By Jack Presscot: I don’t understand what Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor needs to do to gain a bit of respect in the world of boxing. Recently, in a USA Today article, the fighter twice defeated by Taylor, Bernard Hopkins made a bold statement about how “the boxing community does not respect Jermain Taylor” I am not sure which “boxing community” Mr. Sour Grapes was talking about, but I think that Taylor has done nothing wrong in his reign as undisputed middleweight champion. He began with an Olympic Medal, topping off a spectacular amateur career. He turned pro, and worked his way up the ranks to a title shot at the Undisputed Champ, Bernard Hopkins..
I said all along, that as soon as Hopkins faced a fighter bigger and physically stronger than him, with some master boxing skills, that he would be dethroned.
Too many people were making much ado about nothing when Bernard Hopkins took 12 rounds to TKO the blown up welterweight Tito Trinidad. Many in the boxing world were overjoyed to see Trinidad defeated, most of all, fans of Oscar de la Hoya.
Hopkins followed that greatest night of his life, with victories over William Joppy, Howard Eastman, Robert Allen for about the 5th time, and another blown up welterweight, Oscar de la Hoya. Not exactly the toughest competition out there at middleweight, but he was sure to make his “20 title defenses”, but, there was a new sheriff in town when Bad Intentions made his intentions known. Bernard reminded me a lot of Oscar de la Hoya, in carefully picking and choosing opposition who were generally smaller and weaker.
Oscar himself was a good 4-5 inches shorter, and was giving up a solid three inches of reach. Any person who bet on Oscar that night in Vegas, after viewing a “tale of the tape” deserved to watch his money getting flushed down the toilet. Well, Jermain Taylor is a hell of a lot bigger, stronger, and physically tougher than Oscar de la Hoya. A massive, raw boned country person, absolutely fearless, and with a hunger for championship gold, unmatched in the sport. And strong as an ox. That was what was going to set this apart, from Bernard’s other defenses. Jermain was physically tougher than Bernard. Hopkins would not be able to manhandle Jermain the way he did to Tito and Oscar. And to add to the problems of Hopkins, Jermain was also a great technician inside the ropes.
Jermain Taylor went on to upset Hopkins, in one of the most satisfying decisions of the new millennium. He did it with class and style, in a way that infuriated hard core fans of Bernard Hopkins, who laughingly cried “foul” when there was none. So a rematch was warranted, and under the guidance of Emmanuel Steward, Jermain made lightning strike twice. Bernard Hopkins still has a lot of heartburn over the fact that one man in this game can claim to not one, but two victories over him.
Jermain went on to a draw against the wiley Winky Wright, and victories over K. Ouma and Cory Spinks, three defensive wizards who were afraid to stand toe to toe with Taylor, and forced him to utilize his amateur boxing skills. Bottom line. Jermain Taylor is undefeated. Box him and lose at the scorecards. Face him “mano and mano” and get sent to the hospital.
Enter Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik. Anyone who watched his “Fight of the Year” war with Miranda knows the style of the Ghost, and it is in your face, Smokin’ Joe Frazier school. Kelly Pavlik is a hungry fighter, who has a “do or die” attitude, that in todays’s age of fighters too pensive to “give the suckers some action” to phrase the film Rocky, is refreshing. This fight, on Saturday night, should be an absolute all out war, a la Hagler-Hearns, I dont see it going all 12. In fact, it is the style of fight that Jermain Taylor has been seeking all along, a fighter who will stand toe to toe, and take two shots to land one flush one. I predict a war, the style of Pavlik’s last fight, only with a different outcome. Jermain Taylor will become an honorary “Ghostbuster” that night, and be standing over a fallen Pavlik, center ring, like that famous photo of Clay and Liston.
And the aftermath? Taylor is giving up his Undisputed Belt to seek bigger and better things at 168. The Middleweights are wide open, and one can only hope that Tito Trinidad can still make 160 following his demolition of the aging Roy Jones Jr. And Bernard Hopkins had better hope that Taylor doesn’t set his sights on that RING belt at 175.