago, far too long considering what Calzaghe faces in Lacy.

Lacy is excitement personified. His Tyson-esque style is enough to make one pine over his not being a heavyweight. Though lacking the lateral movement that characterized the early Tyson assaults, the spearhead of Lacy’s homage is a frightening two-fisted barrage of hooks and uppercuts that has already overcome great potential difficulties in style. Lacy’s abandon of some of the nuances of the sweet science, those that once brought him consideration as a skilled boxer, highlight flaws in his style to be exposed. But for now, are you complaining?

The ground has shifted under Lacy’s feet. No longer is he a promising fighter or one of many titlists in a faceless division. Stardom awaits, and if the trend continues that the likes of Calzaghe, Markus Beyer and Mikkel Kessler remain as hesitant conspirators to a unification plan, challenges befitting a star such as Lacy beckon elsewhere. Jermain Taylor and the undisputed middleweight championship would seem logical, but Taylor’s inescapable business with Bernard Hopkins, plus the lack of confidence that Lacy could safely boil his immense frame down to 160-pounds make it a desirable but unlikely possibility. When Antonio Tarver finally lays the Roy Jones myth to rest this October, might he become a viable alternative for Lacy’s 2006 campaign?

Questions, questions, questions.

As the maddening wait for answers to them begins, be satisfied with the answering of at least one: Jeff Lacy is definitely for real.

Contact Jim Cawkwell at jimcawkwell@yahoo.co.uk