Jermain Taylor - Can he become an ATG?

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There it is in full. You listed his notable fights at 160 and then said he had it easy at 160.

 

Again, I didn't apportion any blame to Hopkins for those fights in any of my posts, did I?

I'm losing the will to live here trying to re-state basic sentences and opinions so you can understand them.

 

Then read the first sentence again.:deal Surely thats pretty clear?

 

BOLD - clear implication that youthink he shouldn't.

 

It's pretty clear you're not very good at digging yourself out of holes :yep

If you were just talking about 'being given an easy ride', at a specific weight class, by hbo(huh?), you would not have listed his notable matches at 160, right?

 

Right, last one. Then you're really going to have to start trying to understand these things off your own bat.

The fact I think Hopkins had some easy defences and that people don't bring it up often enough in discussions doesn't mean that I'm blaming Hopkins himself.atsch

 

No, I'm just getting a bit tired of playing word games with someone who is either stupid or a troll. That first sentence I told you to re-read is extremely clear in what it says, I'm sorry that you can't understand it.

 

I admit your logic is difficult to follow. I'm trying.

Ok, which defenses were weak? And what should the unified, linear Champion do other than defend his belt? If these defenses are fair game for criticism there must have been a more difficult path he could have taken. What was it?

 

Anyone with Boxrec can see the poorer defences. I havn't said he shouldn't have defended his titles or suggested another option just that some of the opposition was poor and a lot of people do not bring it up when discussing the subject.

Just because there may have been few other options, doesn't mean that the overall quality can't be questioned. Two seperate issues.

 

Which were they then? Presuming you don't think he should have fought Roy Jones 50 times. He unified the Middleweight division and beat the best contenders. Clearing out and dominating boxings second most prestigious division - glad thats enough for you to 'give him somewhat of an easy ride' :good

 

I have to say I agree with Gaz here. Whilst for the most part Taylor's opposition has been pretty decent, I think we have to bear in mind that he has been HBO's favourite poster boy for a while and therefore a lot has gone in his favour. Good wins over Hopkins, yes. Spinks/Ouma decent wins (though neither was a natural 160lber, both went straight back down after the fights). However, there were two losses (one particularly brutal) to a pretty one-dimensional fighter who was merely a contender before beating Taylor (if Pavlik goes on to dominate at 160 those may not look so bad). Lacy does not count as he is finished after the battering he took from Calzaghe and the injury.

The main reason why I don't see Taylor as true great material, though, is the silver spoon approach which his whole career has had. Every single fight has been on his terms, on his territory, with HBO's backing. Before he'd even won a title he turned down a final eliminator with Howard Eastman when he found out he;'d have to travel. He was going to refuse to fight Froch unless the Cobra came to North America. Whilst I wouldn't go so far as to call his career manfuactured, or question his heart, it does appear that the deck has been stacked in his favour from the very start. He would probably have won both those fights, however, it appeared he simply didn't want to take the risk of stepping ooutside the HBO comfort zone. He's clearly a talented fighter, but for me lacks the fighter's mentality that the greats have,

 

Absolutely not.
Before and after fighting for the MW title he had a steady diet of WWs and JMWs and got questionable decisions in one Hopkins fight,Wright fight,Spinks fight.He has 2 losses(1 by KO) to a equally unimpressive fighter in his era.
He shouldn't be in talks.

 

At the risk of prolonging this PITA, Council, James, Brown, Hakkar were all poor and there were a couple of other borderline (mainly unneeded rematches). I'm not blaming Hopkins, suggesting another course of action or saying that dominating a weight class is not very impressive. Just that those defences were against not particulary strong opposition.

I'm sure you manage to twist the above paragraph into a Hopkins-hating rant though...

 

Fine.

You don't really have a point then.