After a bit of a drought, our thirst for boxing will be slaked this weekend. On Saturday, August 6, on Showtime, Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy defends his IBF/IBO super middleweight title against challenger Robin “The Reaper Man” Reid over 12 explosive rounds. Lacy’s a fighter on the rise, and Reid is his toughest challenge yet. Does the Brit have enough to derail the Jeff Lacy Express? This is how The Sweet Science writers see it.
Reid fought a six-rounder in his last fight and is in action once a year: Lacy by seventh round knockout.Mitch Abramson
Robin Reid is tough and sturdy. He's been in against some top competition. But Jeff Lacy is special. The man can punch and that's how this bout ends. Lacy by 9th-round knockout.Robert Cassidy Jr.
Reid could be a very tough test for Lacy. The guy is a former world champion who has been in with some of the best, and he's never been on the canvas. His experience is his biggest advantage. But I still see Lacy – who is fighting for the first time as a pro in front of a home crowd – winning by decision.Rick Folstad
Jeff Lacy by unanimous decision. Unless Robin Reid is totally shot he's tough enough to make this match competitive at best and endure a sustained beating at worst. This could be one-sided, but even if it is this fight should go the distance.Tim Graham
This is supposed to be a tough fight for Jeff Lacy. Robin Reid, a former champion, and current holder of an obscure belt, has never been stopped. He also gave other belt-holders Joe Calzaghe and Sven Ottke difficulties, albeit in losing efforts. Jeff Lacy, however, generates more power that Calzaghe and Ottke combined. He also brings to the ring more raw talent than virtually any young fighter in the game today. Ostensibly, a win in this fight puts him in a title unification with Calzaghe this fall. Unfortunately, Calzaghe often stumbles over a “breakdown in negotiations” when big fights look as though they may actually happen. Lacy will crack the code on Reid very early and will stop him inside the distance. Such a result, while a big plus on the one hand, may serve to initiate another obstacle in his quest to meet Calzaghe – expect a hitch. Lacy by KO in 10.JE Grant
There isn't much to separate them, other than a half-dozen years, so the question is, or ought to be, How much does Reid have left in the tank at 34? It's hard to envision either of these guys knocking the other out, which leaves home-field advantage: Lacy in a close decision that will leave the Brits howling. George Kimball
How do you make a prediction on a fight when you've only seen one of the guys fight one time? That's the case here as Reid is an enigma, as are most fighters who ply their trade predominately in Europe. We don't get to see how good they are until they make Tszyu stop on his stool, as did Ricky Hatton, and then we notice. Reid is a tough nut for sure. He has never been stopped and took Joe Calzaghe to a split decision. Losing to Sven Ottke in Germany is no big deal, nobody beats Ottke in Germany, never, and now that he is retired nobody ever will. So Reid can box some judging by his success against Calzaghe – despite a losing effort, has beaten the likes of Brian Magee, he hasn't been stopped and boasts a solid 27 KOs in 38 wins. Lacy continues to takes steps up in class, but he isn't the best technical boxer Reid has ever faced and someday it will catch up to him. Lacy was only ahead by one point on two of the judges cards when he stopped Syd Vanderpool last year, and the very hittable Omar Sheika was within two points on two judges’ cards when the scores were tallied at the end of their battle in March of this year. If Lacy can't overpower you with his shots, he certainly won't out-jab you. So here is the problem for Lacy, fighting a tough nut like Reid who brings decent power and should be able to take Lacy's shots. Call it pure madness, call it a hope and a prayer, but I'm calling it an upset as the "Grim Reaper" Reid takes a decision Saturday night.Joey Knish
I have never seen Robin Reid fight, and only know him by reputation. But it seems fair to assume that this will be Jeff Lacy's toughest test to date. Word is the Brit – who could always crack and take a good punch – has gotten slick with age. One caveat is the 34-year-old Reid's inactivity. (Conventional wisdom says old vets should stay busy, but isn't that essentially true of all fighters? Maybe Reid comes in fresh? And the former WBC titlist already possesses a significant edge in experience.) Lacy's last three fights –Vanderpool, Sheika and R. Williams – haven't been cakewalks. While he punches hard, he is predictable and loads up too often; opponents see the bombs coming, and protect themselves accordingly. His defense is leaky. He abandons the jab. He has a knack for making fights harder than they need to be. And yet I love the guy! His strengths are youth, conditioning, power, heart, and tremendous determination. I see him wearing Reid down in the championships rounds, much like he did to Omar Sheika, and eking out a hard-fought decision.Zachary Levin
Newly crowned champions have a history of not looking all that good when they defend at home for the first time. And Robin Reid is a lot like Omar Sheika, who made Lacy look somewhat ordinary. He is also tough and durable enough to make Lacy win a hard, workmanlike decision. Lacy W 12.Bob Mladinich
Brian Hughes, Robin Reed's trainer, has relayed the news to us that his 34-year-old British tiger has aplomb. Out of a sketchy literary background, I seem to recall that Mark Twain said he never met a boxer with aplomb he did not like. Or was that Little Jack Horner, sitting in a corner? Perhaps a large whiskey would help. No matter. Can you imagine telling Rocky Marciano, or, say, Roberto Duran that he was about to fight someone with aplomb? God help us, has the sweet science come to this? My kingdom for a plum. OK, I'll quit. The pick here is for Jeff Lacy to send Reed home to England claiming he was robbed, something he has done with aplomb in the past.Pat Putnam
I’ve watched Lacy spar a lot – He’s awesome, not just to look at and figure how those bowling ball muscles could only be 168 pounds, but his punching power. At the Wild Card Gym, where some of the best fighters in the world gravitate, it was hard for him to get sparring partners. Nobody wanted any part of him. Trainers wound up wearing braces doing pad drills with him. He had to settle for cruisers and rocked them like lightweights. The gold standard now is Mayweather. There’s not a fighter out there that couldn’t be picked apart for some shortcoming. Bottom line for Lacy, with his great resolve, power and reserves, I think Reid will have to consider it a victory if he manages to stay on his feet to hear the final bell.Joe Rein
On Sept. 10, 1993, Robin Reid won a six-round decision over Jose Angel Garcia at Sant Antonio, Texas. His second fight in the United States Friday night against Jeff Lacy also will be six-rounder.Ed Schuyler
Jeff Lacy is one of the toughest, most aggressive, and extremely exciting fighters in the game today. He certainly lacks some of the slick fundamentals of young champions like Miguel Cotto, but his punching power and guts make up for his deficiencies. One day, a diversified boxer puncher will catch up to him, but I don't think it will happen on Saturday night. Reid is a good opponent, but past his prime, and I don't think he'll be able to keep Lacy off of him in the long run. Lacy TKO8.Greg Smith
After 19 fights, Florida native Jeff Lacy finally has the opportunity to fight in front of his hometown fans. However, home court advantage is not always a plus in boxing. Just ask Cory Spinks. “Left Hook’s” opponent, Robin Reid, is no journeyman either. Still, Lacy does not seem to be taking the fight lightly and will perform well enough to win. Lacy by unanimous decision.Aaron Tallent
Something tells me this is going to be a cakewalk for Lacy, who is rapidly approaching what I feel is his fistic peak. Reid is tough, no doubt about it, but Lacy will jump on him from the opening bell and try to intimidate him. If he succeeds and makes Robin back off, look for "Left Hook" to score a KO within five rounds. Otherwise, a younger, busier and speedier Lacy takes home a unanimous decision.
From http://www.muaylok.net/boxingrec/index.php?id=75
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