Whittaker UD. Possibly even late TKO. Taylors volume I think would give Whittaker too much in the way of opportunities for counters. Would also beat Taylor on the inside. Could imagine him breaking Josh down over 11 rounds with counters and bodywork and stopping him in the 12th. Either that or winning a 9-3 type decision.
Josh Taylor was always quite basic in his defence, was upright and was there to be countered over the top as he committed, and to be out jabbed, since he often shelled up, and didn’t always make the most of his reach. Whitaker wins by wide decision. There was a point in time where I believed Taylor was elite, simply because of the wins he was getting at the time, but time has showed those wins to be less than we thought they were at the time, and he also hasn’t performed when he’s stepped up further.
Pernell is too methodical for those guys that throw caution to the wind.. letting it go wildly.. that doesn't work against a guy like Pernell Whitaker. He will pick them off for it.
I don't think Pea hit hard enough to stop Taylor, but he'd have beaten him easily on the cards. Taylor had a great engine and output, but he never beat anybody on Whitaker's level. Pea would have walked him onto shots all night.
Taylor was substantially bigger than Sweet Pea and was much better than he gets credit for these days. Was he the same caliber as Whitaker when it comes to pure boxing skill? Obviously not, but he could certainly give him trouble with his physicality, engine, and will to win. Taylor was very good at setting up multiple phases of attack while on the inside, and I think he would have success at that when Pernell tries to exit exchanges. I doubt he wins, but saying that Sweat Pea would win a shut out and possibly stop him is ridiculous.
