On September 29th of 2007 undefeated world champion Jermain
Taylor entered the ring at the historic Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New
Jersey to defend his unified Middleweight world championship against hard-hitting
undefeated contender Kelly Pavlik in a fight that many considered the fight of
the year. A brutal back and forth war of wills that saw both men suffer
knockdowns where Pavlik ultimately emerged victorious stopping Taylor in the
seventh round.
Some might say that it was this loss, the first of Taylor’s
career that began a gradual decline in a fighter once considered one of the
best pound for pound in the world. Taylor would go on to lose a twelve round
unanimous decision to Pavlik in their rematch in February 2008 in a bout that
was fought above the 160lb. Middleweight limit. Taylor, who would leave the
Middleweight division after his first fight with Pavlik would suffer further
setbacks.
Many remember his exciting battle against then WBC
Super-Middleweight champion Carl Froch in April 2009. Much like the first
encounter with Kelly Pavlik, the fight between Froch and Taylor was an exciting
back and forth battle where both fighters suffered knockdowns. After being
knocked down in the third round of the fight and trailing on two of the
official scorecards, Froch would score a come from behind knockout of Taylor in
the twelfth and final round to retain his title.
Some would say however, that the most brutal of the setbacks
suffered by Taylor came at the hands of Arthur Abraham when a straight right
hand from Abraham knocked Taylor out cold when the two met in the opening stage
of the Super-Six World Boxing Classic Super-Middleweight tournament in October
2009. It was after this knockout loss in which Taylor suffered a severe
concussion and bleeding on the brain and Taylor’s third knockout loss in five
fights that many, including this observer believed that he should consider
retirement.
It is important to remember that the knockouts Taylor
suffered at the hands of Pavlik, Froch, and Abraham were devastating and were
the kinds of knockouts that could take a toll on a fighter in the long-term.
Although Taylor would not retire, it would be two years before Taylor would
return to the ring. Taylor returned to the ring and the Middleweight division
in December 2011 after being medically cleared to resume his career scoring an
eighth round stoppage of Jessie Nicklow.
Since his victory over Nicklow, Taylor would add three more
wins to his resume over Caleb Truax, Raul Munoz, and former top contender J.C.
Candelo. With four wins since beginning
his comeback, Taylor secured a world championship fight against IBF
Middleweight world champion Sam Soliman. The fight would take place on
Wednesday night at the Beau Rivage Hotel and Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.
Soliman, a longtime contender in the Middleweight division
was making the first defense of his world title, which he won in May of this
year in his second fight against longtime Middleweight champion Felix Sturm.
What interested me about this fight when it was announced was how Taylor would
respond in his first real test since his return against a volume puncher like
Soliman. Although Soliman is not known as a power puncher, he is known for his
ability to be very active and throw punches at a high volume throughout the
entire course of a fight. It interested me to see how Taylor, who has been
known in the past to fight fatigue and fade during the course of a fight would
look as this fight progressed.
The fight was fought at a tactical pace in the early rounds
where there was a lot of clinching. This was due in large part to Soliman’s
awkwardness and lateral movement in his ability to throw punches and approach
his opponents at awkward angles. What is particularly frustrating about facing
a fighter with a style such as Soliman is that it is very difficult to
establish a consistent offensive output due to the difficulty that can occur in
attempting to time that fighter’s offensive spurts. Taylor who has been known
for having a great jab throughout his career had trouble establishing the jab
in the early rounds. Although Soliman appeared to have a slight edge during
this stage of the fight, neither fighter was really able to stand out from the
other. When it comes to fights that are fought like this it can be extremely
difficult to score. Even though I feel that Soliman was a little more effective
in being able to execute his offense on the inside, I can easily see an
argument being made for Taylor having won more rounds in the early part of the
fight.
The close fight would begin to turn in Taylor’s favor in
round six as he was able to land a little more frequently with his jab and
mixed in some solid right hands. Taylor would score a knockdown of Soliman in
round seven with a jab. It was clear after rounds six and seven that the
momentum was in Taylor’s favor. Soliman
however, would suffer an injury to his left knee in round seven when he was
knocked down and that seemed to compromise some of his movement as the fight
progressed. Taylor would continue to build on his momentum as he scored a
second knockdown of Soliman in round eight.
Taylor would go on to score two more knockdowns of Soliman
in rounds nine and eleven and would go on to earn a convincing twelve round
unanimous decision to win his second world title. A victory for Taylor that some would consider
an upset based on Taylor’s knockout losses in years past.
It was also based on those knockout losses as well as Taylor
not facing opponents that most would consider contenders since his return in
2011 that there was some criticism of Taylor being given a shot at a world
title by the International Boxing Federation (IBF). Although some may be of the
opinion that Jermain Taylor was able to get an opportunity at a world
championship based on his name recognition clout, he simply did what he had to
do in this fight and earned the victory and his second world title.
There was also however, a different kind of criticism by
some who did not believe that Taylor should have been allowed to fight for the
world title. The basis of that criticism stems from Taylor’s arrest on charges
of domestic battery and aggravated assault back in August in connection with
the alleged shooting of Taylor’s cousin Tyrone Hinton at Taylor’s home in
Little Rock, Arkansas. Taylor, who was later released on $25,000 bail requested
and was granted permission to travel out of state and compete in the fight
against Soliman.
It is unclear at this time as to what Taylor’s legal
problems might mean for the IBF Middleweight world championship. On October 1st
an elimination bout was held to determine a mandatory challenger for the winner
of the Soliman-Taylor championship fight. Former WBO Middleweight world
champion Hassan N’Dam scored a twelve round unanimous decision over former
world title challenger Curtis Stevens to earn the IBF’s number one ranking in
the Middleweight division. Obviously before any talk of a potential fight
between Taylor and N’Dam can take place there will likely be a waiting period
to see how Taylor’s legal situation will play out. As of this writing there is no word on what
the IBF’s plan might be if Taylor will be unable to defend his title for a
period of time.
Despite the criticism of Taylor and the circumstances that
surrounded this fight it was a performance for Taylor that has reestablished
him as a player in the Middleweight division. It will be interesting should
Taylor be able to continue his career and assuming that Hassan N’Dam will be
his next opponent if that is the case how Taylor begins his second reign as
world champion in a talent deep Middleweight division.
As impressive as Taylor’s performance was in being able to
regain a world championship after dealing with so much adversity throughout his
career, so too was the “Game” performance of the former champion Sam Soliman.
Soliman certainly showed his mettle in this fight by fighting through what
likely was excruciating pain to go the distance. Even though Soliman will
return to his native Melbourne, Australia without his world title, he deserves
credit for fighting through an injury and going the distance.
Although some might choose to focus on the criticism of how
and why this fight took place, this observer will not be one of them. Instead,
I will remember this fight not for the criticism and circumstances of which it
took place, but rather for one fighter’s reemergence at the top of the
Middleweight division, one fighter’s courage in defending his title through
injury, and ultimately both fighters ability to persevere.
“And That’s The Boxing Truth.”
The Boxing Truth® is a registered trademark of Beau Denison
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