By T.K. Stewart
Former world's middleweight champion Jermain 'Bad Intentions' Taylor is well into his training in Miami, Florida for his 168-pound return to the ring against Jeff 'Left Hook' Lacy that will take place on November 15th in Nashville, Tennessee.
The nine-month lay-off since he lost to Kelly Pavlik for the second time has apparently done Taylor good. So good, in fact, that he is contemplating a return to the 160-pound division.
Taylor is training in the hot and humid weather of south Florida and as a result he claims that the weight is melting off him quite easily. As of yesterday, Taylor said he was currently weighing "around 170" for the upcoming fight against Lacy.
With Pavlik's recent upset loss to Bernard Hopkins, a man that Taylor beat twice, it has gotten in his mind that a return to the middleweight division could be in the cards.
'"It's possible that I could go back to 160," said Taylor, now 30 years old. "I wouldn't rule it out. If I can handle it and get down in weight without problems - why not?"
Taylor, 27-2-1 (17KOs) made four defenses of the middleweight championship before meeting up with Pavlik and losing his titles when he was knocked out in the seventh round. In their rematch this past February, Taylor lost a unanimous decision.
However, what is clear, is that should Taylor prove victorious against Lacy, his future will be wide open and he will again become a major player from middleweight to light heavyweight. Taylor, who sounds hungry again, has a frame that could effectively carry 175 pounds and there are attractive match-ups in all of those weight divisions for him. But he is not thinking too far past Jeff Lacy.
"Everything is on the line for me with this fight and this is a total team effort with everyone involved in my camp," said Taylor who is being trained by Ozell Nelson.
"I just want to win," he continued. "I'd be real happy with a knockout, but what's important is that I dictate the fight and come away with the win. I'm going to fight my fight."
Taylor is the heavy betting favorite to beat Lacy and if he does in fact manage that feat he will likely have a pick of future high profile opponents.
A third fight with Pavlik is a possibility as is a second fight against Winky Wright, as are fights against middleweight belt-holders Arthur Abraham and Felix Sturm. At 168 there are titlists Mikkel Kessler and Lucian Bute and at 175 there is Chad Dawson, Joe Calzaghe, Roy Jones, Jr. or a third fight with Bernard Hopkins.
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