Jermain Taylor - Can he become an ATG?

Things are not always so clean cut old boy, as has been alluded to in this thread, Jermain Taylor had excessive HBO backing and thus financial clout and allure to his opponents.

Joe did not always have that and was blatantly ducked by Ottke and Hopkins from around the 2002 - 2004 period.

I have never denied he has had 'lost' years (1998, 2004-2005) were particularly poor but the blame can not all be placed at him...especially given the big fights he has taken in 2006, 2007 and 2008.

I do not for instance, blame Lennox Lewis for not fighting Riddick Bowe, I blame Bowe for that. Perhaps you should start to hold old Hopkins to account for agreeing to a fight before deciding he'd rather stick around and wait for DLH to move up to 160 :hey

 

I can't be arsed having an argument over this, but there is nothing you'll say that will change my mind over Hopkins ducking Calzaghe (yes I do consider agreeing to a fight then running off to fight Carl Daniels and Morrade Hakkar ducking). If Calzaghe had fought and beaten Hopkins (as he was clearly willing to do which is the essential point) then who knows what doors it might've opened? RJJ anyone?

However, Hopkins not Calzaghe decided to void the fight. Ottke didn't want to fight Joe and even pretended not to know who JC was and you expect to blame Joe for that?

What did you want Calzaghe to do? Drop his belt and good money and go over the the US and fight on RJJ undercards in the vain hope he might fight him?

If he should be held to account for not fighting anyone it's DM IMO. I don't think Jones was interested, Joe just another European at the time), Hopkins ran scared in the fear of losing that mega pay day he eventually recieved 2 and a half years later and Ottke didn't want to know.

The DM fight could've been forced, and JC should've sought it. I will blame him when the situation merits it, but it's clear he tried for Hopkins and old Bernie was content to beat up also rans and former Welters until 2005 where he of course then lost to the most effective MW he had faced since RJJ :good

Who is of course the subject of this thread and I'd like to get back on topic....DINAMITA really does like to pick a fight though even if nobody is even talking about Joe Calzaghe

 

I have never said anything but Hopkins has fought the better competition, pity he makes a habit of losing to his best opponents.

Why you started on at me about Joe Calzaghe in a thread about Jermain Taylor, I don't know. You seem to have the man on the brain. And your usual excuse about 'oh every threads about him' doesn't wash here :yep

 

You already know my stance on Calzaghe and my belief that the few available credible fighters that he could've fought to raise his profile hugely (Hopkins, Ottke) didn't want to know (bar DM).

By bringing it up in a thread utterly unrelated to Calzaghe, it does seem borderline obsessive.

Anyways, Joe is gone now. I'd like to talk about Jermain Taylor and HIS prospects in the 168 division, which I believe are pretty good. The proposed Froch fight is another plus point for British boxing and as a fan of Taylor and Kessler, I believe the WBC belt brings us that one step closer to seeing a potential mega fight down the line that will establish lineage at SMW once again.