RSSJermain Taylor
Friday, December 14, 2007
HBO to Replay Best Fights of 2007
It’s a holiday treat for HBO Boxing fans. For five consecutive nights during the holidays, HBO Sports will replay five of the most memorable, most significant, most compelling bouts of 2007 that were broadcast on the HBO service.
The lineup includes:
Tuesday, Dec. 25 at 11:00 p.m. - Jermain Taylor vs. Kelly Pavlik
Wednesday, Dec. 26 at 11:00 p.m. - Joe Calzaghe vs. Mikkel Kessler
Thursday, Dec. 27 at 11:00 p.m. - Oscar De La Hoya vs. Floyd Mayweather
Friday, Dec. 28 at 11:00 p.m. - Miguel Cotto vs. Shane Mosley
Saturday, Dec. 29 at 12 midnight - Floyd Mayweather vs. Ricky Hatton
All times are ET/PT.
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Tuesday, October 30, 2007
Abraham Wants Taylor, Pavlik in America
Undefeated IBF middleweight champion Arthur Abraham is looking forward to his first fight on foreign territory as he takes on Britain´s Wayne Elcock in Switzerland on December 8. Today the two fighters met for the first time at a press conference in Basle.
“It is my goal to make big fights in America, so Switzerland will be a good first step,” King Arthur (24-0, 19 KOs) said. “I am really looking forward to boxing in Basle.”
After knocking out mandatory challenger Khoren Gevor in Berlin, Abraham is confident of success against the 33-year-old Brit. However, he has promised not to underestimate his opponent.
“I take him very seriously,” Abraham stated. “Just like me, he has defeated Howard Eastman, who is a very good puncher. I´ll be starting my training camp tomorrow and will be highly concentrated.”
The fight will also spell Elcock´s first appearance outside Great Britain.
“That does not make a difference for me,” the challenger (18-2, 8 KOs) said. “I am coming here to win the title and that is all that matters.”
After the press conference in Basle, Abraham and his coach Ulli Wegner travelled straight to their training camp base in Zinnowitz (Baltic Sea), where practice will begin tomorrow morning.
“We´re eager to start the preparation. I´m sure the boys will have a lot of fun,” Wegner said with a smile.
Meanwhile, manager Kalle Sauerland revealed that King Arthur is getting more and more popular all over the world.
“The TV interest in his fights is very high and can be compared to the Valuev fight in Basle (vs. Jameel McCline),” he stated. “King Arthur´s popularity is growing, especially in America. They have some well-known middleweights over there. That´s why our champion is of big interest to them.”
Sauerland added that a showdown with Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik is planned for the near future.
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Saturday, September 29, 2007
Taylor vs Pavlik: and the Winner Is…
I’m really on fence on picking a winner. Of course I want Kelly who is from Ohio to win but Taylor is by far the best guy he’s ever met. Pavlik though is one of the most dedicated fighters I’ve seen in years.
I think Kelly is going to have a lot of trouble with Taylor’s speed and movement. Pavlik likes to go to the body though and he does it very well.
Hopefully as the fight wears on this will slow Taylor down. I look for Taylor to jump to an early lead but he has not been in with power punchers like Kelly. It will be interesting to see how Jermain holds up.It too will be interesting to see how Pavlik holds up under steady barrages of punches.
I believe because of sub par performances against tricky and difficult fighters people have forgotten that Taylor is quite talented. I think Jermain would have looked like a million bucks against Miranda.
It comes down to who wants it more. I just think Kelly is the hungry one in this match. It should be a real barnburner though.
Tuesday, September 04, 2007
Taylor Plans to Bang With Pavlik
With just a little over 3 weeks remaining World Middleweight Champion Jermain Taylor has been enjoying the peace and quiet he’s finding in the mountains of Pennsylvania, where he’s training for his September 29th title defense against Kelly Pavlik at Borardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. But what has Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KO’s) most excited is the prospect of a slugfest with hard-hitting Kelly Pavlik. Taylor relishes the opportunity to swap power shots with the top-ranked contender in his showdown.
The bout which is being billed as “Throwback” is being promoted by DiBella Entertainment, in association with Top Rank Inc. “From a style standpoint, my last couple of fights were wrong for me, but they were fighters who stepped up to the plate,” Taylor said.
“Kelly Pavlik is a fighter , just like me. He comes to fight, no running, no holding. It’s about time. People are going to be surprised by what they see on September 29th. I’m expecting a lot of fireworks in the ring with Kelly Pavlik. This is my kind of fight.”
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Saturday, September 01, 2007
Countdown To Taylor-Pavlik Debuts on Sept 22
HBO Sports is presenting a thirty- minute special analyzing the upcoming middleweight title fight between reigning champion Jermain Taylor and fast-charging challenger Kelly Pavlik. The highly anticipated 160-pound bout is set for Saturday, Sept. 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and will be carried live on HBO in one of the network’s signature broadcasts of the year. The fight is an intriguing match-up between the division’s most acclaimed competitors.
The special “Countdown To Taylor-Pavlik, ” which will feature fighter profiles, expert analysis and forecasts for the showdown in Atlantic City, will premiere on Saturday, Sept. 22 at 11:00 p.m. ET/PT.
Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs) of Little Rock, Ark., is one the sport’s most accomplished stars. Two years ago he upset reigning middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins to take his place atop the 160-pound division. Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio, is a fast-rising power puncher who is hoping to replace Taylor as the division’s top act.
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Friday, August 03, 2007
Taylor-Pavlik: Pre-Prefight
September 29th, 2007… Will this be the day that puts Youngstown, Ohio back on the fistic map? Undefeated knockout artist Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik of Y’town meets world’s middleweight champion Jermain Taylor who is also unbeaten. This is the fight at 160 pounds that the fans wanted to see. Kudos to the management of the fighters and the promoters for putting this together. It reminds me of the old days where a true champion meets the real #1 challenger. The Calzaghe-Kessler bout at 168 pounds serves the same purpose.
Can Kelly take the title from Taylor? Jermain has been taking it on the chin in the press lately. Admittedly he has not looked good in his recent performances. This has not really been fair to Taylor. The men he has fought, Bernard Hopkins (twice), Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks are awkward, talented guys who are difficult to look good against. They are all champions or former champions, real top shelf opposition. If nothing else I believe they made Taylor a better fighter. When Angelo Dundee had Ali and Sugar Ray Leonard he matched them with all kinds of different styles so when they entered the ring there was not much that they had not seen. Let’s just say Taylor may look boring but he is well schooled.
Continue reading "Taylor-Pavlik: Pre-Prefight"
Monday, July 02, 2007
EEC - July 2, 2007
News, Notes, and Rumors:
- The rumors are true: Felix Trinidad will be coming out of retirement to fight later this year, most likely in December.
- Oleg Maskaev’s showdown against Samuel Peter has been moved from September 29th to October 6th on Showtime and will now take place at Madison Square Garden according to Don King. Showtime is looking to fill the vacant September 29th weekend spot with a possible matchup between Antonio Tarver and Chad Dawson, provided they are both victorious in their bouts on June 9th.
- Contract talks between the camps of Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik are almost finished according to Lou DiBella. Taylor would end up defending his middleweight titles on September 29th on HBO. DiBella says that he is currently attempting to hold the event at Boardwalk Hall.
- NetBoxe is reporting that WBC and WBA Cruiserweight Champion Jean-Marc Mormeck is currently in talks with the camp of David Haye for a possible fight on September 28th.
- Nikolai Valuev and Vladimir Virchis look set to fight at some point this fall. The deadline for purse bids for this fight is July 30th according to Per Ake Persson of Boxing Scene.
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Friday, June 08, 2007
Taylor-Pavlik Looks Set for September
Dan Rafael of ESPN is reporting that a bout between Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik is looking very likely for this fall:
Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella, and Pavlik’s promoter, Bob Arum, both told ESPN.com that they have hammered out a deal in principle for the fight to take place this fall. HBO’s working date is Sept. 29. Although the promoters are on the same page, DiBella still needs to finalize his own deal with Taylor.
“Bob and I basically have a deal. We have no major terms we are fighting over and I believe it will get done,” DiBella said. “Bob and I have always been able to get things done. But there are discussions I need to have with my side and with HBO, and the HBO things are not related to money. I haven’t fully talked to my fighter or [Taylor adviser] Al Haymon yet, but I know for a fact that Jermain wants the fight and Haymon isn’t opposed to it.”
The promoters were happy that HBO’s offer for the fight of almost $5 million—well above the figure the network is obligated to pay under its exclusive contract with Taylor—was generous enough to keep the fight off pay-per-view. Arum credited HBO Sports president Ross Greenburg with coming up with the money.
Said DiBella: “HBO came with a fair offer and Bob has postured fairly, so the combination of the two things mean there is no reason a deal shouldn’t get done. I just have to talk things through with Jermain, who has been on vacation, and with Al. But we’re looking for a site. I believe it will happen in September and after Jermain wins, he will come back and fight again in December.”
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Wednesday, May 23, 2007
Taylor Dumping Steward?
Are Jermain Taylor and his famous trainer Emanuel Steward breaking up? It’s looking pretty likely according to Tim Smith of the New York Daily News…
Steward, Taylor down for count
When it was made, the marriage of Jermain Taylor, the young middleweight champion, and trainer Emanuel Steward looked to be a long and successful one.
It seemed to have quickly unraveled when Taylor won an uninspired 12-round split decision over Cory Spinks Saturday night in Memphis. It was the third straight match in which Taylor had faced a rising lefthanded junior middleweight and also the third straight time he looked like he didn’t know what he was doing in the ring.
And now it looks like Steward is going to take the fall. His contract with Taylor is now up, and there are some who believe the trainer had stunted Taylor’s growth in the three fights they worked together. It will be up to Taylor to determine whether to retain Steward as his trainer, but he will be getting a lot of advice against it.
There’s no doubt that Taylor has bored us to death in his last three fights. However Taylor hasn’t really been an exciting fighter ever since he stepped up the level of competition and started fighting elite guys. Despite his lackluster style, he continues to remain undefeated. No reason to dump a trainer that has kept you winning just because of a few critics…
Calzaghe Wants Kessler, Taylor, and Hopkins Before Retiring
Joe Calzaghe revealed in a recent interview with Sportinglife that he would like three more fights, possibly against Mikkel Kessler, Jermain Taylor, and Bernard Hopkins, to round out his storied career.
When it comes to Kessler, Calzaghe made it known that he certainly wasn’t his top choice for a future opponent. However Calzaghe didn’t close the door on a possible opportunity of meeting Kessler down the road at some point before he hangs them up:
“Kessler is a good fighter. Frank has been talking to his promoter over the last few days, trying to do something with him.
But I think that fight may be six months or more down the road. Kessler is not a big name in America.
He’s had a couple of good wins but in his last fight he beat Markus Bayer, who was shot. We can go down the Kessler road but Taylor is the one for me.”
So if Kessler isn’t tops then who is? That would be Jermain Taylor as of right now. I say as of right now because we all know how Calzaghe loves to change his mind constantly.
Mega-promoter Frank Warren is desperately trying to get a deal done between Calzaghe and Taylor’s camps for a September bout. Talks have been ongoing for months now but may pick up speed now that both fighters are coming off recent victories and are taking time off.
Calzaghe also expressed interest in Hopkins as always, stating that he would love to take on the winner of the July fight between Hopkins and Winky Wright.
“Hopkins would interest me. Hopkins won his last fight against Antonio Tarver so he’s still a formidable opponent. He looked good against Tarver but he’s 42 and he can’t go on forever. The winner of Winky Wright and Hopkins could be my opponent for January.
They’re fighting in July and I think they’ll put on a good show, but Hopkins will be too big for Winky Wright.”