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Lacy Ready To Get Back In Ring With Golden Boy

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By EDDIE DANIELS, The Tampa Tribune

Published: October 10, 2007

TAMPA - Now Jeff Lacy can focus on what happens inside the ring. Instead of being preoccupied with the business end of boxing, he will now leave that up to Golden Boy Promotions after signing a five-fight deal Friday.

He will fight once in 2007, twice in 2008 and twice in 2009. The deal allows for an option to renegotiate more fights after the third fight, Lacy said.

'Oh man, you have no idea,' the super middleweight said. 'Since the departure of me and Gary Shaw, I felt that being in the situation I was in with him, I wanted to make sure if I was going to sign a contract with anyone else, I basically wanted to make sure it was a deal that I understood; I deal where I know my value.'

Golden Boy, spearheaded by Oscar De La Hoya, has a roster of fighters that includes Winky Wright, Bernard Hopkins and Shane Mosley in addition to De La Hoya.

This new chapter in Lacy's boxing career also marks his first bout since his majority decision victory last year against Vitali Tsypko. Although an opponent will not be named until week's end, Lacy (22-1, 17 KOs) will fight on the Dec. 8 undercard of the Floyd Mayweather/Ricky Hatton bout at the MGM Grand Arena in Las Vegas.

During the Dec. 2, 2006, fight against Tsypko, Lacy tore the rotator cuff in his left shoulder in the second round. Ironically, Dec. 8 will mark exactly one year since his surgery.

'To tell you the truth, the time that I've been off - it's going to be a little over a year since I've been away from boxing - but with everything that's been going on in the last 24 months, it was beneficial to myself,' Lacy said. 'I got some time to really relax and step away from boxing, not even read boxing Web sites; I really got a chance to rejuvenate every day and have some vacation time. That's one of the things I really haven't been able to do. I was constantly boxing, boxing, boxing, boxing.'

COME ONE COME ALL: Seems Antonio Tarver will have little issue picking up a fight after his Dec. 1 bout against Australian Danny Green (24-3, 22 KOs).

Tarver (25-4, 18 KOs), who will put up his IBO light heavyweight title, has been challenged by Chad Dawson and Brit Clinton Woods.

After defending his WBC light heavyweight title Sept. 28 in Sacramento, Calif., Dawson said he wanted to take on Tarver next.

Soon after, Woods (41-3, 24 KOs), the IBF light heavyweight champion, told BritishBoxing.net: 'Now he's finished fighting Rocky, Antonio Tarver is a fight I'm interested in again, but only if he can satisfy me that he's serious about boxing again.'

WINKY WAITING: Today marks Day 76 for Winky Wright. After suffering a cut over his left eye in the third round of the July 21 bout against Hopkins, it's mandatory for fighters to wait 100 days for the gash to completely heal.

Wright (51-4, 25 KOs), who suffered a 12-round unanimous decision loss to Hopkins in Vegas' Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, is taking his time to select his next opponent.

'I have to let this eye heal up, so I'm not obligated to anything right now,' Wright said. 'I want to wait and let a few fights happen, so I can see what happens and where I stand.'

LEGAL WOES: Lightweight Nate Campbell was arrested Sept. 27 and remains in the Falkenburg Road Jail with no bond. According to the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office report, Campbell, of 8043 Canterbury Lake Blvd. in Riverview, is charged with armed burglary of a dwelling with assault, false imprisonment, tampering with a witness and domestic violence battery.

Reporter Eddie Daniels can be reached at (813) 948-4214 or edaniels@tampatrib.com.

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