OnThEGRiND BOXiNG

Saturday, April 25th 2009
by John Gendron

The past four years of Jermain Taylor’s career have moved like a slow ebbing tide. Following consecutive victories in 2005 and 2006 over Bernard Hopkins—whose then 13-year undefeated streak encompassed a record-tying 20 title defenses—Taylor had been on the threshold of transcending the sport. I can recall the intrigue of casual (at best) boxing fans he evoked after deposing the historic champion. But, it wasn’t to be, and the Hopkins victories remain the high water mark of a once so promising career. Tonight’s championship bout with WBC Super Middleweight titlist Carl Froch should be a stark indicator of where Taylor’s tide flows from here.

The reason I equate the past four years of Taylor’s career to a slowly receding tide is because despite losing the lineal middleweight title in dramatic fashion to Kelly Pavlik it seems as though vague sketches of his demise could be ascertained beginning with his first title defense. And the sketches grew more and more vivid with each subsequent bout. For a fighter wearing a crown of such celebrated provenance the performances in the ring were glaringly incommensurate, causing many fans to disaffect. However, it must be noted, this was never for a loss of belief in Taylor’s talents—never was he seen as a fake, fraud, or paper champion—but rather a loss of belief in his desire. The one credit boxing devotees hold in the highest regard.

When you listen now to Taylor talk about being “back” and how he’s “hungry” again, it’s not so much what he’s saying—the same sentiments have been uttered by other fighters ad nauseam—but it’s the way he says it that makes his case so compelling. He makes you want to believe him.

“I have the hunger again and it took fighting Carl for the belt to get it back,” Taylor said this week in a press conference.

Though he never expressly states it, he seems acutely aware of the perfunctory nature of his title defenses against Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks, and that it was this listlessness, and not his two defeats to Pavlik, that ultimately estranged him from the general public, redounding in HBO balking at showcasing tonight’s bout. This alienation has been Taylor’s source of inspiration.

“Its good to be back,” said Taylor at the beginning of the fight’s final press conference. “I’ve been here before and it’s a great feeling. In my last fight with Jeff lacy I don’t think I seen none of you reporters here. There were only a couple of cameras, and they were throwaways. There wasn’t none of this right here. I miss this right here I miss being in that number one position. And I have to go through Carl Froch to get it.”

A wistful Taylor, in a rather poignant moment, went on to explain, “There ain’t nothing like being number one. There ain’t nothing like being in Carl’s place right now…He’s come over here to fight me and I need him. I moved up to 168 and I need that number one spot. I will do anything to get it.”

This is the kind of passion that endears a fighter to fans. For as brutally unforgiving a sport boxing can be, it also holds the ability to bestow exaltation in as just a short period. With a convincing win over Froch tonight, Taylor will go a long way in fulfilling the promise he showed as a decorated amateur and middleweight champ.

“It’s the kind of fight I need,” he said.

(photo credit: Tom Casino/Showtime)