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© St. Petersburg Times, published July 31, 2002
Jeff Lacy's biggest fight is coming Aug. 20.
That is the day his legal team will argue the fighter's case to have his promotional contract with Main Events terminated. Lacy, a Gibbs High graduate and 2000 Olympian, has fought all 10 of his pro fights under the Main Events banner since signing in February 2001, but the once-rosy relationship has soured, and likely for good.
It started with the departure this year of former chief operating officer Gary Shaw, with whom Lacy is very close. A clause in Lacy's contract states he can get out of the three-year deal if Shaw and CEO Kathy Duva are no longer with Main Events.
It is the contention of Lacy's Tampa adviser, Jim Wilkes, that Shaw and Duva must be with Main Events or Lacy is free of his contract.
"It's Jeff's decision that if both aren't there (the contract is void)," Wilkes said. "Both are no longer involved."
Lacy's lawyer, Judd Burstein, told the New York's Daily News, "Jeff would never have signed with Main Events if Gary wasn't there. Kathy Duva alone was not what he bargained for. Gary Shaw alone was not what he bargained for. He wanted a team."
Main Event spokesman Donald Tremblay said the clause is simple -- because Duva remains with the company, there's no triggering of any out clause.
What has ensued is a battle of words between the camps that could be settled in court Aug. 20-21 in New Jersey. Main Events claims it just wants Lacy to honor his contract and the dispute is over his preference to follow Shaw, who has since formed Gary Shaw Productions, and that he has fallen prey to some bad career advice from Wilkes.
However, Wilkes said there is more to the imbroglio than just Lacy wanting to follow Shaw, that Main Events has "grossly underpaid" Lacy and violated the Muhammad Ali Boxing Reform Act's rules of financial disclosure.
And naturally, everyone appears to be suing everyone else for a slew of other misdeeds.
The sides already have met in court once, with both claiming victory when a judge said -- in a preliminary hearing -- he agrees with Main Events' interpretation of the contract. However, the judge also denied a Main Events request for a restraining order to prevent Lacy from fighting in the meantime.
Lacy plans to fight Aug. 17 on Showtime against an opponent to be determined, Wilkes said.
RUSH RETURNS: Tampa's Michael Rush (23-6-1, 13 KOs) will resume trying to find a comfort zone in the light heavyweight ranks as he headlines the Starfight Productions card Aug. 9 at the A La Carte Event Pavilion. Rush, who has fought in three weight classes his past three fights after mostly fighting as a heavyweight, will take on 39-year-old Vinson Durham in the main event.
Locals Gene Molen, Edner Cherry, Moses Droz, George Walker (tentative) and Quinton Flowers also will be on the card, which begins at 7:30 p.m. For tickets call (813) 259-9269 or Ticketmaster, or visit the Web site at www.startfightproductions.com.
ECHOLS AGAIN: Busy Dade City native Antwun Echols, who trains in St. Petersburg, fights for the second time in a little more than a month when he defends his NABF super middleweight title against Richard Grant (14-8, two KOs) in a 12-round bout on Showtime at 10 p.m. Saturday. Echols (28-4-1, 25 KOs) won his last fight June 27 with a knockout of Oscar Bravo.
SO DOES CHINA: Showtime executive producer Jay Larkin confirmed Tuesday that Sarasota heavyweight China Smith will meet Saul Montana on Oct. 5 on the network's ShoBox series.
Showtime is hoping to stage the rematch locally, which could mean a possible return to the USF Sun Dome, where Montana took Smith's NBA title by knockout in a thrilling slugfest in April.
Molen also could make his national television debut on the card, promoter Pete Fernandez said.