Lacy vows a short night vs. Jones

Story by Ryan Macalua
Photo by Scott Foster

There has been no other fight that has motivated Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy (25-2, 17 KOs) more than what is going to take place on August 15th against Roy “Captain Hook” Jones Jr. (53-5, 39 KOs).

“Training camp has gone very well and I’m really excited for this fight, there aren’t that many fights that you can get excited about other than when you are preparing for a living legend,” Lacy explains.

The bout which is fittingly entitled, “Hook City,” will be a test of the hooks and the big question remains, whose hook is better? While one may choose to make an argument, all doubts will be put to rest on saturday night when the punches land.

“I believe that this fight is going to be a great challenge in boxing. It’s going to be a great match up as far as Roy being the quick puncher he is and I myself bringing the power,” said Lacy.

There is no doubt that Roy Jones Jr. is a future hall of famer, but many question if he still packs the punch. Lacy begs to argue, “Roy Jones is still a very dangerous fighter to go against. A lot of people will look at his age being that he is around 40 years old, but he is still dangerous. I am a fighter that takes on all comers though and this is the best fight out there for me.”

When asked if Roy Jones Jr. was ever someone he admired, Lacy responded, “Roy Jones is a fighter I’ve always looked up to. I’ve always liked his style inside the ring and he’s always been a stand-up guy outside as well, ever since my first encounter with Roy he’s been a great guy.” Unfortunately Lacy will have to experience a different encounter with Roy on saturday night.

Having faced the likes of Joe Calzaghe and Jermain Taylor, when the best comes to mind, Jeff mentions another name who he considers the current pound for pound king and the best fighter. “Hands down Manny Pacquiao is the best pound for pound fighter in the world today. I love his style, he comes into the ring like myself. He comes in to fight. You know it’s going to be a great fight no matter what. Whether he is having a good day or a bad day, you know you’re going to be watching a great fight,” Lacy said.

It was questionable whether Lacy has been in tip top condition lately and with the Pacquiao-like mentality, coming to fight is now half the issue, but Jeff claims that he is in no better shape than he is now. In being highly criticized in his last bout with Contender champ Otis Griffin (19-6 , 7 KOs). Many perceived the bout to have gone either way, but the fight ended in a majority decision for Lacy. Although many saw the fight as unimpressive, it was a win nonetheless for Lacy and paved the way for Jeff to grab the microphone and call Roy Jones Jr. out, who attended the fight and was sitting in the audience.

“If Roy Jones only took this fight because of what he saw in my last fight, that is a big mistake. It was my very first promotional fight and I’ve learned my lesson because promoting a fight and preparing for one takes a toll on you,” Jeff explains. “For this fight I have just been able to focus on training. Roy is going to be in for a big surprise! I don’t see this fight going the distance.”

The fight seems to have an advantage for Roy Jones Jr. being that it is in his hometown where he grew up. Lacy sees it from a different standpoint, “I don’t see myself as a underdawg in this fight and I don’t really pay any attention to the fact that I’m fighting in his hometown. This is a huge fight for the both of us and I’m not the type of person to throw out the cards that way. It’s going to be determined who the best fighter is at the end of the night.”

Hook City looks to have many suprises in store for this weekend, but none more exciting than the opportunity to witness the battle of two fighters that possess the most lethal hooks in the game. When asked how much this fight means to him, Jeff replied, “This is the fight to put me back on top and dominate the division.”

“At the end of the night, I will be the one with my hand raised, the fight will not go twelve rounds!”

Tickets for “ Hook City ,” presented by Square Ring Promotions in association with Left Hook Promotions and Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, are priced at $150, $125, $100, $75, $50 & $25 are available at the MS Coast Coliseum Box Office, all Ticketmaster locations, by calling Ticketmaster at 800.745.3000 or on-line at Ticketmaster.com. The event will be broadcast live on pay-per-view.