Calzaghe-Lacy: Battle of the Intangibles
 By Ronan Keenan (March 1, 2006)
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Photo © Frank Warren TV
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Boxing’s word of the week: Intangible: adj. & n. unable to be grasped mentally. -n. something that cannot be precisely measured or assessed.
The great mathematician Pythagoras probably had an easier time innovating that in a right angled triangle the sum of the squares of two sides equals the square of the other, than observers are in estimating what will happen when Joe Calzaghe and Jeff Lacy clash for The Ring vacant super-middleweight title.
Calzaghe-Lacy, not to be confused with the crime-fighting duo Cagney and Lacey, will thankfully be fighting each other, and the matchup is certain to prove half of the boxing world wrong. It’s USA versus Britain both in the ring and at press row.
While the British media are expecting Calzaghe to be finally crowned king of the super-middles, the American writers anticipate that a new boxing superstar will be born in Lacy.
Steve Farhood, analyst on the American network Showtime, believes that Lacy has several key advantages in his favor. “I’m leaning towards Lacy,” he said. “His freshness, his eagerness, and his youth are key factors.”
In contrast, England’s Robin Reid, a former opponent of both Calzaghe and Lacy, stated that the Welshman was the “stronger and quicker” fighter and that he will “definitely knock [Lacy] out”.
However, this isn’t your usual superfight with experts simply evaluating whether fighter X’s cross will overcome fighter Y’s left hook. Instead, with all else appearing equal, normally peripheral issues dominate the pre-fight analyses.
A seemingly endless list of intangible factors is fuelling numerous conjecture-filled theories.
EXPERIENCE
The most common question mark concerning the undefeated Lacy is his apparent lack of experience.
Having had just 21 pro contests how can he be ready to take on the man recognized as the world’s premier 168lb fighter?
On paper it appears that Calzaghe, 40-0 (31), has a huge advantage when it comes to experience, plus the fact that the fight is taking place in his familiar surroundings of Manchester, England. In all, the Welshman has had almost as many ‘world’ title fights, 18, as Lacy has had fights.
However, Lacy is not as inexperienced as his relatively short five year pro career would suggest.
He has a wealth of amateur experience, amassing 221 contests and a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics. Plus, he has had two professional victories in Britain, thus indicating that the British environs may not be so daunting for him.
“It doesn’t matter where you fight,” the 28-year-old Lacy said. “I love being the underdog and going into somebody’s backyard. I like when the chants are for him and they’re booing me.”
Most importantly, the quality of the opposition that Lacy has faced is not much inferior to that of Calzaghe.
The biggest names on Calzaghe’s resume are Chris Eubank (1997), Omar Sheika (2000), Charles Brewer (2001), Byron Mitchell (2003), and Reid (1999). Other than these four, the Welshman has fought a plethora of soft opposition.
It must be noted that Calzaghe has not been involved in a big-time fight since the Mitchell victory three years ago. Also, it could be said that Eubank was a couple of years past his best, as was Brewer. Calzaghe struggled desperately with Reid, and the timing the stoppage in the Mitchell bout was considered by many to be premature.
On the other hand, Lacy’s notable opponents have been Syd Vanderpool (2004), Omar Sheika (2004), Reid (2005), and most recently Scott Pemberton (2005).
Interestingly, Lacy destroyed Reid in recording an eighth round kayo and it took him less than two stanzas to flatten Pemberton, who was previously being lined up as an opponent for Calzaghe.
And so, after close examination, the top echelon of Lacy’s opponents, while not being Hall of Fame material, are not of a hugely lower standard than Calzaghe’s conquests. However, it cannot be disputed that Calzaghe knows what it’s like to dig deep and battle through adversity.
ON THE WAY UP/DOWN
On numerous occasions he has been forced to fight through the pain of serious hand injuries while competing with the pressures of a nation on his shoulders.
Then again, could it be that at 33 Calzaghe has left his prime years behind him?
Are the countless struggles with the 168lb weight limit and numerous injuries finally beginning to take their toll?
“Calzaghe's injury problems must be a concern,” said veteran boxing writer Graham Houston. “I just have the sense that Lacy is going to start getting to him and breaking him down as the fight goes deep”.
Calzaghe hasn’t faced an important test in years and since 2003 he has faced four mediocre challengers and produced disappointing displays in each of them.
Kabray Salem floored him in a messy, foul-filled bout. It took him six rounds to TKO Mario Veit in their 2005 rematch, whereas four years previously he disposed of the German inside the opening round.
Then, last time out, the supposed tune-up against the much smaller Evans Ashira turned into a nightmare when Calzaghe broke his left hand in the fourth round, thus limiting him to a labored points win.
While Calzaghe is possibly experiencing the most unpleasant streak of his career, Lacy is riding on the momentum train and visibly exudes a vigorous confidence.
“[Calzaghe’s] style is suited for my style. I’m going over there to knock him out. This fight will not go the distance,” assert Lacy.
The recent critically-acclaimed knockouts of Reid and Pemberton have obviously boosted his self-belief, given that in the build up to previous fights he has notably been reluctant to state the manner of his victory with such assurance.
PSYCHOLOGY
Despite being one of the finest British boxers of the last decade, Calzaghe has remained a mysterious character. His true personality has never seemed to come to the fore.
He is a man who clearly loves the adrenaline of fight-time as he habitually bounces towards the ring, while evidently feeding off the capacity crowd’s maniacal roar.
Yet, outside the ring he prefers to reside in the quiet Welsh valleys, constantly turning down invitations to various celebrity events. He has willingly neglected the mainstream recognition that his contemporaries Lennox Lewis, Naseem Hamed and Ricky Hatton have embraced.
Up until a short visit to New York a couple of years ago he had never once set foot outside the British Isles. And that trip to the Big Apple would never have happened if it was not for Frank Warren’s insistence that Calzaghe meet with the American press.
Throughout the years Calzaghe has never truly been recognized as the top British boxer, despite a perfect record and so many title defences. But if he were to resist the challenge of Lacy he would surely surpass Ricky Hatton as the current number one.
“This is a career defining fight for Calzaghe,” said Farhood. “He has been a titlist forever, but he'll be most remembered for this one”.
However, does he have the nerve to ascend to the throne? Does he really want to? Why has it taken him so long to enter into this position? Is it really due to poor management and bad luck?
Or maybe, deep, deep down in his psyche, Calzaghe doesn’t really want to be the undisputed top dog. He might not want to be the headline grabber. Part of his brain may be telling him that he doesn’t need the pressures of being ‘the man’.
Wouldn’t it be easier to keep the status quo and continue to enjoy the comfortable anonymity in the Welsh countryside?
Calzaghe doesn’t think so. “It may be late in my career but I’m ready to prove that I’m the best. I like to think that it’s better late than never to get my big fight,” he said.
Nonetheless, expectation doesn’t rest easy on Calzaghe’s shoulders. He has a habit of making hard fights easy and easy fights arduous. See the Sheika, Brewer and Mitchell contests. Then cautiously check out his grappling matches with the likes of David Starie, Rick Thornberry and Salem.
Equally, Lacy is experiencing a pressure that he has never felt before. The vast majority of the US boxing media expect him to use Calzaghe as a stepping stone to stardom.
“This is a career defining fight for both men,” said Farhood. “But if Lacy has aspirations of becoming a pound-for-pound fighter, and maybe even a superstar, he has to win.”
But how will Lacy react when he gets clipped with one of Calzaghe’s unorthodox hooks? Will he still be full of bravado when the Welshman, buoyed by his thousands of fans, opens a cut on the sensitive skin around his eyes?
Yet most observers like what they have seen of Lacy’s psyche in his career to date.
“I like Lacy’s mentality. He has a won't-be-denied quality that I like in a fighter,” said Houston.
Still, Lacy has never encountered anything akin to the peculiar style of the southpaw Calzaghe, who possesses a technique that is hard to summarize. He can use his fast hands to freely slug when he wants to, but is also adept at boxing. Yet there is never a clear line separating the two approaches.
WINNING AND LOSING
Lacy is full of youthful enthusiasm or what some may call naivety. Nevertheless, he truly believes that his power is incomparable to anything that the 168lb division has ever seen. And he’s probably right.
Farhood believes that Lacy’s main asset is his infighting ability and heavy hands. “Lacy is the better infighter and power puncher, so if he wins it’ll probably be by kayo, maybe even early,” he said.
But what is the full extent of his game? His previous 21 opponents have failed to pose many questions, but it’s likely that Calzaghe will be of a curious nature on Saturday.
Nevertheless, Lacy is eager to point out that he is more than just a one-dimensional power-puncher.
“I’m not going to be exposed in this fight. Calzaghe won’t be able to outbox me. That’s not his usual style, so he’ll be playing into my hands if he tries to do that,” Lacy said.
Calzaghe disagrees, believing that Lacy’s approach is tailor-made for him.
“I like Lacy's style, he's an exciting fighter but I think that his style plays in to my hands. I have all the speed, boxing ability, power and stamina that I need to win this fight. I'm experienced, I've been at this a long time and I'll come out on top,” assured Calzaghe.
RESULT
Ultimately, let’s hope that both fighters play into each other hands and enable this exceptional matchup to translate into a magnificent fight.
When someone of Steve Farhood’s wisdom says “There's not another matchup that I'm looking forward to as much as this one”, you now it’s gonna be good.
A new king will be crowned this weekend. Unfortunately for Lacy, this writer’s guess is that Calzaghe has been the heir for too long, and, provided he hasn’t grown stale, should willingly accept his coronation. Probably. I think. Actually…
But, no matter what, you don’t need Pythagoras to tell you that Calzaghe + Lacy = (great fight)².
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