By Jim Dower: Former IBF/WBA/WBC/WBO middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KOs) could soon be fighting for a world title against IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman (32-4-1, 20 KOs). According to Fightnews.com, an announcement for the Taylor-Soliman fight is coming soon.
#7 WBC, #15 IBF Taylor lost his WBC/WBO titles to Kelly Pavlik in 2007. Since then, Taylor’s career has been floundering badly with him losing to Pavlik, Arthur Abraham, and Carl Froch. Taylor has won his last four fights against weak opposition after taking 2 years off from 2009 to 2011.
It was thought that Taylor’s punch resistance would be improved with the time outside of the ring. He’s not been knocked out since his comeback, but then again he’s not faced anyone good.
Soliman, 40, isn’t a big puncher, and perhaps the only guy that the 35-year-old Taylor matches up well against. Soliman recently picked up the IBF title in beating Felix Sturm last May in beating him by a 12 round unanimous decision. It was a good performance by Soliman against the aging Sturm, who can no longer fight hard for three minutes of every round.
Soliman struggles when he’s in with punchers, though, and that could be a problem for him against Taylor. At 35, Jermain can still punch and he’s got an excellent jab. He’s going to need his power against a guy like Soliman, because he attacks from so many different angles and he throws so many punches. If Soliman comes at Taylor for 12 rounds, it’s going to be a brawl. Soliman will need to have a good chin to take the kinds of shots Taylor will be hitting him with.
Taylor stopped Juan Carlos Candelo by a 7th round TKO in his last fight in December of 2013. Taylor looked good in this fight but he didn’t have much resistance to speak of because Candelo wasn’t in his class.
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