So to sum up my points:

Jeff is the blue chipper in this fight, he has the pedigree, his career development has been built up in such a way, that this is the next logical step for Lacy, before he goes on to do bigger and better things.

But that comment is not meant to mock or belittle Calzaghe, Joe has shown over the last 10 years that he will be a fair test for Lacy. Jeff will have a fight on March 4th, he will win it, not easily, but I am certain he will in it clearly.

Lacy will be too much for Joe, but I think Calzaghe’s pride in front of his own crowd will keep the fight competitive for a while, before Lacy does finally get totally on top, and then Joe’s bravery will show, as I think his heart will mean he will not quit.

Lacy is far from the finished article, but he is that good now, that he needs to fight the Calzaghe’s of this world, to have a meaningful fights and help him learn, so when the even bigger fights come, he is ready.

Calzaghe has stated this is his career defining fight; it is unlikely he will have a bigger fight in his career, so he will give it everything he is got. But I think he knows he cannot win, his body is not what was 6/8 years ago, he seems to get a lot more injuries and has become stale, by meeting mediocre to adequate opposition, that have rarely tested him, unless he had his sloppy head on.

Lacy is no 97 Eubank, Lacy is no Richie Woodhall, Lacy is no Robin Reid, and Lacy is most certainly no feather fisted German WBO mandatory, he his much, much better than that. Joe has had a good run, I suspect he is not short of a penny or two, and he is probably getting paid well for this fight, but come March 5th 2006, he will be a former undefeated fighter, and we will be turning our attention to Lacy/Taylor and Lacy/Tarver. Â