From Fightnews: Former IBF super middleweight champion Jeff Lacy, expected to face former Olympic teammate Jermain Taylor on November 15, now says he's retiring. "There will be no fight between me and Jermain," Lacy told the Tampa Tribune. "I'm just retiring," he said. "I'm done. This business is dirty. That's all I have to say. This is a very dirty business. I would advise anyone who has kids not to ever let them fight in this business." Lacy (24-1, 17 KOs), who won a hard fought ten round majority decision over Epifiano Mendoza on Wednesday, did not go into specifics. Saturday, July 26 2008
dirty business???? Jeff, I was just kidding about the half chin-strap dude! regardless of his motives - its the right move on his part
This is the new trend...talk retirement after a tough fight. Lacy was guided pretty nicely by Shaw with those guaranteed SHO dates. But that parades over and his career path doesn't look that good right now and probably not getting any better if he were to fight Taylor.
whethere he was over-hyped or not, he's not the same fighter he was before he lost so thoroughly to Calzaghe.....after 4 fights or so, he hasn't recovered or shown many signs of doing so......he's not old but he's shot.....it probably is the right decision....... .....regarding 'the dirty business'....i don't know, he may have been screwed, it happens.....but that's not the real reason he's retired.....if he was blowing away opponents and getting all the kudos like he used to, he wouldn't be announcing his retirement.......i think his confidence has just hit rock bottom
...... He was never that great in the first place. I guess he's pissed because he keeps getting close decisions in fights he could have lost?:atu:
dsimon writes: Let me say this again because I don't know if I did the first time. I apologize to all those whom I argued against when I held the opinion that the Calzighe fight was not that bad for Lacy, I was wrong. Lacy never recovered from that fight and thats that. He may get a second wind but he is kinesthetically not able. Lacy's biggest problem is his conditioning. He is too musclebound. If he wants to fight again he needs to reshape his body and lighten up. He needs to look more like Cotto and Marge and less like Holyfield. Jeff needs to become a workman and less of a power puncher. Its just a bad combo to be big muscled and a one punch wonder. It will never work.
Agreed in part, namely the part where you accept that the Calzaghe fight did for Jeff. Indeed it did. Jeff's problem, so far as I can see, is far more psychological than it is physical. He has in no way, shape or form mentally recovered from the WAY Joe beat him. It must be tough for a guy who was in one minute a world champion and the next minute spending thirty six minutes being hit at will and in turn unable to hit your opponent at all. Jeff has since looked ponderous, anxious and edgy each and every second he has spent in a boxing ring. Lacy should be applauded for continuing after the Joe fight and for trying to make that loss right- there are those who have just taken the high road and never walked back near a gym. His fighting heart and chin (especially) should be lauded- a lesser man would have quit against Calzaghe long before Jeff actually went down in the twelfth. But he is clearly done and dusted as a top level fighter: hopefully he has made enough money that he can enjoy his retirement and remember, one day, that he was once a champion of the world. MTF
Nobody thinks that he saw the replay or otherwise found out that he was given a gift decision to set up a Taylor fight...which to add to it he knows he cannot win? I figure the reason he's retiring is because he knows he's done; but that comment could have come about either because of the above or because the Taylor fight got taken off of the table and he's thinking he's getting screwed.
It certainly is a dirty business when you can tackle a guy to the groud to save yourself from being KO'd.
He'll fight Taylor. Can't imagine Lacy has enough money to turn down a 500K (my guess) payday. Plus, he'll have a decent shot in that fight. Taylor isn't going to be able to hurt him. He made Donnell Wiggins look like a top 10 guy pre-calz. Now he makes Epifanio look top 10. Lacy is the same guy.
In a recent article by Eddie Daniels for the The Tampa Tribune, Jeff Lacy reveals the reason he says he is retiring from boxing. Lacy feels the money he was offered to fight Jermain Taylor was an insult. Lacy tells the Florida based publication that before he even fought Epifanio Mendoza last week, he was offered $500,000 to fight Taylor. Lacy who went on to defeated Mendoza with a majority decision, said the purse was then upped to $550,000. Lacy tells the Tampa Tribune: "What do I look like fighting a fight of that caliber for $550,000 when I have more to risk than anything. I feel like Taylor needs me more than I need him and what do I look like fighting that fight for $550,000 and risking my life in there like I did Wednesday night because the referee is not on top of this guy hitting me in the back of the head."
haha...apparently Lacy believes he has enough money to turn down 500K. I still think he'll fight him. And he'll probably get more money than 550.
That's pretty good offer. How much does he expect to make? I wouldn't have imagined it going past 400,000, honestly.
Lacy seems to have a very inflated opinion of himself, not basing only from this incident, but from many quotes he made over the years
I think Lacy was always a bit overrated(solid, good but not great), but I have more respect for him than any other fighter in the last 10 years. Lacy is what every fighter says they are. He was a guy who would literally fight anyone anywhere. Still, I think the beating Joe gave him and his rotator cuff injury caused him to lose what he had. I realy hope he retires. Going life and death with Mendoza is all the proof I need. Lacy was great for the sport but he is not able to compete at the world class level.
I'm not going to say I have more respect for him than any other fighter...but I pretty much agree: never understood why people didn't/don't like the guy - he goes out and throws bombs and is in exciting fights. Even this last fight: everybody said he got exposed - nobody gave him credit for what was a very fun fight to watch (IMO.) It's like everybody feeds on the negative here.
