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October 15th, 2009 | by Evan Korn
Not too long ago, Jermain Taylor stood on top of the world. Undefeated record. Undisputed Middleweight champion. Pound-for-pound recognition. HBO darling.
Boy, how things change.
Taylor enters the next phase of his career as an afterthought. His inclusion in Showtime’s round-robin Super Six tournament has given the Arkansas native the gift of career resurrection following his 12th round KO loss at the hands of fellow tourney entrant Carl Froch.
But this gift comes at a potentially hazardous price.
On Saturday evening in Berlin, Taylor squares off against Arthur Abraham, the undefeated German-based Armenian who is moving up from the Middleweight ranks. Abraham’s vaunted power, especially late in fights, poses all sorts of problems for Taylor. Lack of stamina has been evident in late-round fades against Froch and Bernard Hopkins. His chin, dented by Froch and Kelly Pavlik, might be unable to hold up against Abraham’s brute force.
Abraham is a notoriously slow starter who takes a few rounds to get into rhythm. Taylor uses his natural athleticism and hand speed to win the early rounds. While building an early lead is a distinct possibility, the most pertinent question remains: can Taylor survive his customary late-round fade?
Taylor is saying all the right things heading into the tourney. He says there is added motivation to prove the skeptics wrong. He says he has improved his diet, and as a result, will have added stamina in the championship rounds. He says the hunger is back.
Talking and executing do not go hand-in-hand. But give Taylor this: he is talking the right game.
“I’ve fought the best of the best in boxing. I’ve won some and lost some,” Taylor told ESPN.com’s Dan Rafael. “I just want to win this tournament. There ain’t nothing else to it. It’s not about the money or anything but that I want to win. I plan to just leave it all in there. That’s all I got. That’s my state of mind right now. No excuses. Just go in there and fight.”
Fighting in the hostile confines of Berlin will do Taylor no favors. Winning a close fight as the enemy in Germany is an uphill task of Kilimanjaro proportions. That is a 180-degree shift Taylor, who for much of his career, had been taken to task for his cushy rise to prominence.
There was the big signing bonus upon turning professional, refusal to fight legitimate Middleweights on the way up the ranks, disputed decisions against Bernard Hopkins and the unremarkable reign as champion. Now, Taylor has emerged as a fighter who cannot shy away from doing things the hard way. The marketplace dictates that of Taylor.
HBO no longer rolls out the red carpet for fights against undersized contenders. Having already tasted the fruits of seven-figure paydays, there is no way he would fight for menial checks on the comeback trail. The Super Six represented Taylor’s only option for mega paydays and redemption.
Redemption, though, comes at a price. Win or lose against Abraham, Andre Ward looms as his next opponent. Mikkel Kessler comes after Ward. Nobody said the journey back to the top would be easy.
This entry was posted on Thursday, October 15th, 2009 at 2:05 PM.
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