Hot Prospects Lacy and Bojado
Seek and Destroy, But Just How Good Are They?
By Phillip Przybylo
13.10 - Results and Review of the
ShoBox and Main Events card from the Tropicana Casino
Resort in Atlantic City, NJ, USA:
Jeff Lacy (5-0, 5 KO's) vs. Adime
"Scorpion" Bawa (10-2, 8 KO's)
The super middleweight sensation,
Lacy that is, started off slow and patient in the
first half of the first round. The 2000 Olympian
came in with a huge overhand right in the middle
of the stanza that seemed to shock and then stun
Bawa. Lacy chose not to jump all over him like an
amateur and kept it slow for the last minute. The
second round saw a busy but ineffective Bawa get
hammered to the body on repeated occasions. Lacy
also jumped in with right cross-left hook combinations
throughout the round. One big right towards the
end of the second also seemed to slightly daze Bawa.
The third round saw a lot of the
same pace with Lacy coming in with the right and
then a left hook follow-up, not everything landing
solid. Around two minutes into the round, just when
one started to think, "Lacy's having a little
trouble putting this guy away," Lacy missed
a big right...and landed one the meanest left hooks
of the year! Referee Earl Morton stopped the fight
almost immediately as Bawa was flat on his back.
Eastside had it 20-18 in favor of "Left Hook"
Lacy (I do not care how apropos that is, the nickname's
got to go) before the merciful stoppage. Lacy KO3
Bawa.
Afterward, Jeff stated, "I
still got a lot to work on." He also pointed
out that he did well when relaxed and stayed calm,
and he has to work on relaxing a bit more.
Francisco Bojado (7-0, 7 KO's)
vs. Eleazar Contreras, Jr. (15-1-1, 6 KO's)
The second main attraction of the
card for the WBC jr. welterweight "youth"
title started out a bit slow, too. A lot of posturing
took place in the first until "Panchito"
landed a fairly nice left hook. Contreras looked
a little hurt, backed up a bit, and then went to
a knee before Bojado, from the 2000 Mexico Olympic
team, followed up. Contreras looked as if he were
taking the worst looking dive ever as he went down
from an average shot and waited until the count
of nine to get up. It turned out that it may have
been a brief eye problem and that is why he took
the knee and waited so long. Contreras came back
and even landed a couple shot of his own on Bojado,
but with the 18-year old's left hooks, he never
had a chance.
Contreras started out the second
appearing to be a "live" opponent and
more disciplined than other of the 2000 Olympians'
opponents. He shot straight and landed one or two
more decent ones on Bojado. Bojado dominated with
the left hooks as he eventually pinned Contreras
against the ropes. A right cross and left hook to
the head followed. As Contreras seemed a little
shaken, Bojado landed a piercing left hook to the
ribs that folded him. Contreras could not beat the
count. Eastside had it 10-8 before the knockout.
Bojado KO2 Contreras.
How Good Are They?
While the two young guns put out
dominant performances, they showed some weaknesses
that they need to work on. Lacy almost completely
forgot the jab after the first round. He never really
worked his way in, choosing to jump in with straight
rights all too often. Relaxation and concentration
are important virtues for Lacy to learn in the ring.
The good thing is that he knows that and will work
on them.
Bojado also displayed less than
stellar tendencies in his fight. He did not use
the jab as much as he probably should have. He continually
threw left hooks. Rarely was there any variety in
his punch repertoire.
With that being said, Jeff Lacy
will be one of the biggest punchers for years to
come. His power is unparalleled for his age and
even for the entire division. He does not mind working
the body, either. There is not doubt he will be
contending for a title in a year or two. Also, Francisco
Bojado has unlimited potential. While his defense
could be a little better, the way he picked off
shots and peered through his gloves while scanning
his opponent reminded me of a young Oscar De la
Hoya. He has this tremendous feel for the ring,
the opponent, and the sport.
Anyway, this was just another chapter
for two dignified, admirable fighters. The bottom
line is that they are hot young prospects, but still
one has to emphasize the "young prospects"
part. After seeing Ricardo Williams the week before,
I noticed that these two are a half step below his
level. "Slick Rick" is amazingly fluid.
He throws the right punch at the right time and
throws it hard.
The 2000 Olympians (including ones
east of the Atlantic) have a bright future ahead
of them, but I believe Williams' looks the brightest
even with the heavy hype behind Lacy and Bojado.
As always, the Eastside
Forum is open for debate. Also, feel free to
send any comments in to the author at: eastside_double_p@hotmail.com
