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 the 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.
the WBO, IBF, and 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 about.

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 thought it was an easy win for him. He asked his management to begin contract negotiations with Sakio Bika’s camp, which 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, while Calzaghe was 33. The Lacy camp saw Calzaghe as a fighter in decline and a man ready to be taken.

Then judgment day arrived:

The fight was a messy affair early on, with both trading punches at close range.
However, after the third 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 3rd round, as it was obvious that Lacy was ill-prepared and no match
for Calzaghe and suffered his first defeat. He received round after rounds of
intense pounding, he was out-boxed, outmaneuvered, and out-punched. Judgment 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. Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang, the NDC national
chairman Johnson Asiedu Nketiah warned the party that the 2024 elections were
not a done deal. I hope his message sips in.

The ruling NPP is not an ordinary opponent; they are desperate and powerful
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 election date. The NPP has performed so badly that, all things being equal, they should not even get 20% of the total votes. Mismanaged economies, self-inflicted energy crises, failed promises, corruption, 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 mindset 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 every door, and communicate with the electorate. 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 electorate.

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 more potential than Joe Calzaghe, but even with the injury, Calzaghe taught him a boxing lesson; that is what complacency does to talents and potential.