14.12.05 – By James Allan, photo by Wray Edwards: According to recent reports, the WBC has ordered Jermain Taylor to make the next defence of his undisputed Middleweight crown against Ronald ‘Winky’Wright. Most people would probably agree that this is a fair decision. Wright has been on a good run of form and has the names of Shane Mosley and Felix Trinidad on his resume. He has fought two eliminators for the WBC title, one against Trinidad and the other against Sam Soliman on Saturday night. He comprehensively defeated Trinidad who didn’t land a blow of any significance on him during the entire fight and even though he struggled against the unpredictable Soliman, he won the decision and with it, the right to face Taylor.
However, Jermain Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, doesn’t seem to think it is a good decision. He has labelled it as “idiotic”, saying that he needs more time to build it up into a true super fight first. “Winky’s fight on Saturday night didn’t help Winky at all.” DiBella said. “He didn’t look good and he only drew 4,000 fans. The fight with Jermain is not ready yet. After Winky’s performance Saturday night, who’s buying that on pay-per-view?”
Now there are a few questions I would like to put to Lou regarding this comment..
1)What does he mean by saying that the fight is not ready yet?
Taylor is the champ and Wright is his mandatory contender, how ready does the fight have to be? Wright has fought two separate eliminators for the same belt and won them both. He is first in line for a shot at Taylor, not someone Lou would like to pick in order to give Jermain an easier payday. Being the champ brings with it special privileges; fame, respect, hot chicks, a bigger share of the purses etc etc. It also brings with it a bit of a burden i.e. meeting the toughest challenger’s on a regular basis. At this moment in time Wright is undoubtedly the toughest test out there for Jermain and as such he should be the first person to have a crack at him.
2)Why does the fight have to be Pay Per View?
Pay Per View is one of the worst things to ever happen to the sport. It takes all the best fights and forces the fans to pay through the nose to watch them. The only people that Pay Per View is really designed to benefit are the promoters. Does Lou really believe that most of the fans are going to have sympathy with his difficulty in persuading them to part with some more of their hard earned money. Taylor and Wright will be well paid for their efforts regardless of whether or not the fight is on Pay Per View. It shouldn’t be used as an excuse to put the fight back until the summer.
Wright has earned his chance and he should be given the opportunity to face Taylor as his first defence. Who knows what could happen six to nine months from now, which is when Lou would like the fight to take place, after Jermain has an optional defence. What if Taylor gets sick or injured and is unable to compete? Could Winky be looking at facing him in 2007. Wright is an awkward and often unattractive opponent to face, but he is effective and successful and he should get his chance first.