By Kevin Pasquale: Jermain Taylor is a study in frustration. As has been documented since his earlier days, his offensive skills are formidable. His athleticism is most times superior to his opponents. The malice and force he puts behind his punches is fierce, and his left jab, at times, can be amongst the best in the business.

Rewind back to the fight that put him on the map, against a fading William Joppy in December 2004. He floored Joppy at one point in the fight, and won an easy decision. Just eight months later, he earned himself a fight against the Executioner, Bernard Hopkins, at the age of 27. B-Hop was then a youthful forty years old, and at the top of the middleweight division. Jermain’s sheer energy, enthusiasm, and explosiveness in the early rounds seemed to keep Hopkins at bay, and the elder statesman played it cool until round nine.

Then, Bernard Hopkins exposed Jermain Taylor, and created the blueprint for all other fighters, by jumping on Taylor in the 9th frame, letting loose with his hands, and then hurting JT in the 11th, with Taylor holding on to Hopkins for dear life in that round on the ropes, after a straight right caught him flush on the jaw. Taylor survived that fight, and got the decision, even if he himself, by his behavior after the fight, didn’t quite feel that he won. As we all know by now, B-Hop thought he won the fight, and he’ll tell you that to this day…

They fought again five months later, and Jermain made a better showing, and withstood Hopkins’ late push, and actually won the last 2 rounds, according to this writer. His conditioning seemed to improve, and that was the key to his 2nd victory against Hopkins.

Then came Winky Wright, a fight that Taylor would have lost if Wright had the power necessary to put him on the canvas. As we all know, Wright ran around the ring, and away from a fatigued Taylor in the 12th, to apparently demonstrate his easy victory over JT, with Taylors’ left eye shut, and badly swollen. Taylor himself seemed to hint that he might have lost, had Wright come after him in the 12th. The fight ended in a draw.

We’ll skip over Jermain’s next two meaningless fights against Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks, fights that did nothing for his credibility whatsoever. But, then “The Ghost” came calling in September of 2007, and Taylor’s career took it’s ugly, frustrating detour.

Taylor, with his aforementioned, spectacular power and speed, was too much for Pavlik early, and led to a comical series of thumping power punches to Pavlik’s jaw, with Kelly’s legs flailing, and ultimately falling at Taylor’s feet in the 2nd frame. Pavlik somehow wobbled back up to his feet, and BARELY survived the round, as Taylor unleashed on him again, and almost floored Kelly again. But Pavlik survived.

As the 7th round came calling, Taylor seemed to be in control, although he was finding himself on the ropes at times, eating many brutal right hands from Pavlik, only to fight his way out of the corner, and with ferocity and effectiveness that had most spectators believing that “Bad Intentions” had an answer for the most brutal attacks from Pavlik, who at that point, had just come off of an ugly destruction of Edison Miranda in his prior fight, which ended with Miranda crumbling on the ropes. But, as the end of the 7th round approached, Pavlik caught Taylor with a straight right that rendered Jermain loopy, and Kelly proceeded to pummel Taylor in the corner of the ring, with Jermain ending up collapsing in the corner of the ring, a lifeless heap of unfulfilled promise.

It must also be noted that at this time, that Taylor had the renowned Emmanuel Steward in his corner training him, but this seemed to help little, if at all. In discussions with Steward since they have parted ways, Steward has made it clear that Jermain was not one to apply Steward’s in-fight instructions, and always reverted to his counterproductive habits when leaving the corner.

This led to the two parting ways, and Jermain and Kelly went at it again five months later. This time around, Taylor gave a commendable effort, still fighting aggressively, while, for seemingly the first time ever, keeping his hands up, and protecting his face from Pavlik’s punishing rights and lefts. This tactic allowed Jermain to make it a very close fight, and survive the entire twelve rounds, but he did tire again, and was hurt in the twelfth, which was enough to get Pavlik the decision victory. Moral victory, perhaps, for Taylor.

After another uneventful fight and win, this time with Jeff Lacy, Jermain got back in the ring with Carl Froch, at 166 pounds. And another painful story and result in this talented fighter’s resume.

Taylor, who at this point in April of 2009, was beginning to gain the reputation of a fighter with an impressive skill set, who just couldn’t last a fight without inevitably getting tired in the later rounds against tough competition, did it again. He came out, and from the first bell, began to box circles around the plodding, slower Froch. Taylor had an answer for anything that Froch brought his way, and in the 3rd round, dropped the UK “Cobra” with a clubbing right hand, the first time Froch had ever tasted the canvas in a professional fight. But, this time, Taylor paced himself, conserved his energy, and continued to show complete mastery over Froch as the rounds piled up. Then came the twelfth.

Taylor came out of his corner, and it was apparent that he was wasted. The prior round showed signs of this, as Taylor seemed listless throughout the 11th, but mounted a flurry at the end of the round, giving Taylor fans hope that their fighter was back, and had overcome his demons. The tank was again empty in the final frame. With Froch charging him relentlessly, knowing he needed to KO “Bad Intentions”, he started landing with everything he threw, and caught Taylor with a right, hurting him badly. Taylor, though, did escape, albeit temporarily, stumbling away from Froch, buying more time, only needing to SURVIVE the round to win by a clear unanimous decision. But Taylor couldn’t do so. The ring wasn’t large enough for him, as Froch again found him, and there he was, Taylor, on the ropes yet again, eating leather from Froch, and with just fourteen seconds left, he fell to the canvas again, the victim of a gut-wrenching, heartbreaking loss.

And now, Jermain is still bankable enough to have made his way into the tournament of 6, facing a rough, hard-hitting Arthur Abraham in the first round of the tournament, who will come up in weight to face JT. Abraham, though, has fought at 165 once before, annihilating the trash-talking Miranda in the fourth round of their fight in June of 2008. That doesn’t tell us too much, though, with Miranda’s powerful right hand, and little else to his boxing arsenal.

This is Taylor’s shot. As some have said, it will be a major accomplishment for him to get past Abraham, and move on in this fabulous tournament. He is STILL a man of tremendous skill and excitement in the ring. But everyone, including Abraham, knows, that “Bad Intentions” has to fight all twelve rounds to win. And, at this point, twelve rounds might as well be one hundred and twenty for the frustrating talent we know as Jermain Taylor.