It wasn't even close.

When the super middleweight unification bout between American Jeff "Left Hook" Lacy and Welshman Joe Calzaghe was over, there was no doubting who the victor was. In front of about 12,000 screaming fans at England's MEN Arena, Calzaghe beat up the younger, supposedly stronger and favoured fighter, battering him with uppercuts, bloodying his nose, cutting both his eyes and knocking him down in the final round.

Lacy, 21-1 (17), who suffers his first pro loss and an even bigger setback, had said that he would not be exposed in this fight, but that he was. Although his career is still promising, this was a badly-needed win, and Lacy can no longer be considered the new American Hope of the 168-pounders. A fight with Jermain Taylor would be spectacular, but, as such a fight could be debilitating for either fighter's careers, it is unlikley to happen anytime soon.

Calzaghe,41-0 (31), legitimizes his position at the top of the super middleweight division, and wins the Ring Magazine belt. Like Ricky Hatton before him, he quieted his critics and doubters with a career-defining victory. It is only a matter of time before he makes his first trip the U.S. to defend his title against big-name opponents like Taylor, Antonio Tarver, Bernard Hopkins, or Roy Jones Jr.

Maybe Jones was justified after all in his unwillingness to fight in Europe.