Taylor will win tonight because...

I think it's mind-boggling how much a lot of people underestimate AA's skill-level, quickness and ability to adapt. For Taylor this tournament is his last chance, and that coupled with his athleticism gives him a chance, but to me he's a long-shot to win this fight.

 

I've said it before. Taylor has the ability to win, but does he have it in his mind and heart? A man who has beaten Hopkins twice and has floored and gone numerous rounds with both Pavlik and Froch should be more than enough for a stodgy middleweight with a decent punch who has feasted off the dross of the middleweight division in Germany whilst the middleweight division has moved on elsewhere.

 

I hope your right.. Taylor deserves a win in my eyes..

 

AA does not throw a high number of punches, but he does tire guys out. I often spar with this guy who fights in big-bomb spurts like that (obviously no AA) and it creates a lot of mental pressure because you never know when it's coming and you have to be 110% concentrated every second.
I'm no Jermain Taylor mind you, but i've been boxing for 8 years and i know a little bit about what kind of effect certain styles have on a fighter.

Trust me, Taylor will tire in this fight if he survives long enough which i'm not convinced he will because i don't think his defense is anything special and i can see him getting caught early.

 

Why is everyone making AA out to be the next Julian Jackson of the middleweight division? He hits hard yes, but at 160lbs and the guys size will ensure he has no chance against the big super middleweights.

Steve Collins, Eubank, Calzaghe etc would have beat this guy.

 

Oh come on everybody knows AA has struggled for a long time to make 160 and how explosive he looked in his 1 SMW fight against Miranda. He may have been a relatively short MW but he was certainly not a small one. I think he will be better at 168 although time will have to tell obviously.

 

May the best man win:good!

 

Nearly everyone beats Miranda now. Taylor is not that wild.

 

This fight could resemble the JT-Lacy one. In that fight JT outboxed and clinched. It doesn't really matter how much power the other guy has if he is never going to land flush.

 

You make many good points, but to me this is a 50/50 fight.

Like you, I do not think Taylor will gas in this one - he has focused on getting better stamina in his preparations, while Abraham isn't exactly a pressure fighter. Skillwise, Taylor should be able to outbox AA all night long. Abraham has never ever faced an opponent on Taylors level, yes he beat some decent opponents but Taylor is still a top level fighter. Jermaine Taylor knows it's do or die, if he gets stopped tonight he can forget about the super 6 and his career will be over, so he's gonna put it all on the line tonight.

However, I believe that AA will be stronger and more dangerous at SMW than he already was at MW. He may be the smallest fighter out of the super 6, but he's also the strongest physically. He will be fighting on his home turf, that's a big advantage, and he's always very confident - the same thing can't be said about Taylor. Taylors chin is not glass, but it isn't granite either - one good clean punch by AA might be enough to turn this fight in his favour. Plus AA is undefeated. I say that AA has a punchers chance, but he has a HUGE punchers chance.

A 50/50 fight for me, and I expect a good fight.

 

AA definitely has the better ching though. could go either way but I'm putting €5 on AA.

 

I think if, after all those years of gassing in every single fight since Hopkins I, that Taylor has FINALLY learn that he can't train that way - well... I don't believe it. I still think he's not prepared to really commit to being a hardened fighter.

He's a nice guy, but he lacks the mental toughness to really excel.

Taylor will lose tonight because he's not a true fighter.