By Jack Welsh

Jeff Lacy, as one of boxing’s most awesome knockout punchers, has left promoters across the land opening earlier than ever to accommodate the heavy box office crunch.

Perhaps the most unique aspect about the undefeated IBF super middleweight champion’s approach to a sport known as “the pain business.”

Even with devastating power in both hands, the 27-year-old warrior out of St. Petersburg, Fla.,is not obsessed with winning every fight by spectacular knockout ---a penchant that has impaired the career of some badly-advised prospects. Lacy has been a stickler for superb condition even during his amateur days when his ledger was 209-15 enroute to becoming the first member of the 2000 U.S. Olympic team to win a pro crown. That. big moment came last Oct .2 at Caesars Palace when he stopped Canada’s Syd Vanderpool on an eighth-round TKO.

In an all-action 12-round decision, Lacy, using tremendous combinations to the head and body against Omar Sheika for his first defense Dec.4 in Las Vegas with Showtime. televising as the Floridian kept pressure on and dictated the pace.

Promoter Gary Shaw cautioned his blue-ribbon star to improve his pace when the first five pro starts ended in one round kayos.

“We were in no hurry, it was like taking one rung at a time on a step ladder even though some fans were expecting to see a war to the finish. Fortunately, Jeff isn’t in a hurry to win early and was hitting harder in the later rounds. He showed that Mar.5 when he stopped Rubin Williams at 47 seconds into the eighth at Vegas,” said Shaw, pleased the way Lacy improved to 19-0, 15 KOs.

“Since my fights now are for 12 rounds, I don’t have to be in a hurry. Once I was in the pros, I know I was hitting much harder in the latter rounds with big left hooks and straight rights. I was surprised Williams was able to take as many punches without doing down”, said the unmarked Lacy.

“I was in great shape and doing what I wanted too offensively. I just want to win and I’ll take the ‘W’, but I should have boxed Sheika. I fought a lot better with Williams who I fought three times in the amateurs.”

Jeff Lacy, declaring he’d like to fight at least twice more this year, isn’t sure about the next opponent, but he doesn’t view undisputed world middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins “as being unbeatable despite great credentials of 45-2-1, 32 KOs."

“There are mistakes a smart opponent could use against him. For one, it is not boxing that Bernard can do, it’s really mathematics with the way he fights,  first couple of rounds, Hopkins is just moving but in the second half of the fight, is when he comes to fight. And that’s when people are already beaten by his moving all around. They are already frustrated,” Lacy opined.

“What you need to do is throw a couple of hard shots to hurt him, and then remembering, he is a 40-year-old guy and then back off, taking a couple of more rounds later in the fights you have to put on a lot of pressure on Hopkins, making him fight on the move. Even if he does not want to fight the first couple of rounds, make him fight a little bit more and make him fight your fight, not his. That is when you’ll see pressure will make Bernard start feeling he is 40-years of age.”

Lacy has reportedly heard fight people rumoring that Hopkins, now having disposed of Howard Eastman, might now make a pitch for a return with Felix “Tito” Trinidad next year if the mega millions are available.

“I have said it is my goal to unify the 168-pound title if the champions are available. Britain’s Joe Calzaghe, the WBO champion (38-0, 34 KOs) and me would be the division’s biggest attraction and I’d have no problem going over to England if the terms are right and Calzaghe woud not have a problem coming here. But I’m not fighting for nothing when I have worked so hard to get this belt around my waist to become undisputed."

(Jack Welsh is a syndicated columnist with headquarters in Las Vegas and is a regular contributor to Boxing Press, Boxing Insider, Monthly Boxing (U.K.),Ringsports.Com, and other American sports publications.)