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GamblingTips · Joined: 07 Jul 2005 Posts: 33

What does it mean to hold an alphabet title belt? WBC, WBO, IBF, WBA, ABC, XYZ, whatever. Is a fighter truly a world champion simply because he holds a shiny leather and metal trinket with the words “world champion” inscribed on it?

With 17 weight divisions and a minimum of five recognized “world champions” (counting The Ring Magazine, of course) in each division, is someone honestly trying to sell the fact that there are upwards of 75 active world champions competing in our pugilistic environment? Are you serious?

If so, then I’ve got a used ’92 Buick with a busted rear view mirror sitting on dubs in the garage with a minimum bidding price of $50k.

Ridiculous, yes, I know. But that is what the wacky world of boxing is trying to shove down the public’s all to open throat.

The fact remains that there can only be one true world champion in each of the 17 divisions, not five. And the presence of a nifty little title belt often means little in determining who is the true champion, as there are more than four times as many world title holders as there are true champions, since some weight divisions cannot rightfully label any man as the clear cut ruler of its kingdom.

Lacy, right, is susceptible to right hands during his ‘rest’ time, can Reid capitalize?

That is precisely the case with the 168-lb division. It’s universally regarded top fighter, Joe Calzaghe, holds the lightly regarded WBO title without ever having beaten anyone who can be considered “the man” in the division, although he certainly makes the strongest claim of any of the current titlists. Similarly, Mikkel Kessler and Markus Beyer hold the WBA and WBC counterpart titles, which are in and of themselves more prestigious, but they face the same problem in that they’ve never faced the top dog, Joe Calzaghe or his immediate predecessor, Roy Jones Jr.

With champions holding onto their belts like a starving man grips his fork, boxing can’t crown true champions because the titlists, for whatever, reason, often refuse to fight each other. But one man is out to change all that, IBF 168-lb titlist, Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy.

The Adonis-like fighter from St. Petersburg, Florida won his version of the crown last October and he’s been on a tear ever since, calling out the other belt holders in an effort to unify the division and finally crown a single champion.

On Saturday night, Lacy, ranked number two by InsideFighting.com, will take a gargantuan step toward achieving his goal by facing former titlist Robin Reid, ranked number nine, in what should be a prelude to a winter matchup against Calzaghe in the first true 168-lb super fight since Jones Jr. defeated James Toney more than a decade ago.

However, Saturday’s fight, which will be broadcast live on the east coast at 9 p.m. and shown via tape-delay on the west coast at the same time by Showtime, is anything but a mere formality for Lacy.

If Lacy lands his left hook with regularity, it will be a long night

With 43 professional fights, including 38 wins and 27 knockouts, Reid brings more than twice the ring experience to the fight compared to the youthful champion’s 19 pro pugilistic endeavors. But more importantly, he’s never been stopped and only rarely hurt by a punch.

Lacy, therefore, will have to bring his A-game if he wants to make good on his standing as a -450 betting favorite. Against a world-class veteran like Reid, it won’t be enough for the IBF titlist to come out headhunting with a couple of grenade launchers disguised as fists. Reid will be able to easily avoid incoming fire if the punches aren’t in bunches.

So, the undefeated Lacy will have to avoid his natural tendency to throw 2-3 punches and then stand still for six, seven, or even eight seconds. Otherwise, things could get much more interesting than they need to be in Southern Florida, because Reid has enough of a granite chin to withstand solo shots upstairs and is a crafty enough puncher to make a young guy like Lacy pay with punches that he doesn’t see coming.

Reid did just that in his 1999 split-decision loss to Calzaghe – an outcome that many openly question to this day. But the fact remains that Reid has never beaten a true elite opponent, so conventional wisdom says that if Lacy is the real deal like everyone believes, then he should pass the Robin Reid test.

But can Lacy do what Reid’s other four conquerors could not? Can he pierce Reid’s cast-iron jaw?

If so, the fistic world will stand up and take immediate notice of the youngest current 168-lb titlist, and it will make the winter fight with Calzaghe will be that much more profitable for both fighters. However, let’s not get ahead of ourselves just yet with a Calzaghe-Lacy mega fight.

The IBF champ has a little business to attend to on Saturday night in the form of Robin Reid.
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