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By Dave Sholler - Former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor and the United States economy have a lot in common. A few years ago, Taylor was on top of the world. The Little Rock, Arkansas native was like a stock trader with a hot hand, he just couldn’t lose. Taylor (27-2, 17 KOS) put the word “bull” in bull market and started an upward trend that looked like it would never fall.
Much like the U.S. economy though, signs of decline started to creep in for Taylor. In his 2006 fight with Winky Wright, Taylor nearly lost his middleweight crown and was battered by the southpaw. After rebounding to defeat Kassim Ouma to end the year, Taylor returned in May 2007 and barely edge out junior middleweight challenger Cory Spinks.
Clearly, there were causes for concern. Jermain’s once potent jab seemed to dissipate. His killer instinct was gone, too. And his championship pedigree? It was undoubtedly questioned.
Things got even worse after the Spinks fight. Two straight losses to Kelly Pavlik ended Taylor’s championship reign and suddenly Jermain’s stock plummeted. The Razorback was no longer the world’s 160-pound superpower. Instead, his skills were deemed in recession and his future considered bleak.
As Taylor prepares for Saturday’s HBO bout against Jeff Lacy at 168 pounds, he yearns for a chance to break the downturn. He’s tired of scratching and clawing to prove that he can still be a champion. He’s through with experiencing emotional fluctuations. When he steps foot inside the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend, Taylor wants to spark the flame that once put him atop the sport. Quite simply, Taylor wants to be afforded the opportunity to be considered a force again. [details]
Much like the U.S. economy though, signs of decline started to creep in for Taylor. In his 2006 fight with Winky Wright, Taylor nearly lost his middleweight crown and was battered by the southpaw. After rebounding to defeat Kassim Ouma to end the year, Taylor returned in May 2007 and barely edge out junior middleweight challenger Cory Spinks.
Clearly, there were causes for concern. Jermain’s once potent jab seemed to dissipate. His killer instinct was gone, too. And his championship pedigree? It was undoubtedly questioned.
Things got even worse after the Spinks fight. Two straight losses to Kelly Pavlik ended Taylor’s championship reign and suddenly Jermain’s stock plummeted. The Razorback was no longer the world’s 160-pound superpower. Instead, his skills were deemed in recession and his future considered bleak.
As Taylor prepares for Saturday’s HBO bout against Jeff Lacy at 168 pounds, he yearns for a chance to break the downturn. He’s tired of scratching and clawing to prove that he can still be a champion. He’s through with experiencing emotional fluctuations. When he steps foot inside the Vanderbilt University Memorial Gymnasium in Nashville, Tennessee this weekend, Taylor wants to spark the flame that once put him atop the sport. Quite simply, Taylor wants to be afforded the opportunity to be considered a force again. [details]
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