26.09.07 – By Matthew Hurley: As his bout against number one contender Kelly Pavlick approaches, Jermain Taylor has become an angry young man. Incensed at the criticism being leveled against him Taylor looks upon his title defense against Pavlick as his moment to shine. After his past two lackluster showings against Cory Spinks and Kassim Ouma he can’t sink any lower in the estimation of so-called experts and fans. Taylor realizes that this fight will make or break him.
“I know people have been disappointed in me after the last two fights, but I won,” he says. “And I’m going to win this fight hands down. No questions asked.”
But questions are all that have been asked of Taylor since he became champion. It’s to his great credit that he not only took on Hall of Fame fighter Bernard Hopkins for the title and then gave him an immediate rematch after his disputed title winning victory but he then took on possible boxing Hall of Fame fighter Winky Wright in a follow-up defense. The fact that he got two disputed decisions against Hopkins and a draw with Wright left a sour taste in the mouths of many fight fans and media scribes. The word “regress” has constantly been used to characterize Taylor’s maturation as a fighter. He actually seems more amateurish as a champion than he did coming up.
Still, an argument can be made that he fought two of the toughest sonsofbitches on the planet back to back to back and held his own. You can dispute the decisions but you can’t dispute Jermain’s toughness. He was the one who got into the ring with those two great fighters and he was the one who kept it close. Perhaps it’s little wonder that he suffered a letdown against the two fighters who followed. He’s human after all.
But make no mistake. The Jermain Taylor that will square off against Kelly Pavlik on September 29th on the boardwalk in Atlantic City will be primed and ready. He understands that his legacy may depend on this one fight. And being under the training regime of Emanuel Steward, the legendary Kronk guru, he acknowledges that he’s walking in the shadow of legendary fighters. The awe in his face when he sees Thomas Hearns is indicative of both his appreciation of the sport and the fighters that came before him. He wants the adulation they receive. He wants it so bad he can taste it.
“Once I beat Pavlik,” he says in that charming, slight stuttering southern drawl, “ain’t nobody gonna question me no more. This is it. This is the fight I need to win. I beat him once before (ametures) and I will beat him again. I’m too fast and too good.”
The result remains to be seen but there is little doubt that Jermain Taylor understands his position and that he knows he needs a scintillating victory to not only shut the mouths of his critics but to further enhance his legacy. But he’s got a helluva an opponent in front of him. It all adds up to a great middleweight showdown.