Jermain Taylor – His Fourth Last Chance

By Quinton Emerson: Jermain Taylor (28-3-1, 17 KO’s)) has had quite a few last chances. Fights against Kelly Pavlik (2nd Fight), Jeff Lacy, and Carl Froch were all his “last chance.” So it’s no surprise that his upcoming fight with Arthur Abraham (30-0) is also his last chance. They meet in the 1st round of Showtime’s Super Six World Boxing Classic on 10/17. This brings up an interesting question. Why is Taylor even in this tournament? Let’s look back at Taylor’s career.

Taylor won a Bronze Medal in the 2000 Olympic Games. In 2005, he decisioned Bernard Hopkins twice in a row to become the lineal Middleweight Champion. At this point in his career Taylor was on the verge of becoming In 2006, Taylor fought Winky Wright in a classic that resulted in a draw. Later that year, Taylor dominated an overmatched Kassim Ouma. Then Taylor started to fade.

In his next fight against Cory Spinks in 2007, Taylor won purely on being the aggressor. Anyone who saw that fight would agree that Spinks Boxed his ears off. Then came the two Pavlik fights. Taylor was brutally stopped in the first fight and out pointed in the second.

Taylor then moved up to Super Middleweight to beat Jeff Lacy. In his most recent fight, Taylor lost fellow Super Six participant Carl Froch by late stoppage. So does Taylor deserve to be in this tournament? No. The reason he’s in it is because boxing is a business.

In order to sell the idea they would have to have to have a “viable” American fighter. This will be a far bigger challenge than his previous three “last chances”. Abraham is the hardest puncher he’s ever faced and has a granite chin. So can Taylor seize the moment? We’ll see on 8/17.

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