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.
In the 1997 National Golden Gloves, Lacy again defeated Rubin Williams, but lost against Randy Griffin in the semi-finals and finished in third place.
Lacy, who had promised a knockout victory pre fight, was the betting favorite largely due to his age and the nature of his recent title defenses.
Lacy was hit with a plethora of hurtful punches as Calzaghe managed to consistently land a staggeringly high volume of shots.
Lacy continued to try and feint his way in quickly to land his famous left hook but Calzaghe was able to evade or ride the shot.
The fight became more and more punishing throughout the middle, and into the later rounds with many expecting the referee to halt the action and save Lacy from such a horrendous beating.
Lacy fought a rematch with Vitali Tsypko on December 2, 2006, in Tampa, Florida, on the same card as Winky Wright's fight against Ike Quartey.
Lacy then fought former world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor on November 15, 2008, and lost the fight by unanimous decision,[1] making it only the second loss of his career.
After almost three years after the loss to Smith, Lacy returned on November 30, 2013 to win a 3rd-round TKO over Martin Verdin in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Lacy played the role of Malice Blake in the 2007 boxing movie, "The Hammer", starring and produced by Adam Carolla.