Jermain Taylor: "I finally got somebody that I really don't like."

Even JT describes his last few fights as "huggy" and "kissy": Taylor: Dislike of Froch will fuel knockout By Chris Givens (Contact) MASHANTUCKET, Conn. — The last time Jermain Taylor knocked someone out was Feb. 19, 2005, when in the third round he pummeled Daniel Edouard into a corner until the referee stopped the fight. There was an interested spectator in the crowd that night in Los Angeles - Carl Froch, who was in the room to watch one of his idols, Bernard Hopkins, fight in the main event of that card. Little Rock’s Taylor and Froch, of Nottingham, England, are going to be in the same arena again tonight when they face each other in a 12-round super middleweight fight for Froch’s WBC title. Both believe another knockout is possible, because of the aggressive styles of both fighters, and Froch is openly predicting it. At the least, both fighters and those associated with this fight say, there will be a lot of action. Showtime will televise the event from the MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Casino Resort, with the broadcast beginning at 8 p.m. Central. Two other boxers with Arkansas ties, Little Rock super middleweight Jonathan Nelson (8-0, 4 KOs) and Hot Springs heavyweight Dominick Guinn (30-6, 20 KOs), will fight on the nontelevised undercard. Froch (24-0, 19 KOs), who beat Canadian Jean Pascal in December to win the vacant WBC title, has been very outspoken in his criticism of Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) leading up to tonight’s fight. If that knockout comes, Taylor said, those harsh words will be on his mind as he lands the finishing blows. “I don’t know what he’s trying to do, but I know this - I need this,” Taylor said. “My last few fights have been all sweet, huggy, kissy. I finally got somebody that I really don’t like. He’s just an opponent, an opponent I don’t like. When it comes down to that last punch, that punch that finishes him off, you can throw it when you really don’t like someone.And I will throw it.” Taylor said the last time he faced an opponent toward whom he felt genuine animosity was Hopkins, who Taylor beat twice in 2005. Since then there have been a series of opponents with whom Taylor has either been friends (Cory Spinks, Jeff Lacy) or who didn’t talk trash (Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, Kelly Pavlik). Froch doesn’t fit into either category. “Of course that helps,” Taylor’s trainer, Ozell Nelson, said. “You don’t mind hitting him when he’s about to go down. Jermain will dictate this fight. This fight is up to Jermain.” If the outcome of this fight isup to Taylor, then so is the direction of his career. Froch, who is fighting just his second bout in the United States, is trying to make a name for himself on this side of the Atlantic. And Taylor is trying to rehabilitate his name, a feat many say will be accomplished with the addition of another championship to his resume. “If Jermain can win this fight, he’s back to the top of the mountain,” said Taylor’s promoter, Lou DiBella. “ style of fighting will make for a good fight.And if Jermain can beat him, fighting that style of fight, which will be entertaining, he’s right on top of the mountain again. The good thing is when you’ve been to the top, one fight can get you back there.” Taylor, who turns 31 in August, said he questioned whether he even wanted to attempt the trip back up the mountain. “When I hit the age of 30, I really had to think about whether I still wanted this,” Taylor said. “That Lacy fight, it was about, ‘Do I still have what it takes in boxing?’ Or was it going to be, ‘Well, I had a good run.’ But after Lacy, I feel like I can do whatever I want. “The only reason I didn’t knock Lacy out was I wasn’t sure of myself. Now I’m back winning, and I love the feeling. I found out I can win, and I’ve got it. All I have to do is be in shape and I can beat anybody.” Taylor convincingly beat Lacy on Nov. 15, Taylor’s most recent fight, but didn’t put Lacy down. To do that against Froch, an unorthodox, powerful puncher who is making a significant step up in class, Taylor will have to establish his jab early and be prepared to effectively counterpunch, as Froch will throw a lot of punches. Taylor wants to throw first. Taylor is more naturally athletic and has faster hands, while Froch tends to throw looping, wider punches, but Froch also has proved to be a stubborn opponent with knockout power in his right hand. Whether Froch can stay in there against a tactically more proficient fighter with experience will determine whether Froch retains his championship. Taylor is a slight betting favorite, and boxing journalists covering the fight pick Taylor to win by about a 2-to-1 margin. “I can fight at range. I have long arms, punch hard with both hands, and I’m very good at close quarters,” Froch said. “If people haven’t seen me, they need to get a good look at me. They should ‘YouTube’ me. For me to do the job I know I can do, that’s going to catapult me to superstardom on both sides of the Atlantic.” One thing is clear - no one should question the motivation of either fighter. A victory for Froch would establish him among boxing’s elite. A victory for Taylor gives him the most prestigious belt in the super middleweight division and the rare distinction of being a two-division champion. Knocking out someone who has been slugging Taylor with words for weeks will just be an added bonus, Taylor said. “This is going to be a memorable fight,” Taylor said. “This is a comeback fight. I want those belts back. After the Hopkins fights, I had reached all of my goals. I had nothing to work for, nothing to look forward to. Now I have something to go for. I want those belts. And I get to take them from someone I don’t like. Doesn’t get better than that.”Tonight’s fight card At MGM Grand Theater at Foxwoods Resort, Mashantucket, Conn. This article was published Saturday, April 25, 2009.