By Jim Amato
If the proposed match between the king of the middleweights Bernard Hopkins and undefeated Jermaine Taylor does come off,who will win ? I'm sure the odds will favor Bernard but there will probably be a good share of Taylor money out there. What the odds may reflect comes down to the age old question. Is the aging champion taking on one fight too many ?
Bernard is in fine physical condition. In fact he is a marvel at his age. Although he was not impressive in his recent win over Howard Eastman, he got the job done. Jermaine Taylor is the best prospect out there but is he ready for Bernard ?
I am surprised that Bernard has not fought a return match with Felix Trinidad. It is a mega-buck match against a boxer he has already defeated and would likely beat again. The aura of Trinidad's power would still generate a lot of fan interest. I'm assuming that Bernard's train of thought is, if he beats Taylor and Trinidad gets by Winky Wright fan interest in Hopkins-Trinidad II will be even higher.
Jermaine Taylor has the youth and ability to throw a monkey wrench into a possible Hopkins-Tito rematch. On many occasions throughout the history of boxing a once great boxer becomes old overnight. It has happened to the best of them. Taylor may be less of a threat to Bernard then Father Time itself. I was hoping that the management of Taylor would steer clear of Bernard for another year or so. I'm sure that Jermaine feels he would not be a true champion unless he beat a still very much respected Hopkins.
If the fight does take place in the near future I would have to pick Hopkins. He has not shown any evidence of slowing down. If he is able to fight at the level he was at for Eastman, I believe he carries too much boxing knowledge for Jermaine to overcome.
