BOXING: BURCHFIELD & PEMBERTON WELCOME LACY BOUT!

ByBoxing Press

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 world champion Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy on Showtime, November 5th.

The November 5th date opened up when Lacy’s original opponent, WBO champion Joe Calzaghe, suffered an injury in his title defense against Evans Ashira over the weekend.

“I welcome a fight with Jeff Lacy,” said Pemberton. “Jeff is a warrior and I am a warrior, it would be a great fight. I have been to two training camps this year, one for a proposed third bout with Omar Sheika earlier in the year and one recently for a proposed fight with Danny Green. So I know I am sharp and will be ready should I get the chance.”

According to Burchfield, he has been in contact with Jay Larkin at Showtime and there was some interest in the fight, however concerns were raised that Pemberton has not fought since October, 29, 2004 when he scored a 4th round TKO over James Crawford.

“The time off really should not be a concern,” said Burchfield. “Scott has been in the gym consistently. As the #1 contender we were not going to just jump into any fight, as the ultimate goal is to get a shot at the world title. We had a great offer to fight Omar Sheika earlier in the year, however that offer proved to be fictional after much time and effort was wasted. Than we had a great deal in place to fight #2 rated Danny Green October 23rd and an injury to Green wiped that fight out.”

Pemberton was on the winning end of two ESPN2 “Fights of the Year” in 2003 and 2004 for his wins over Omar Sheika. He also received “Honorable Mention” honors for “Fight of the Year” from Ring Magazine for both Sheika fights as well as his 2002 battle with former world champion Charles Brewer.

In addition, Ring Magazine hailed Scott Pemberton as the super middleweight most deserving a title shot. KO Magazine hailed his second fight with Omar Sheika as “better than Gatti-Ward II.”

“This is a great fight for the sport of boxing,” Burchfield noted. “This would be a showcase of two of boxing’s true warriors, one that will surely be a candidate for 2005 fight of the year. Plus it would show the boxing world that if you work hard at your craft you can earn your shot, just as Scott Pemberton has done. This has the makings of a tremendous fight, and I hope it can be made.”