Jermain Taylor Is Training For Another Title Fight

By Boxing News - 02/04/2009 - Comments

taylor4562437455By Sam Gregory: In his first fight at the new weight of 168 pounds, Jermain Taylor improved his record to 28-2-1 with 17 knockouts with a decisive win over Jeff Lacy on November 15th. According to Taylor’s trainer Ozell Nelson, the former middleweight champion from Little Rock, Arkansas, will fight Englishmen Carl Froch for the World Boxing Council super middleweight title on either April 18th or April 25th this spring.

The fight will be televised on Showtime and although a site has not been named yet it will definitely take place in the United States.

Taylor’s opponent Carl Froch, who is 24-0 with 19 knockouts, won the world title, vacated by Joe Calzaghe with a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal on December 6th.

Although Team Taylor discussed other opponents besides Froch, including Allen Green and even Bernard Hopkins, Froch was the most attractive, mainly because of the belt he carries.

According to the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, the fight was made after a lengthy negotiation process. Nelson told the press, “It’s for the belt. Jermain can get his belt back and it will keep him hungry. He had the belt and he lost it. He’s hungry again. Jermain wants to be the champion again any way possible. Taylor told his trainer, “Just make it happen”.

Jermain Taylor won the middleweight world championship when he won a split decision over Bernard Hopkins in July of 2005. Five months later Taylor won the re-match with Hopkins by way of a unanimous decision over 12 rounds. Taylor went on to defend the title against Winky Wright in June of 2006; the fight ended in a draw and Wright declined a re-match. Taylor won a unanimous decision over Kassim Ouma in December of 06’ and a split decision over Cory Spinks in May of 07’. Four months later, in September of 07’, Taylor was stopped in seven rounds by Kelly Pavlik in one of the most entertaining fights of the decade.

In the re-match, fought at a catch-weight of 165 lbs., Taylor lost to Pavlik in a 12 round unanimous decision.

Jermain Taylor is no longer under contract with HBO, and Lou DiBella, Taylor’s promoter has held discussions with Showtime to broadcast Taylor’s next fight.

The hype for the up-coming fight between Taylor and Froch is already building a touch of animosity. A note that Froch posted on his official website, www.cobraboxing.com read, “I will smoke Taylor’s boots” along with several other disparaging remarks. Froch and his promoter Mick Hennessy have been telling the British press that “Taylor has been trying to avoid Froch”.

“Carl Froch talked all that trash; that makes it even more important to beat him,” Nelson said. “We’re probably going to need some good security when they first meet.”



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