TAYLOR MATURES IN FIRST DEFENSE!
Landover, MD-While he may share the same home state as formerPresident Bill Clinton, World middleweight champion JermainTaylor (25-0, 17 KOS) has more in common with Al Gore as anotherrobotic performance against Bernard Hopkins (46-4-1, 32 KOS) isfueling controversy with the voting public. A trifecta of 115-113 scores onSaturday night was the marker of Taylors first successful title defense, buthe has more work to do to convince the world that he truly can succeed Hopkins,who reigned for ten years and twenty title defenses.
CONTROVERSY LESS THAN IN FIRST FIGHT!
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The path to that goal is one that could be indelibly carved in 2006. Whilethis scribe saw the fight as a draw (and there is a wide variance of very closescores amongst the press), it was clear that Taylor had learned some lessonsfrom his first battle with Hopkins in July. His willingness to get rough onthe inside, and return some of Hopkins less than legal fare with his own, wasa good sign for the future. It is an indication that he is learning theidiosyncrasies of his trade. A bad sign is Taylors ongoing struggle forathletic fluidity. Against fighters that come to him, Taylor can be anoffensive machine, but fighters with movement (Hopkins twice and Joppy beforehim) can make Taylor look awkward and almost uncoordinated in his attacks.
TAYLOR BENEFITS FROM STRONG CLASS AT 160!
The challenge of fine tuning that failing will take place in the gym, and thechallenge of establishing a legacy as champion will be the better for it. Taylorfaces a depth in his top ten contenders not seen at middleweight in quite sometime. As was the case with Marvin Hagler, the end of a great reigncomes at a time when a number of quality contenders have emerged. UnlikeHopkins, Taylor begins his reign with not only a high profile, but also mustgrow into his title. The biggest threat to the 2000 US Olympic Bronzemedalist will step to center stage this Saturday night.
WINKY WRIGHT THE CLEAR #1 CONTENDER!
That is because Saturday, December 10 will mark the return to the ring of oneRonald Winky Wright (49-3, 25 KOS), former World juniormiddleweight champion. Already ranked numero uno by just abouteveryone, he will be in a position to demand a mandatory shot at Taylor shouldhe, as expected, get by Sam Soliman (31-7, 12 KOS). A fight withWright would carry much of the same technical intrigue as the battles withHopkins, but given Wrights tendency to come forward would also give Taylor agreater opportunity to use his offensive weapons. Jermain can make otherchoices for his next fight, but a 2006 without facing Wright would bedevastating for the young champion, as the accusations of ducking would soundout like a cannon. Should Taylor face and defeat Wright, the middleweightlandscape does not look to get any easier.
THE WRIGHT PATH RIFE WITH TOUGH TESTS!
While Wright is plying his wares on HBO against Soliman, an equallysignificant fight will be taking place in Germany. The rugged Kingsley Ikeke (23-1,13 KOS), fresh off his knockout win over Antwun Echols, will face ArturAbraham (18-0, 16 KOS), who earlier this year easily defeated longtimecontender Howard Eastman for the vacant IBF belt. The winnerwill be clearly entrenched as the next in line, and a legitimate threat to ruleall of the 160 lb. landscape. Germanys Felix Sturm (24-1, 11KOS), remembered for his highly controversial loss to Oscar De La Hoya,would be big box office on two continents, and a reunion of sorts for formerOlympic rivals should he recover from injuries sustained in 2005. Flyingunder the radar is a face-off in January that could produce the definingmiddleweight rival for Taylor when Ohios Kelly Pavlik (27-0, 24KOS) faces Columbias Edison Miranda (24-0, 21 KOS).
DOMINANT TAYLOR NOT A SOLID BET TO STAY AT 160!
With all of those options at 160, it is perhaps at 168 where Taylor willultimately receive his greatest financial reward and physical test. Much ofthat will hinge on a fight long in building and high in anticipation. Thefirst Saturday in March will feature the battle between longtime WBO titlist(8 years, 17 title defenses) Joe Calzaghe (40-0, 31 KOS) andTaylors Olympic teammate, IBF 168 lb. titlist Jeff Lacy (21-0,17 KOS). A Calzaghe win would only be good news for the light heavyweightdivision that Joe would be expected to move on to. Should Lacy win, Taylorcould begin licking his chops in anticipation. Each young warrior would beable to claim that they had unseated the existing dynasty in their division, andbegin the build to the biggest potential superfight of this emergent generation. Justbecause I cant help it, Denmarks Mikkel Kessler also awaits boththese talented Americans.
EVERYTHING OLD IS NEW AGAIN!
To think that there is more than one superfight option at either middleweightor super middleweight is almost bewildering. After a decade where the termwas used as rarely as a Republican ballot in San Francisco, the division is onthe verge of a golden age, and a return to its place as boxings second mostsignificant class. The table is set and while the impressiveness ofTaylors wins over Hopkins may long be debated, his place in history wontbe should he run the gamut in front of him.
ONE LAST THOUGHT ON HOPKINS!
Before I forget, I have to address the seemingly endless quotes from fellowwriters this week on the legacy of Bernard Hopkins. Pretty mucheveryone agrees that he is a Hall of Famer, and one of the 10-20 greatest everat 160. He didnt have the opponents that a Harry Greb, Carlos Monzon,or Ray Robinson had, so being ranked behind those immortals makessense. What more people should take exception with is the assertion thatHopkins isnt in their class as a fighter. This is especially true inparticular to comparisons with Ray Robinson. Both Kevin Ioleand Michael Katz were guilty as charged last week. Katz stated that,Hopkins couldnt carry Robinsons robe, shoes or jockstrap. Wereall entitled to our opinion, but this is nonsense.
COMPARISONS TYPICALLY MORE HYPERBOLE THAN FACT!
When comparing legacies and eras, Robinson is a tough comparison for anyfighter but the overrating of Robinson the middleweight has become absurd. Thelegend of Robinson as greatest of all time was carved at welterweight; atmiddleweight he was inconsistent and beatable. Robinson, who began hiscareer at lightweight, would go through five middleweight title reigns from 1951to 1960, losing that title to Randy Turpin, Carmen Basilio, GeneFullmer and Paul Pender. All those men were exceptionalfighters, but no better or worse than Hopkins. At middleweight, Robinsonmay have had his robe, shoes and jockstrap handed to him, along with his ass, byHopkinsand then regained the title in a rematchand then made absurddemands for the rubber match. Its what he did. In the end, theultimate compliment is that Hopkins would have given Robinson hell no matterwhat some folks childhood memories would lead them to believe.
24-KARAT NOTEBOOK
We have a clear World champion to point towards at 122 lbs., but theway Israel Vasquez (39-3, 28 KOS) won his rubber match with OscarLarios (56-4-1, 36 KOS) left a little to be desired. A brutal cutand a fair stoppage indeed, but in a fight that was heating up, one could onlyhope that could have happened in the ninth round, instead of the third. Ismell a fourth fightIke Quartey (37-2-1, 31 KOS) is back? Sureas hell looks like it. While the tide of youth is reigning at 160 and 168,Quartey may have returned just in time for a tidal wave of cash at 154. WithFernando Vargas-Shane Mosley and Oscar De La Hoya-Ricardo Mayorgaalready on tap, 154 is clearly the place to be for the boxing capitalist in2006. Add to that a crop of solid contenders and titlists that include RomanKarmazin, Kasim Ouma, Vernon Forrest, Daniel Santos and Alejandro Garcia,and Quartey doesnt have to look far for a fightSantos by the way is now inthe contender class. He lost his WBO title Saturday night in Germanyto local Sergei Dzindzurik (31-0, 21 KOs)Monday night in France, BrahimAsloum will look to add the WBA Flyweight title to his 2000 OlympicGold Medal, against Lorenzo Parra. In a perfect world, this wouldall lead to the process of unification at 112. Ive said it before. 112and 115 are the most talented divisions in boxing right now, and it is anaffront to history that they have no caretaker.
Cliff Rold
Note: 24-Karat Rold is not just the best young boxing writer onthe planet. He is also an award winning poet and recently received hisMasters degree in US Foreign Policy at the American University in Washington DC. Hecan be reached with your comments at [email protected]