By Scott Gilfoid: 8 WBC super middleweight talent Andre Dirrell (22-1, 15 KOs) is being talked about fighting on the undercard of the October 8th card headlined by IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman vs. Jermain Taylor in Biloxi, Mississippi, according to Dan Rafael of ESPN.
The card will be televised by ESPN, so boxing fans will get a chance to see Dirrell fight without needing to subscribe to one of the expensive premium cable channels.
New York, NY (9/3/14) – On Wednesday, October 8, DiBella Entertainment and Warriors Boxing, in association with Soliman Stanley Promotions, will stage an exciting night of boxing with IBF middleweight champion “King” Sam Soliman (44-11, 18KO’s) defending his crown against former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (32-4-1, 20KO’s) in the main event. The card will take place at the beautiful Beau Rivage Resort & Casino, in Biloxi, Mississippi.
By Raj Parmar: IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman (44-11, 18 KO’s) has indicated he has added incentives for victory when he defends his title against former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KO’s) later this year on October 8.
Soliman claims he is a big fan of middleweight legend and current light heavyweight champ Bernard Hopkins, whom Taylor dethroned back in 2005 to take the middleweight crown and in the process put an end to Bernard’s record of 20 straight successful title defences.
By Dan Ambrose: 36-year-old Jermain Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KOs) will be fighting IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs) on October 4th at a still to be determined location.
It’s hard to argue in favor of Taylor getting a world title shot considering that he hasn’t faced a high level opponent since he was beaten 5 years ago by Arthur Abraham and Carl Froch by stoppage defeats. But then again we’re talking about Taylor fighting who many boxing fans see as little more than a paper champion in 40-year-old Soliman.
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.
By Scott Gilfoid: IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman (44-11, 18 KOs) will be watching tonight’s fight between WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs) and Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KO’s) with great interest because he’s hoping to get the winner of the fight to face him later this year in a unification match.
Soliman has had easier title-milking fights offered to him against Andy Lee, Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray, but he wants to face the best in the winner of the Golovkin vs. Geale fight.
“I’ve had offers to fight Andy Lee in Ireland…I’ve had interest from Matthew Macklin and Martin Murray in the UK. I’ve been offered plenty of easy fights but I’m 40 now and I only want the really big fights at the end of my career,” Soliman said. “The biggest fight for me is to unify the world titles against Geale-Golovkin winner.”
(Photo credit: Will Hart) By Dan Ambrose: IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman believes that fellow Australian Daniel Geale (30-2, 16 KOs) is capable of pulling off a big upset this Saturday night against WBA middleweight champion Gennady Golovkin (29-0, 26 KOs) if he fights at the top of his game and puts in an A-level performance in their fight at Madison Square Garden in New York.
Most boxing experts don’t see Geale as having a chance against Golovkin even if he has the best fight of his career. It’s a difference in levels, and Geale is seen as a guy that is around same class as Felix Sturm and Anthony Mundine. Those are guys that Golovkin would likely obliterate if he had ever fought them before they started slipping.
By Scott Gilfoid: Rodney Berman, the promoter for former world title challenger Martin Murray (27-1-1, 12 KO’s) has made contract with IBF middleweight champion Sam Soliman’s management about a fight between Murray and Soliman that Berman would like to setup for this October. Murray was already beaten by former WBC middleweight champion Sergio Martinez last year in April in a failed attempt to capture the 39-year-old Sergio’s WBC strap.
Since that time, #4 WBC Murray has picked up two victories over little known opponents Ishmael Tetteh and Sergey Khomitsky, and Murray is now ready to fight for another world title against the 40-year-old Soliman for his IBF middleweight strap.
By Allan Fox: #1 IBF Sam Soliman (44-11, 18 KO’s) completely wore out IBF middleweight champion Felix Sturm (39-4-2, 18 KO’s) in beating him by a one-sided 12 round unanimous decision last Saturday night to capture his IBF 160 lb. title at the König Palast, Krefeld, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany. Soliman, 40, won the fight by the judges’ scores of 118-110, 118-110, and 117-111.
Soliman beat Sturm last year by a 12 round unanimous decision in February of 2013. But last night, Soliman beat Sturm far worse than he did last time in badly outworking him for 12 rounds.
By Allan Fox: 39-year-old middleweight contender Sam Soliman (43-11, 17 KO’s) has reportedly tested positive for a banned drug for his last fight against former WBA World middleweight champion Felix Sturm (37-4-2, 16 KO’s) last month on February 1st in Düsseldorf, Germany.