Was Jeff Lacy a fake or did Calzaghe ruin him?

[Andre]

Neither ....... I think Lacy was a powerful, intimidating go-ahead fighter who put people under pressure and had good finishing power. With the benefit of hindsight, he couldn't fight effectively going backwards (he liked to get into a rhythmn and keep that same rhythmn going). He was made to be countered, and because he didn't throw good combinations, a fighter who moved him around, had good handspeed, and could get off first was always going to push him hard.

We seem very quick to put boxers into huge categories .... 'all time great', 'fraud' etc etc.

Styles make fights ...... the whole point of boxing is it's intangibles ...... Ali losing to Frazier, Foreman wroecking Frazier, Ali kayoing Foreman. There are no logical equations in boxing !!

Good stuff.
I admit back in the day I also thought he may have been a great but at the same time when you see someone with that sort of power comming off just the basics you automatically think he has to get better as he goes along, but he didnt.

I thought" if that guy had more head movment. " If he works on stretching his body and legs and gets more mobile and flexable and then works off more angles hes going to be able to rule with power punches. Turns out he wasn't trained that way.

You can say the same for Bojardo at that same time; ,natuarlly sat on punches at the right time .tight defence from straight out in front and turned on a dime so that others stayed straight out in front.
Same thing if he got fitter more flexable and kept what he had but created more angles he could of been better by far.

Turns out he was a lazy boy and thought he was a natural and it was all going to be just a given: so he hardly got trained any further or regimented in any way let alone a certain way to add to his natural skill. Shame, such a waste.

But those people who study it close cant force these guys to training harder or force them to be trained correctly to enhance their natural abilities.

Most gyms train fighters in exactly the same way until they shine out then they start to redevelop some things. It should be more personal from the start and more shaping and steering around each fighters natural abilites.

Thats why these guys who get trained by their fathers get whats required exactly when its required.
Think about how many of the top untouchable champions that are trained and taught all the way through by their own dad!, they are most of the ones who really shine out. I recon Tyson got adopted for that reason too.

Its also very easy to be correct in hind sight or at the time against a boxing system that relies on hype to up the excitment to bring in new faces and dollars prior to a fighter actually proving themselves beyond doubt.

[Scrap]

What happened with Joe and the circumstances surrounding it, caused Lacy to lose Belief in Himself But more importantly in His Team. They let Him down. I bet He feels He is now on His own when He gets in the Ring. His clear Head concept isnt clear anymore.