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This past week, I had the privilege of corresponding with members of Jermain Taylor’s team. The conclusion of these exchanges only reinforces what I am starting to accept as the truth- the sanctioning bodies are the major obstacles to boxing's revival.
Take the Jermain Taylor's case. Taylor defeated Bernard Hopkins, the recognized undisputed Middleweight champion.
Almost immediately, the IBF stripped Taylor of its version of the title when he decided to give Hopkins a rematch.
The WBA decided to create a "normal" version of the championship when it recognized the winner of the Felix Sturm-Javier Castillejo as it's "regular" champion, while calling Taylor their "super" champion.
As for Taylor, his last 48 rounds have been against two certain Hall of Famers and three former world champions. Taylor is 3-0-1 over his last four bouts and no one can be critical of his choice to take on the very best in sport. And for his efforts, he has been rewarded with disrespect by the sanctioning bodies and even some pundits, who have been less than overwhelmed by his close battles against Hopkins and Wright.
According to Taylor’s camp, the WBA made it official this past week, that Jermain Taylor is no longer their champion. Yet this past year has merely reinforced the fact that Taylor is the true number one man in the division.
Going into 2006, there were many top challengers to the title. Sturm's only loss was a controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya and Arthur Abraham came into the year with impressive victories over Howard Eastman and Kingsley Ikeke. Since then, the WBA championship has exchanged hands three times with Sturm losing to Castillejo, who promptly lost his crown to Mariano Carrera.
As for Abraham, he escaped with a narrow victory over Edison Miranda. Presently, Abraham is recovering from a broken jaw suffered at the hands of the rugged Miranda, who many observers saw as the winner of their fight. Meanwhile, Taylor escaped with a draw against Winky Wright and decisively won a decision over Kassim Ouma, who is every bit as good as those individuals who managed to hold the WBA title over the past year. [details]
Take the Jermain Taylor's case. Taylor defeated Bernard Hopkins, the recognized undisputed Middleweight champion.
Almost immediately, the IBF stripped Taylor of its version of the title when he decided to give Hopkins a rematch.
The WBA decided to create a "normal" version of the championship when it recognized the winner of the Felix Sturm-Javier Castillejo as it's "regular" champion, while calling Taylor their "super" champion.
As for Taylor, his last 48 rounds have been against two certain Hall of Famers and three former world champions. Taylor is 3-0-1 over his last four bouts and no one can be critical of his choice to take on the very best in sport. And for his efforts, he has been rewarded with disrespect by the sanctioning bodies and even some pundits, who have been less than overwhelmed by his close battles against Hopkins and Wright.
According to Taylor’s camp, the WBA made it official this past week, that Jermain Taylor is no longer their champion. Yet this past year has merely reinforced the fact that Taylor is the true number one man in the division.
Going into 2006, there were many top challengers to the title. Sturm's only loss was a controversial decision to Oscar De La Hoya and Arthur Abraham came into the year with impressive victories over Howard Eastman and Kingsley Ikeke. Since then, the WBA championship has exchanged hands three times with Sturm losing to Castillejo, who promptly lost his crown to Mariano Carrera.
As for Abraham, he escaped with a narrow victory over Edison Miranda. Presently, Abraham is recovering from a broken jaw suffered at the hands of the rugged Miranda, who many observers saw as the winner of their fight. Meanwhile, Taylor escaped with a draw against Winky Wright and decisively won a decision over Kassim Ouma, who is every bit as good as those individuals who managed to hold the WBA title over the past year. [details]
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