How Complacency destroyed Jeff Lacy: A lesson for the NDC

Jeffrey Scott Lacy is an American former professional boxer who held the IBF super middleweight title from 2004 to 2006, and the IBO super middleweight title from 2005 to 2006. Lacy rose to prominence in the early to mid-2000s as a feared puncher in the division, with his physique and knockout record making him one of boxing's top-rated prospects at the time.

He was extremely talented and feared by his opponents; he was nicknamed Mike Tyson due to his size and his nature of destroying opponents. He had impeccable stamina and could go the distance without fatigue, which made him extra dangerous.

Jeff Lacy was billed to fight Welsh boxer Joe Calzaghe in England; Joe Calzaghe had been WBO super middleweight champion for over eight years having beaten Chris Eubank for the vacant title in 1997. He had held onto his belt for 17 defences and was considered on the fringes of being one of the best fighters of the world.

The boxing match was scheduled for March 4, 2006 in Manchester, England for the WBO, IBF, and the Ring titles. It was dubbed "Judgement day" because at the time, neither of the two boxers had ever tasted defeat as professional fighters’, a unification bout.

Most American journalists wrote off Calzaghe's chances of victory and the odds were against Calzaghe despite having an equally perfect record, and even people in the UK doubted him. Prior to the fight, Calzaghe was worried about his left hand after breaking it against Evans Ashira. He contemplated pulling out of the fight only for his father and trainer Enzo Calzaghe and promoter Frank Warren to persuade him to take a potentially life-changing fight.

Jeff Lacy himself wrote off Calzaghe and taunted him for trying to pull out of the fight due to fear. When Calzaghe finally agreed to go ahead with the fight, Lacy taught it was an easy win for him. He asked his management to begin contract negotiations with Sakio Bika’s camp who was on standby to face the eventual winner of the Calzaghe-Lacy fight, such was the level of complacency Jeff Lacy had. Lacy was 28 whiles Calzaghe was 33. The Lacy camp saw Calzaghe as a fighter in decline and a man ready to be taken.

Then Judgement day arrived:
The fight was a messy affair early on with both trading punches at close range. However after 3^rd round, Calzaghe dominated with his superior hand-speed and all-round boxing ability. It became a one-sided beating of Lacy that involved him being rocked on several occasions and being knocked down for the first time in his career in round 12. In round one, Lacy had a bloody nose and a cut by round 4. The English crowd started shouting “easy, easy, easy from the 3^rd round, as it was obvious that Lacy was ill prepared and no match for Calzaghe, and suffered his first defeat. He received rounds after rounds of intense pounding, he was out boxed, out manoeuvred and out punched. Judgement day became a coronation day for Calzaghe.

Since that day Lacy has never been the same boxer he was, he was destroyed by complacency.

As we go into the 2024 general elections, everything points to a landslide victory for the National Democratic congress (NDC). However, it is not a done deal; there is a lot of work that needs to be done to clinch a one-touch victory.

During the outdooring of Prof. Jane Naana Opoku-Agyemang, the NDC national chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah warned the party that, 2024 elections was not a done deal. I hope his message sips in.

The ruling NPP is not an ordinary opponent, they are desperate and power-drunk, therefore the NDC has to mobilise all its resources both human and financial, to ensure that the victory will be a resounding one that cannot be contested.

The NDC should avoid the “Jeff Lacy” factor, and stop lobbying for positions even before the elections date.

The NPP has performed so badly that, all things being equal, they should not even get 20% of the total votes. Mismanaged economy, self-inflicted energy crises, failed promises, corruptions and state capture have all become the new norm. But this is Ghana where some people vote based on emotional attachments instead of developmental and national issues.

The NDC has to reach out to every community with the mind-set that, the odds were against them in the polls. The wards, branches and constituency executives should be charged to mobilise themselves, reach out to every house, knock on each every door and communicate to the electorates. Explain Agyapa, PDS, BOST and SML in clear and simple terms to every household.

Community hall engagements across the country should be considered to explain issues to the electorates.

Avoiding complacency and working as though the polls were against the NDC will lead to an incontestable resounding victory both in the presidential and parliamentary elections.

Remember, Jeff Lacy had potentials than Joe Calzaghe, but even with injury, Calzaghe taught him a boxing lesson, that is what complacency does to talents and potentials.