Calzaghe - I'll take Taylor on

[Chambers2]

Welshman Joe Calzaghe insists he's willing to fight world middleweight champion Jermain Taylor in "his own backyard".

Taylor retained his crown with a split points win over fellow American Cory Spinks in Memphis but attention has quickly turned to who his next opponent will be.

And while Kelly Pavlik looks the most likely candidate, Calzaghe, the WBO and IBF super middleweight champion, says he would be up for a showdown with Taylor if the right offer came along.

Undefeated Calzaghe, who watched Saturday night's bout at ringside, told the Daily Mirror: "If they make me an offer, I'd fight Jermain in his own backyard. It's the fight all fans want to see."

Although's Taylor's promoter Lou DiBella said talks with Calzaghe about a possible fight in London or Cardiff were "dead", he still considers him as a potential future opponent.

"Going over to the lion's den to move up in weight against a guy whose hands are as fast as Calzaghe's is a helluva test, so we're going to look at our options," DiBella said.

"There will be a big fight in the immediate future. Jermain wants to fight twice more this year, and Pavlik and Calzaghe are the main options. But it's all about the Benjamin Franklins."

As it stands, He seems more keen to fight Pavlik, who was arguably the star of the show on Saturday night after he battered Edison Miranda in an action-packed middleweight fight on the undercard.

"The next opponent is going to be the best opponent that we can get," said Taylor.

On Pavlik, He added: ''Yeah, I'll fight him. It doesn't make a difference. We can fight next month.''

Fair play to JC for being willing to travel to the US for a BIG fight (about time??), but I had to laugh when he says 'its the fight all fans want to see'. Who the fcuks he been talking to???? These boards have been swamped for the last few months with people saying that JC should fight Kessler next. Thats the fight all fans want to see Joe, someone should have a word in his ear.

It looks like Pavlik is favourite to be next up against JT (approx. Sept), so Froch and Calzaghe should square off at about the same time, then if Calzage and JT win they should face each other (I won't hold my breath)

[ArtOfWar]

Calzaghe is gonna end up fighting Denis Inkin on Setanta Sports.

After Taylor's showing Saturday night I can't see HBO putting up enough 'Benjamin Franklin's' to make the fight a reality on either side of the Atlantic. Calzaghe is not a draw over there either.

[Coco]

Taylor would be a good fight for JC, the Welshman wins easy home or away.
If people thought Lacy was overrated, Taylor takes the biscuit!

[overhand_right]

Haha, how predictable, Calzaghe saw JT look so vulnerable he REALLY wants him now, and who cares about Mikkel Kessler lol. Pathetic for JC.

Too bad JCs a 35 yr old brittle handed fighter on borrowed time, too bad he needs his career defining fight now, guys avoided big fights his whole career.

Kelly Pavlik laying out JT will be much better for boxign than JC slapping mediocre middles from the division beneath him.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

[Coco]

Do you think he is that tight at the weight?

[Ezzard]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

Agreed. In many ways Taylor might be the harder fight of the 2.

[MightyWarrior]

Joe taking on Inkin would be a major embarressment for Frank, after all the recent talk of a major fight, more so after the Manfredy farce.

Plus FW already refered to Inkin as a "no-body" - so he's gonna look a bit daft trying to sell that one.

Miranda is an interesting addition to the supermiddles...Brahmer looked ok at the weekend, after surviving a nasty scare - love to see him in with Froch, rather than the re-tread they're currently selling.

[Sweet P]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

[Carbo]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

I disagree. Taylor may be boiling down to make 160, and that could be what has affected his stamina in his last 5 fights; however, boiling down doesn't make you technically and tactically inept, which Taylor has looked in his recent fights.

Of course, he may just have a problem with decent southpaws, but he really looks to have regressed as a fighter in terms of his overall ring performances and technique.

That's not going to change any time soon, and I really think he would be dominated by Calzaghe.

[Sweet P]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

I disagree. Taylor may be boiling down to make 160, and that could be what has affected his stamina in his last 5 fights; however, boiling down doesn't make you technically and tactically inept, which Taylor has looked in his recent fights.

Of course, he may just have a problem with decent southpaws, but he really looks to have regressed as a fighter in terms of his overall ring performances and technique.

That's not going to change any time soon, and I really think he would be dominated by Calzaghe.

In which fights are you talking about, He had a bad one the other night but even the great Calzaghe would look shit against Spinks. Spinks is always in shit fights for the spectators.
If your refering to the Wright fight you are being plain stupid as he is a top10 p4p and always makes his opponent look bad.
Do you remember last year when Calzaghe fought Bika?
Every fighter has bad matchups in style and thinking that Calzaghe would dominate a guy who beat Hopkins and drew with Wright is a big call.

[Goz]

I agree that people aren't looking at the facts with regard to Jermain Taylor.

Fought Hopkins twice, 'won' twice. Drew with Wright, struggles with Spinks who is just one of those fighters. Hopkins/Wright/Spinks are all top drawer and Taylor is undefeated against them. That is not over-rated.

Calzaghe 'says' he wants to fight Taylor, who gives a fornicate? Calzaghe has been 'saying' he wants to fight every fighter in or around his weight class at one point in his career.

When the UKs most cherished promoter is pictured in between JC and JT and the contest is announced, then Goz will give a fornicate.

[J]

latest nonsense spouting out of Joe's mouth.

http://www.sporting-life.com/story_get. ... pkins.html

just Mayweather and Pacman left to call out now.

[Autobarn]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

I think there's much more to it than that. He's a naturally passive person. He was throwing counter jabs at Spinks. He's been matched against good defensive fighters for so long, combined with his attitude, that he only wants to land a handful of punches a round.

The thing I don't like is that Taylor will not try to create an opening. He tries to steal one.

He has been brought along badly by his management. Timing was good - get Hopkins minus reflexes - but Jermain has not been taught how to handle different problems systematically... It was about building a glossy record and getting the title shot minus any scratches... Instead he relies on speed and power to keep him close against top fighters. Like Valuev is in any fight because he is so big.

He certainly could have lost the 1st Hopkins, the Wright or the Spinks fight. His bubble has well and truly burst and even the Arkansans aren't supporting him.

Weight will have something to do with it. But it's also a mental thing. He doesn't WANT to do more. He never properly learned the art of winning rounds for this level. I think Pavlik does him. Pav will be easier to hit, but he'll be throwing lots of punches and very hard ones at that.

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

it isn't one fight. the signs were there in the 2 Hopkins, the Wright, Ouma AND Spinks fights. Taylor has just been outboxed by Cory Spinks. He should hang his f ucking head in shame. He will get banged up by Pavlik and all the 'he fought A fighters' so 'he must be great' theories will be laughed at.

How is Jermain goig to muster the workrate, stamina, fighting heart, ring generalship against a guy younger, more powerful and more willing to throw punches than himself?

The weight excuse won't work either because Pavlik is over 6' 2 and will pretty clearly find his best at super middle.

[Coco]

Of course JT has not become a bad fighter overnight, he is one of the better fighters out there.
However Hopkins was taken at the right time, the draw v Wright was disputed(Wright is a career L/Middle)
This says to be JT is no all time great and is very beatable for a quality fighter like JC

[Autobarn]

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

I disagree. Taylor may be boiling down to make 160, and that could be what has affected his stamina in his last 5 fights; however, boiling down doesn't make you technically and tactically inept, which Taylor has looked in his recent fights.

Of course, he may just have a problem with decent southpaws, but he really looks to have regressed as a fighter in terms of his overall ring performances and technique.

That's not going to change any time soon, and I really think he would be dominated by Calzaghe.

In which fights are you talking about, He had a bad one the other night but even the great Calzaghe would look shit against Spinks. Spinks is always in shit fights for the spectators.
If your refering to the Wright fight you are being plain stupid as he is a top10 p4p and always makes his opponent look bad.
Do you remember last year when Calzaghe fought Bika?
Every fighter has bad matchups in style and thinking that Calzaghe would dominate a guy who beat Hopkins and drew with Wright is a big call.

If Taylor beat Spinks then Roman Karmazin beat him better. Karmazin actually worked to find his range, won 1 of the early rds and controlled ALL the late ones & he had Spinks in a panic attack at the end.

I had Karmazin 2 points clear. I'm still trying to make my mind up if Taylor deserved to beat Cory.

In addition, Karmazin dropped and dominated Ouma, something Taylor couldn't do.

Taylor should have been dominating Cory late yet he was fumbling as much in the 12th as he was in the 1st. Jermain won't be getting many more lucky decisions. Once the line has been crossed - as with 90s Toney - that will be it.

Fvck it, Jermain's not even the best JUNIOR MIDDLE in the world. hahahahahahahaha

[Autobarn]

Ok so I'm a Taylor fan but I genuinely think people are losing all sense of perspective over Taylor.

Calzaghe came out the other day and said Taylor was 'ducking' him in this pot, kettle and black episode:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6681625.stm

(Note: Joe posed with that chicken when taunting Johnson for being a 'chicken', I am beginning to think this chicken may yet be his defining fight.)

Calzaghe criticises Taylor for fighting blown-up fighters and that is hypocrisy. Facts are facts and in his career so far Taylor has become the linear Champion at 160lbs, he beat a HOF bound long-reigning Champion to get his title and drew with another HOF guy. Calzaghe is still a title-holder in a fragmented division and he has had ten-years to solve this problem.

Taylor has had stinkers with Hopkins and Spinks, Calzaghe had them with Starie and Ashira. Taylor fought blown-up LM title-holders and Calzaghe blown-up title/reality TV failures.

Today Joe reverts back to calling out Wright or Hopkins despite the fact he is supposed to be only one month away from a 'superfight'. Basically he stood with his promoter after the Manfredo mismatch and both men deceived the ITV audience by saying a huge fight was on the cards for July when we all know everyone meaningful was tied up for this date.

In Taylor's defence he has taken on some wily guys and is undefeated. He gets stick for fading late in the first Hopkins fight. So he comes back in fight II and stands tall for one of the later rounds (the ninth or tenth I think) and this improvement proves pivotal in his winning the second bout yet again he gets slated. People look bad in losing to Hopkins (Eastman and others) so how are you going to look great in beating him? People seem to think Taylor should have come out with his hands by his hips blazing against Hopkins but how wise would that have been?

Then Taylor fights Wright, the fight is exciting as Wright is hit a lot, relatively, and the big let-down is a tepid final round. Wright claims he won but looks like he does not fancy taking on a young and strong middle and prices himself out of a return by declaring himself Champion at 160lb (I like Wright but post-Tito he has become something of a plank). A good fight ruined by the final round and Wright's post-fight crying.

Then Taylor takes on an aggressive southpaw who has one of them 'not going to be KO'd nights' and then Spinks, to be fair to Spinks he uses his talent in the right way but his name as part of a fight couplet makes me want to cry. On Saturday Spinks went beyond negative.

So Taylor has fought a Champion who makes everyone look bad, a big southpaw who is famed for his defence and making people look bad, Ouma who is bat-shit crazy and the negative Spinks then is slated for not having a diverse career trajectory.

If you said to a fighter and his fans 'ok we have some fights lined-up, x 2 Hopkins, Wright, Ouma and Spinks' would the fighter/fans then say 'man, those fights will be a series of wars!'

Instead we got a series of tactical battles and Taylor is still undefeated. Pavlik has become the new saviour but imagine if Taylor was not around and Pavlik had his chance versus Hopkins, how would his tactics work then? He is very much a middleweight Corrales, fun to watch but don't bet on him in elite match-ups (when he gets one, Miranda was always poor).

The reason his fight with Miranda is talked about is because he got hit a lot and it was dramatic. Taylor, for all his flaws, is not going to stand stock-still whilst a guy as limited as Miranda lands three roundhouse right hands in a row (a clearly done Miranda did this in the fourth or fifth). Pavlik did this and we can all say 'oh, what a solid chin and big heart' if it was Taylor five strands would go up saying 'Taylor gets hit by three rights in a row, I told you he was shite'.

Now, I do not rate Spinks or Ouma but plenty of people do and they say Ouma is rock-hard and Spinks a seasoned spoiler, he came to nick the title on points and then would have spun his tactics using the bad feeling towards Taylor.

Taylor needs a rocket up his bum. If he gets it he will hammer Pavlik.

Put it in perspective, people say Taylor cannot beat Joe, personally I think Taylor will be balanced far more at 168lb and will hit harder, yet if the Taylor fight does not come off Joe is putting his all into fighting two blown-up guys (at 168 or above) who both failed to beat Taylor! I wonder how much stick Taylor will get when that fight (Calzaghe-Wright/Hopkins) is made. If it is.

Well, Taylor has dropped the ball taking on defensive fighters and perspective is muddied with him taking yet another debatable decision.

Sure he took on a load of defensive fighters, or defensively adept (in Wright's case), but a lot of ppl cannot help thinking he lost those fights. I'm somewhere in between but found myself cringing at myself in trying to give jermain rds he might not deserve v Cry...In addition, you'd think he'd show an extra dimension, i.e. finding a way to pressure.

There is one solution. Match him with the offensive minded Pavlik. That way he'll have to either put on a lovely performance or else let rip with his hardest shots. He won't have to look for 4 openings a round. The opening will be right in front of him.

That doesn't mean Taylor will win. He'll have to show a chin and some stamina and real fighting spirit.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Thing is Taylor is probably only looking so poor because he is fighting at the wrong weight. At 168, he could be a totally different animal.

I think there's much more to it than that. He's a naturally passive person. He was throwing counter jabs at Spinks. He's been matched against good defensive fighters for so long, combined with his attitude, that he only wants to land a handful of punches a round.

The thing I don't like is that Taylor will not try to create an opening. He tries to steal one.

He has been brought along badly by his management. Timing was good - get Hopkins minus reflexes - but Jermain has not been taught how to handle different problems systematically... It was about building a glossy record and getting the title shot minus any scratches... Instead he relies on speed and power to keep him close against top fighters. Like Valuev is in any fight because he is so big.

He certainly could have lost the 1st Hopkins, the Wright or the Spinks fight. His bubble has well and truly burst and even the Arkansans aren't supporting him.

Weight will have something to do with it. But it's also a mental thing. He doesn't WANT to do more. He never properly learned the art of winning rounds for this level. I think Pavlik does him. Pav will be easier to hit, but he'll be throwing lots of punches and very hard ones at that.

I agree, And you cant dismiss Taylors talent because of one fight. Taylor was good enough to have 3 close fights with future hall of famers so he has the talent.
I also think that 168 would suit him better as he is a big 160 pounder.

it isn't one fight. the signs were there in the 2 Hopkins, the Wright, Ouma AND Spinks fights. Taylor has just been outboxed by Cory Spinks. He should hang his f ucking head in shame. He will get banged up by Pavlik and all the 'he fought A fighters' so 'he must be great' theories will be laughed at.

How is Jermain goig to muster the workrate, stamina, fighting heart, ring generalship against a guy younger, more powerful and more willing to throw punches than himself?

The weight excuse won't work either because Pavlik is over 6' 2 and will pretty clearly find his best at super middle.

You may be right, but I do think the weight making played a factor in all this. Against Ouma Taylor was badly gassed after two rounds of only moderately paced action, and never seemed to recover.

Early in his career, admittedly against lower level opposition, he was coming and and just smashing his opponents up, he was far more aggressive. Now that may just be because he was more confident then, or maybe it's because he had more stamina.

I wonder whether he has lost a lof of confidence in his abilities now that he has seen that he cannot really dominate top level fighters.

Sadly, Taylor's value as a marquee fighter has been badly damaged, and his value as an opponent for Joe has diminished significantly. A draw with Wright, two razor thin wins over Hopkins, and two unimpressive defences against MUCH naturally smaller men, that is not a dominant middleweight champion in his prime.

Can you imagine what Hagler would have done to Ouma and Spinks? Jesus, it wouldn't have been fit for pre-watershed viewing. I think Winky Wright would have been mauled too.

Sorry, but I think it's over for Taylor, certainly at middleweight it is, the jury is out on what he may achieve higher up.

[jamesmcdonnell]

Ok so I'm a Taylor fan but I genuinely think people are losing all sense of perspective over Taylor.

Calzaghe came out the other day and said Taylor was 'ducking' him in this pot, kettle and black episode:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6681625.stm

(Note: Joe posed with that chicken when taunting Johnson for being a 'chicken', I am beginning to think this chicken may yet be his defining fight.)

Calzaghe criticises Taylor for fighting blown-up fighters and that is hypocrisy. Facts are facts and in his career so far Taylor has become the linear Champion at 160lbs, he beat a HOF bound long-reigning Champion to get his title and drew with another HOF guy. Calzaghe is still a title-holder in a fragmented division and he has had ten-years to solve this problem.

Taylor has had stinkers with Hopkins and Spinks, Calzaghe had them with Starie and Ashira. Taylor fought blown-up LM title-holders and Calzaghe blown-up title/reality TV failures.

Today Joe reverts back to calling out Wright or Hopkins despite the fact he is supposed to be only one month away from a 'superfight'. Basically he stood with his promoter after the Manfredo mismatch and both men deceived the ITV audience by saying a huge fight was on the cards for July when we all know everyone meaningful was tied up for this date.

In Taylor's defence he has taken on some wily guys and is undefeated. He gets stick for fading late in the first Hopkins fight. So he comes back in fight II and stands tall for one of the later rounds (the ninth or tenth I think) and this improvement proves pivotal in his winning the second bout yet again he gets slated. People look bad in losing to Hopkins (Eastman and others) so how are you going to look great in beating him? People seem to think Taylor should have come out with his hands by his hips blazing against Hopkins but how wise would that have been?

Then Taylor fights Wright, the fight is exciting as Wright is hit a lot, relatively, and the big let-down is a tepid final round. Wright claims he won but looks like he does not fancy taking on a young and strong middle and prices himself out of a return by declaring himself Champion at 160lb (I like Wright but post-Tito he has become something of a plank). A good fight ruined by the final round and Wright's post-fight crying.

Then Taylor takes on an aggressive southpaw who has one of them 'not going to be KO'd nights' and then Spinks, to be fair to Spinks he uses his talent in the right way but his name as part of a fight couplet makes me want to cry. On Saturday Spinks went beyond negative.

So Taylor has fought a Champion who makes everyone look bad, a big southpaw who is famed for his defence and making people look bad, Ouma who is bat-shit crazy and the negative Spinks then is slated for not having a diverse career trajectory.

If you said to a fighter and his fans 'ok we have some fights lined-up, x 2 Hopkins, Wright, Ouma and Spinks' would the fighter/fans then say 'man, those fights will be a series of wars!'

Instead we got a series of tactical battles and Taylor is still undefeated. Pavlik has become the new saviour but imagine if Taylor was not around and Pavlik had his chance versus Hopkins, how would his tactics work then? He is very much a middleweight Corrales, fun to watch but don't bet on him in elite match-ups (when he gets one, Miranda was always poor).

The reason his fight with Miranda is talked about is because he got hit a lot and it was dramatic. Taylor, for all his flaws, is not going to stand stock-still whilst a guy as limited as Miranda lands three roundhouse right hands in a row (a clearly done Miranda did this in the fourth or fifth). Pavlik did this and we can all say 'oh, what a solid chin and big heart' if it was Taylor five strands would go up saying 'Taylor gets hit by three rights in a row, I told you he was shite'.

Now, I do not rate Spinks or Ouma but plenty of people do and they say Ouma is rock-hard and Spinks a seasoned spoiler, he came to nick the title on points and then would have spun his tactics using the bad feeling towards Taylor.

Taylor needs a rocket up his bum. If he gets it he will hammer Pavlik.

Put it in perspective, people say Taylor cannot beat Joe, personally I think Taylor will be balanced far more at 168lb and will hit harder, yet if the Taylor fight does not come off Joe is putting his all into fighting two blown-up guys (at 168 or above) who both failed to beat Taylor! I wonder how much stick Taylor will get when that fight (Calzaghe-Wright/Hopkins) is made. If it is.

The difference is, Pavlik took his lumps, but battered his opponent and overcame him. It's a matter of styles, Taylor is becoming very cautious, predictable and one-paced. Perhaps that is due to a clash of styles, but let's face it Ouma is hardly frigging Willie Pep is he?

[jamesmcdonnell]

Ok so I'm a Taylor fan but I genuinely think people are losing all sense of perspective over Taylor.

Calzaghe came out the other day and said Taylor was 'ducking' him in this pot, kettle and black episode:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/boxing/6681625.stm

(Note: Joe posed with that chicken when taunting Johnson for being a 'chicken', I am beginning to think this chicken may yet be his defining fight.)

Calzaghe criticises Taylor for fighting blown-up fighters and that is hypocrisy. Facts are facts and in his career so far Taylor has become the linear Champion at 160lbs, he beat a HOF bound long-reigning Champion to get his title and drew with another HOF guy. Calzaghe is still a title-holder in a fragmented division and he has had ten-years to solve this problem.

Taylor has had stinkers with Hopkins and Spinks, Calzaghe had them with Starie and Ashira. Taylor fought blown-up LM title-holders and Calzaghe blown-up title/reality TV failures.

Today Joe reverts back to calling out Wright or Hopkins despite the fact he is supposed to be only one month away from a 'superfight'. Basically he stood with his promoter after the Manfredo mismatch and both men deceived the ITV audience by saying a huge fight was on the cards for July when we all know everyone meaningful was tied up for this date.

In Taylor's defence he has taken on some wily guys and is undefeated. He gets stick for fading late in the first Hopkins fight. So he comes back in fight II and stands tall for one of the later rounds (the ninth or tenth I think) and this improvement proves pivotal in his winning the second bout yet again he gets slated. People look bad in losing to Hopkins (Eastman and others) so how are you going to look great in beating him? People seem to think Taylor should have come out with his hands by his hips blazing against Hopkins but how wise would that have been?

Then Taylor fights Wright, the fight is exciting as Wright is hit a lot, relatively, and the big let-down is a tepid final round. Wright claims he won but looks like he does not fancy taking on a young and strong middle and prices himself out of a return by declaring himself Champion at 160lb (I like Wright but post-Tito he has become something of a plank). A good fight ruined by the final round and Wright's post-fight crying.

Then Taylor takes on an aggressive southpaw who has one of them 'not going to be KO'd nights' and then Spinks, to be fair to Spinks he uses his talent in the right way but his name as part of a fight couplet makes me want to cry. On Saturday Spinks went beyond negative.

So Taylor has fought a Champion who makes everyone look bad, a big southpaw who is famed for his defence and making people look bad, Ouma who is bat-shit crazy and the negative Spinks then is slated for not having a diverse career trajectory.

If you said to a fighter and his fans 'ok we have some fights lined-up, x 2 Hopkins, Wright, Ouma and Spinks' would the fighter/fans then say 'man, those fights will be a series of wars!'

Instead we got a series of tactical battles and Taylor is still undefeated. Pavlik has become the new saviour but imagine if Taylor was not around and Pavlik had his chance versus Hopkins, how would his tactics work then? He is very much a middleweight Corrales, fun to watch but don't bet on him in elite match-ups (when he gets one, Miranda was always poor).

The reason his fight with Miranda is talked about is because he got hit a lot and it was dramatic. Taylor, for all his flaws, is not going to stand stock-still whilst a guy as limited as Miranda lands three roundhouse right hands in a row (a clearly done Miranda did this in the fourth or fifth). Pavlik did this and we can all say 'oh, what a solid chin and big heart' if it was Taylor five strands would go up saying 'Taylor gets hit by three rights in a row, I told you he was shite'.

Now, I do not rate Spinks or Ouma but plenty of people do and they say Ouma is rock-hard and Spinks a seasoned spoiler, he came to nick the title on points and then would have spun his tactics using the bad feeling towards Taylor.

Taylor needs a rocket up his bum. If he gets it he will hammer Pavlik.

Put it in perspective, people say Taylor cannot beat Joe, personally I think Taylor will be balanced far more at 168lb and will hit harder, yet if the Taylor fight does not come off Joe is putting his all into fighting two blown-up guys (at 168 or above) who both failed to beat Taylor! I wonder how much stick Taylor will get when that fight (Calzaghe-Wright/Hopkins) is made. If it is.

The difference is, Pavlik took his lumps, but battered his opponent and overcame him. It's a matter of styles, Taylor is becoming very cautious, predictable and one-paced. Perhaps that is due to a clash of styles, but let's face it Ouma is hardly frigging Willie Pep is he?

Great fighter IMPOSE their style on their opponents, you can make all the excuses for Taylor you want, but he is not really dominating anyone he fights since he moved up to championship level. It was excusable not to dominate Hopkins and Wright, but Ouma is a level below, and Spinks is not a genuine middleweight contender.

[Autobarn]

I too think it will be over for Taylor. This boy has been supported by the establishment. Ppl with too much money believing he has the right 'face.' Networks getting behind mr 'US Olympian.' Senior/senile judges giving him the benefit of the doubt.

Goodwill only lasts so long. IMO the next close fight against an acceptable replacement and Taylor loses. We've seen Oscar, Toney and the like get one close nod after another and suddenly stop getting the nods.

Another scenario is Taylor getting knocked out. Imagine Julian Jackson, Trinidad, McClellan, Benn vs Taylor. In mythical matchups methinks Jermain cops a few beatings!

Though some supporters (not having a pop at Terry), might say Taylor UD12, SD12, MD12, SD12, D12!

US boxing has lost the plot in the middle classes (excepting Pavlik). Remember when ALL was building toward Taylor v Lacy, Olympian v Olympian, for all the super middle marbles?

[Rocky Balboa]

Let's see where the fight does actually take place, if at all. I think all the talk of 'If they make me an offer, I'll go over to Taylor's back-yard & fight him', is just exactly that. TALK!

I doubt very much the bout will happen in the UK. Calzaghe has hardly fought in USA & when has allegedly allegedly ever been known to give up home advatange without a dog-fight of a struggle?

Calzaghe reckons he'd go to USA FOR $6M. Correct me if I'm wrong, but hasn't Taylor been offered only $4M so far, for the fight in the UK?

Up the offer to $6M. I'm sure the fight will be a step closer if that was offered to JT.

[Mukel]

the original offer was $4 million, and a second offere was made of $6million, and then Taylor stated he wanted $10 million.

Didnt Calzaghe go to Germany to fight Veit for a career high payday
at the time of £1.8 million? Why wouldnt he go to the states for double that?

[pundit]

The answer is:

Mikkel Kessler.

[Chambers2]

I could spend most of the morning picking out all the contradictions in the BBC article titled 'Taylor Running Scared - Calzaghe' (the 1st paragraph reads - "Joe Calzaghe has warned Jermain Taylor he will only win the respect he craves if he faces a "genuine challenge"" FIGHT MIKKEL KESSLER FFS).

"Please fight me Jermaine, pretty please. Else I might have to face a 'Genuine challenge' and fight a genuine World class 12 stoner"