By Mark Vester
In a recent story by Bernard Fernandez of the San Jose Mercury News, former undisputed champion Bernard Hopkins told the scribe that Jermain Taylor is still not a superstar in the sport of boxing, even after beating him twice and gaining a draw against Winky Wright last week in Memphis.
"But right now I don't think anybody, even in Arkansas , can say Jermain is a superstar based on his last three fights. There are people who will swear he lost all three of those fights. There are some who say he won all three, too, but you're talking about a lot of unanswered questions. Who's right? Who's wrong? It's not Jermain's fault, but that's the million-dollar question."
Hopkins is upset that no heir was crowned to the middleweight throne he left behind, and the fact that no fighter has stepped up to the plate to take the throne by force. The "Executioner" feels that boxing politics were in play when Taylor gained a draw with Winky Wright, but he is not upset that the fight ended in a draw.
"Everybody's telling me Winky deserved to win. I saw the fight. There were a lot of close rounds. I'm not upset that it was a draw. But you knew they were going to give (favorable treatment) to Jermain because he's supposed to be the next big thing. Boxing politics are all on his side. And, to a degree, I can understand that.