Is Jermain Taylor retiring ?

It is too soon. He is not yet proven. He will not go down as a great if he does indeed retire this early. In all honesty, who cares about "Proving Yourself" in the boxing ring: Boxing is a business, it is about making money, and trying to get as much money without taking to much damage. This is why I like the Jewish fighters of the past: they would fight, knowing it was about earning money, getting enough money so that they could retire early, go back to college and get an education so they can live out their lives in a different life-stlye, a life-stlye where you don't have to take shots to the head. There was a great program on this on ESPN called "Duke It Out", where they did a documentary on the Immigrants like the "Irish", "Italians", "Jews", and "Blacks." Take for example the boxer's name I have taken as a screen name: he was a power-punching brawler type, but learned that it was smarter to "box", to hit and not to be hit, and you could still think straight after you retire. http://www.cyberboxingzone.com/boxing/attell.htm "Early in his career, Abe thought that "the easy way was to knock 'em out." In fact, he had done just that to his first 24 of 28 opponents. However, watching the way James J. Corbett and George Dixon "slipped, blocked, ducked and side-stepped punches," Abe learned that "a fellow could be a prize fighter and not get hurt, provided he was smart enough" (Hawthorne, 1970). Developing a Fancy Dan style based on these two greats, Abe never forgot this lesson. It was still fresh in his mind in 1957 when he told a reporter that the fighters of the day were "right-hand- crazy amateurs" who tried only to "bomb the other guy out quick" (San Francisco Chronicle, 1970)."

..... wtf is wrong with boxers these days? scared to lose that zero? Him and Floyd will never be an all time great... yeah it looks like they will die if they lose one fight... all the Boxing Legends and great lost fights ... Ali is considered the greatest and he lost 5 fights(although 3 war when he was old)... Larry Holmes lost fights.... looks like now everyone is scared....that's why you barely see p4p fighters fight each other and so on...

He's probably just saying that too gain some more fans or sell more tickets or whatever... Like Asian Sensation said...it's all a sham. Just a bunch of shoptalk.

i doubt it.... i mean he beat hopkins and was the only person to do so for like 12 years... he fought winky .. ended as a draw but ately nobody has even put a show against winky(lol tito) after the beating he will give Ouma he will get more fans .. and i think he will keep on fighting until he gets on a loosing streak

..... wtf is wrong with boxers these days? scared to lose that zero? Him and Floyd will never be an all time great...

this from the article: "Jermane Taylor: Oumma is my last fight at middleweight" Taylor said it's been getting hard to get down to middleweight limit of 160, and his next bout in 2007 will be at the super middleweight of 168. Taylor said that he plans to retire at 30-years-old, and he turns 30 in August of 2008. Thirty? That sounds alot like what De La Hoya said and it turned out to be hogwash. That's like me stating "I will quit masturbating in 2008". You know that will not occur.

It is too soon. He is not yet proven. He will not go down as a great if he does indeed retire this early.

2008 would mean 3-4 more fights prolly, not including the Ouma fight i think its rediculous to retire at this stage, basically his prime. By age 30, the age he says hes gonna retire, hes still gonna be a GREAT fighter, and probably a more exciting and complete fighter then he is now. hes just starting to get fan interest... it just doesnt add up. Some GREAT fights at supermiddle and maybe even light-heavy await him. im looking VERY forward to what the rest of his career turns out to be. This could be a legend in the making, but he needs more then 4 fights to accomplish that...

this from the article: "Jermane Taylor: Oumma is my last fight at middleweight" Taylor said it's been getting hard to get down to middleweight limit of 160, and his next bout in 2007 will be at the super middleweight of 168. Taylor said that he plans to retire at 30-years-old, and he turns 30 in August of 2008.

I dont think any fighter looks forward to retirement and predicts it years ahead.

That is the rumor... I don't think anyone has quotes of Taylor himself saying it.