The Middleweight Division

The smoke has cleared. As much as many of us don't like it, Bhop, at least officially, has lost to Jermain Taylor twice. As big as a Hopkins fan as i am, it has to be accepted that his reign over the division has ended. The division is now open for grabs. Jermain Taylor, who looked so strong, now has so many *****s in his armour it can hardly be described as such. Bhop has laid out the path - take advantage of the bow and arrow, and you'll smack him flush on the chin. Someone with more power, like Abraham, could do exactly that. Taylor is vulnerable - there are many contenders, and with the experienced Winky Wright itching for a fight, Taylors back in against the wall. Right now, we have several serious contenders. Winky Wright, who defeated Sam Soliman not many hours ago, stands out as the first in line. He has the experience and the defensive wizadry to hold Taylor back, and his jab is equal to, if not better than Taylor's. Arthur Abraham, who earlier defeated Kingsley Ikeke via KO, shows promise. his 17 KOs of 19 fights shows that he packs some power, and he is now the IBF champion, making him the man to fight for unification. He has some technical flaws - he throws wild looping punches that open him up to countering, and he also seems to lack stamina - but it's not as though the other champion is technically perfect. Kingsley Ikeke lost earlier tonight, and will need a few fights to get back into the picture, but his huge height advantage definitely gives him a chance against any middleweight. His jab needs to be thrown more often, and needs to be followed up - but Ikeke shows promise to be a top quality contender, if not champion. Sam Soliman - Even though he lost to Wright, it's not as though that's something to be embarassed about. Wright is one of the best in the business, and not many other people would have given Wright as much trouble as he did. His style makes him TV-perfect, and if he was to work on his defense a little, his sheer punch output could overwhelm many of the top middleweights. He has in all probability gained a huge fanbase, even in a losing attempt, but merely because of his never-tire attitude. If he should capitalize on that, it wouldn't be surprising for him to earn a shot at one of the ABC belts in near future. Sergio Mora, the 'contender' champion, is rumoured to be a possible opponent for Jermain Taylor in his next fight. If this proves to be true, i think we'll see something of a farce. In fact, i only added his name to amuse myself. Who do you guys think will emerge as the unified middleweight champion?