REUNION MAKES LACY TOUGH TO BEAT.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

Jeff Lacy is fortunate to have a lot. He has a great nickname - they call him ``Left Hook'' - a great trainer in Dan Birmingham, and smarts: He was intelligent enough to bring Birmingham back into his career after a long split.

All of Lacy's treasures will be on display Saturday in Tampa, Fla., when he defends his International Boxing Federation super middleweight championship against mandatory challenger Robin Reid.

Lacy, of St. Petersburg, Fla., is 19-0 with 15 knockouts. Reid, known as the ``Grim Reaper,'' is from Runcorn, England. The former World Boxing Council middleweight champion is 38-4-1 with 27 knockouts.

Showtime will televise at 9 p.m.

Birmingham, who also trains former junior middleweight champion and current middleweight top contender Winky Wright, was voted 2004 Trainer of the Year by the Boxing Writers Association of America.

He trained Lacy during his amateur days. They mutually agreed to part ways in 1996 when it was determined Birmingham was too busy with Wright, who often fought overseas, to give Lacy his undivided attention.

Wright now fights exclusively in this country, which made it easier for Lacy and Birmingham to reconnect after eight years.

The fight with Reid will be Lacy's fifth since his return to Birmingham. He is 3-0 with one no contest and he won the vacant IBF championship in the second of those fights, an eighth- round technical knockout of Syd Vanderpool last October. He has made two defenses.

During a conference call last week, Lacy, 28, was asked what effect Birmingham's return has had on him.

``Trust and taking me where I need to be taken,'' Lacy said. ``Over the years that I was not with him, I got away from the basics. We went back to the basics and just tightened everything else up, and now you have me.''

Birmingham is a trainer who can get the most out of a fighter. He's done a superb job honing Wright's skills - remember Wright's thorough domination of former three-time champion Felix Trinidad Jr. last May? That was Birmingham at his training best, as it was Wright at his fighting best.

Birmingham is working Lacy, who was solid before he called Birmingham last year, and now is very tough to beat.

``Jeff was in my gym every day anyway,'' Birmingham said, ``and he just called me up one day and said, 'Can I have my old coach back?' And I said, 'Certainly.'

``We are working on everything you can think of: his rhythm, timing, getting positioned, his defense, keeping his hands up.''

Lacy will need all of his tools against Reid, who is 34 but still mean and hungry. He won the WBC belt in 1996 and defended it three times before losing it in 1997.

Reid challenged Joe Calzaghe for his World Boxing Organization belt six years ago in England and lost a split decision. Reid lost a unanimous decision to German fighter Sven Ottke two years ago in Germany in a challenge for the IBF and World Boxing Association belts.

Reid claims he was robbed both times.

``I know he did not come all this way just to come here and lay down,'' Lacy said.

Reid also is angry, which sometimes helps and sometimes hinders a fighter. When there were technical problems at the outset of the conference call, Reid hung up, leaving his trainer, Brian Hughes, to speak for him.

``Obviously, Robin is bitter at the Calzaghe (result) and the German officials when he thought he won (against Ottke),'' Hughes said. ``Robin would not just come over for the paycheck. He is coming over to win a world championship.''

If Lacy wins, he and Calzaghe may hook up for a title unification fight. Calzaghe has made 16 defenses of his WBO belt.

FIGHT SCHEDULE

Thursday

--At Manhattan Center, New York: Jaidon Codrington, New York, vs. Levon Easley, New York, 10, middleweights.

At Borgata Hotel Casino, Atlantic City, N.J. (HBO): Kingsley Ikeke, Canada, vs. Epifanio Mendoza, Colombia, 12, for Ikeke's NABF middleweight title.

Saturday

--At St. Pete Times Forum, Tampa, Fla. (SHO): Jeff Lacy, St. Petersburg, Fla., vs. Robin Reid, Britain, 12, for Lacy's IBF and Reid's IBO super middleweight titles.

Aug. 9

--At U.S. Marine Corps Base, Camp Pendleton (ESPN): Julio Diaz, Coachella, vs. Tomas Barrientes, Weslaco, Texas, 10, lightweights.

Aug. 12

--At Laredo (Texas) Entertainment Center: Jose Aguiniga, Oxnard, vs. Alejandro Montiel, Mexico, 12, for Aguiniga's NABA bantamweight title.

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