Joe Calzaghe Masterclass: Reliving His Dominance Over Jeff Lacy in 2006

On March 4, 2006, Joe Calzaghe faced unbeaten American Jeff “Left Hook” Lacy at Manchester Arena with the IBF, WBO, and inaugural The Ring super middleweight titles up for grabs. In a career-defining masterclass, the “Pride of Wales” dismantled and dominated the highly regarded American. Relive this brilliant performance with Big Fight Weekend below.

Joe Calzaghe vs Jeff Lacy: A Night to Remember

Joe Calzaghe: Relive His Dominance Over Jeff Lacy

Billed as ‘Judgement Day,’ Calzaghe delivered a flawless verdict on Lacy. The Welshman had made the WBO title his own and defended it 17 times before facing the up-and-coming Lacy.

The opening few rounds of the fight were messy, with both fighters having minimal success on the inside. After four rounds, there was nothing close about this fight, as the “Pride of Wales” dominated and delivered a beat-down on Lacy, rocking him on multiple occasions. Calzaghe also scored a knockdown in the final round, confirming his dominance even further.

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Lacy was soon bloodied in the fight and by the final round, his eyes were visibly puffed. Calzaghe was mercurial at times as his speed and accuracy bamboozled his American opponent who simply had no answer to his boxing skills. As everyone waited for the scorecards, there was no question who would have their hand raised, with the three judges scoring the bout 119-105, 119-107 and 119-107 all in favour of the “Pride of Wales.” This victory made the world and most notably America stand up and take notice of Joseph William Calzaghe.

Joe Calzaghe: What Came Next?

After the Lacy fight, Calzaghe reflected on his performance: “I’ve spent eight years as a champion and I get the opportunity to fight Jeff Lacy who is being touted by so many people in America and is a dangerous fighter,” Calzaghe said. “And being written off my so many people. Morning, noon and night, Lacy’s been on my mind for months.

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“I’m ecstatic, not just beating Lacy but demoralizing him, and totally outclassing him and I think I showed the world.”

Calzaghe went from strength to strength after this fight and retired with a record of 46-0, 32 KOs. Following the win over Lacy, the Welshman defeated Mikkel Kessler, Bernard Hopkins and Roy Jones Jr.