The fights with B-Hop were close. His KO from Pavlik wasn't even the start of his decline as he had close calls with several others. Sure the second Pavlik fight could have gone his way, but do you think he will dominate 168 like Calzaghe? He might beat Froch, but who is Froch in the US? Taylor is good, but his time might be up.
i am a taylor fan. i think he is a class act in and out of the ring. but to be fair, hopkins was killing himself to make 160 by that time and that 1st fight was a toss up in a lot of people's minds. on top of that, it was clear that up to and including the 1st pav fight that taylor was more of an athlete than a boxer. he had/has terrible habits in the ring but he could always overcome them b/c he was such a great athlete. now that he is getting into his 30s, that athleticism begins to wear off and you cannot use it as effectively to compensate for your bad habits. he has looked much better since ozell took over so he still may have a chance to make some noise. i think we will have a better idea of where he is after the froch fight. he wins that, doors open...maybe all the way to kessler
The first Pavlik fight was closer to being Taylor's.......The Ghost was almost out for the count in the 2nd round I think it was. But Taylor looked good in beating Lacy despite being dropped without it being counted..........and the Froch fight is a huge one for him and the whole SMW division.
Exactly....I think US fight fans come down harder on Bad Intentions than the rest of the world. If you ask guys on here to name the top 3 SMW it would most probably be Kessler, Froch and Taylor despite Jermain only just starting to fight at 168
Taylor is and never really was that good..He is a good figther but not at the level HBO wanted him to be at..The Hopkins robberies showed that and the Pavlik fight verified it. HBO just found a younger, white and more exciting middleweight to look after, so JT got the shaft somewhat. I hope the best for him because he seems like a nice bloke to me..He should beat Froch and he hopefully he can cash out against another supermiddle champ or Dawson.
Was never a bad fighter, just a flawed fighter who was propped up by the HBO propaganda machine, and couldn't live up to the hype...
He beat Hopkins in very close fights,i think he felt under pressure to destroy opponents after beating a legend.When he struggled with Spinks the press turned on him picking up on his lack of interest in the sport.He needed a big win over Pavlick and when he was knocked out few had any sympathy.He is a very good fighter and the win over Lacy will have done him the world of good.I think with the right gameplan he will make Froch look very ordinary and win easily.Jermain has a big part to play at super middle.
Good post. It's hard to believe JT is turning 31 this year. But he's still got a lot of good years left IMO. Can't wait for Froch. He's going to starch that Euro bum.
Taylor has fast hands, good power, is patient, and is unpredictable. Everything that troubles an old veteran like BHop Same reason Mosley said Margarito was an easier fight for him than Berto, even though Margarito is probably the better fighter.
Taylor has improved noticeably in the technical department in his last 2 fights (Pavlik 2 and Lacy) to give me hope for his future. A lot less wasted motion and head hunting. More compact with his punches.
he's finished without HBO they were the ones that made him what he was at one time. He was there next boy and did'nt come through even with all the help with their judges he got like 5 fights in a row. Now they are done with him he will never be main stream again.
