A Brutal Reality for Jermain Taylor

When Jermain Taylor was stopped by Carl Froch in the 12th round this past April, many wondered what would be next for former champion from Little Rock, Arkansas. When he was selected months later to be part of Showtime’s ‘Super Six’ Super Middleweight tournament, some were surprised and others feared for the worst. Those concerns became a reality Saturday night as Taylor was brutally stopped, again in the final stanza, against rugged Arthur Abraham at the O2 World Arena in Berlin, Germany.
In the early going Taylor fought well, getting off behind his jab and showing no immediate after effects from the disheartening Froch stoppage. As the contest wore on, however, Abraham began to open up more and worked his way back into the fight. Taylor’s punches started becoming less effective and Abraham had seemingly taken control of the tempo of the bout by the mid rounds. In the ninth round Abraham stunned Taylor and there was little doubt at to who was in command.
As the fight reached its final moments it did appear that Taylor would hang on to lose a competitive decision but a crushing right hand from Abraham would instantly flip the script. Taylor absorbed the blow flush on his chin and hit the canvas very hard and was unable to continue. He seemed to be on the floor a good 30 seconds before responding and being able to rise, raising serious questions about his immediate plans in the sport.

In his time as a professional, Jermain Taylor has had an excellent run that saw him capture the Middleweight championship of the world, defeat Bernard Hopkins on two separate occasions, and compile a 28-4-1 mark with 17 stoppages. He became a staple on HBO and fought the best opposition available, but now it looks like the best move would be to call it a day. In his last five bouts Taylor is 1-4 with three of the losses coming by way of a brutal stoppage.
When a fighter goes through a hard stretch in his career it can be hard to bounce back fully both physically and mentally. It appears that Jermain Taylor has reached that point in his career and if he were to continue from here he risks being labeled as just an ‘opponent’. He has nothing to be ashamed of, as he has shown tremendous heart in his bouts, win or lose, but hopefully he can recognize the situation for what it really is.

News and Notes

- Following the contest, many people online have been issuing the same sentiments in hopes that Taylor will walk away from the sport. Even many self admitted Taylor detractors have shown concern for his health and simply want him to be able to enjoy the earnings he has made through boxing.

- Super Middleweight contender Allan ‘Sweetness’ Green must have a lot going on in his mind right now. Green is a replacement selection in the ‘Super Six’ tournament and if Taylor is indeed to call it a day, Green would have a great chance of stepping in for him.

- In the evening’s co-feature, WBC Super Middleweight champion Carl Froch escaped with a split decision win over previously unbeaten Andre ‘The Matrix’ Dirrell. The bout was sloppy at times and there were several momentum shifts throughout. Many feel that Dirrell did enough to pull out the win but there were times when the Flint, Michigan native seemed reluctant to exchange. Froch isn’t the most talented fighter you will see but he is gritty and aggressive and that was enough to win last night. Final tallies were two cards of 115-112 for Froch and 114-113 for Dirrell.