Just thought about this... How do you think a fight between middleweight Felix Trinidad and Jermaine Taylor when he was at his peak would play out?
Tito by late KO is the only possible outcome here. Taylor didn't have the chin to withstand Tito's power, nor the skill to outbox him. And his stamina was always pathetic.
This fight would be Taylor's and it has nothing to do with skill. Tito simply does not have the frame of a middleweight. He was perfect at welter, still impressive at lt. middle, but he pushed the envelope after that and never stood out at 160. I can see Taylor imposing himself on Tito with his workrate alone. Taylor W12.
This. Tito would probably lose the steam off his punches by the late rounds when he would have his best chance to equaliZe things. Taylor was a big middleweight.
Taylor also hit harder than anyone Trinidad ever fought and would have been younger than all of his opponents if they fought during Taylor's reign. I suppose that if Trinidad and his team wanted a crack at Taylor they could get it. But they knew why they preferred not to. I doubt if any version of Mayorga, whom in turn threw his fight against Trinidad, could deck Froch and Pavlik the way Taylor did.
Taylor was a well put together, enthusiastic athlete, intended as a 'made-for-TV' boxing attraction for HBO. He was capable but flawed. Most notable were his generally poor ring IQ and his tendency to gas. He was perhaps pushed into the spotlight a bit too early, when he was neither technically or mentally mature enough, despite showing a strong focus against Hopkins. After rising to these occasions, I think he might have begun to feel a little out of his depth under the pressure to perform. By the time he stepped up to Middleweight, Trinidad was a seasoned championship campaigner. He would quite likely have been aware of Taylor's shortcomings and was quite capable of exploiting them, whilst staying out of trouble. In my opinion, all Trinidad would need to do is disrupt Taylor's attempts at looking good and stealing rounds, until the bout progressed into the championship stanzas. Trinidad carried enough power at Middleweight, was defensively responsible and varied his offense well enough to keep Taylor guessing and score well. But all things considered, I would take Tito to run Taylor ragged, until he was able the finish the bout, winning by stoppage. Trinidad W KO 10
I'm with alot of the consensus here. Taylor was a bonafide strong Middleweight with boxing skills. Trinidad's stamina was elite while Taylor's stamina failed him in several of his fights. Although Trinidad was undersized at middleweight, his punching power could put down middleweights. Taylor by close decision or Trinidad by late KO or stoppage.
This is a tough fight for both guys, with Taylor winning the early rounds, maybe scoring a knockdown. If Trinidad gets Taylor into the later rounds I can see a TKO for Felix.