What happened to Jermain Taylor?

I really like him for some reason, I find myself rooting for him all the time. He seems like a good guy and he's a hell of a boxer. But I don't know if he has the stamina or if he does have that hunger to hang around that late through the tourney. He has all the tools to beat AA and actually beat him easily in my opinion. But I don't think he can or knows how to use them. Or is willing to sacrifice and train to that next level to make it happen.

I agree. That's the point I was makin homey. Bhop didn't do any physical damage to Taylor at all. He just took a lotta confidence out of him. Even tho it still took him 2 more yrs to lose the MW title, Bhop tainted him in those fights. I dont agree that BHOP "tainted" Jermain in those fights..or took confidence out of him. JT has a pattern and that is looking really good early and slowing down late in fights....he does that when he steps up in competition. Hence is why he looked really good against Jeff Lacy. Im think AA will stop him late.

To me Taylor is a gifted technical boxer, who just doesn't do well under 12 rounds of constant pressure. I don't think he is that far from his best, style wise he just faced some very difficult opponents lately.

Bhops makes people look silly....especially younger less experienced fighters. Botton line JT beat Bhop twice...Kelly couldnt and neither could Tarver. No shame in looking bad against Hopkins...... I agree. That's the point I was makin homey. Bhop didn't do any physical damage to Taylor at all. He just took a lotta confidence out of him. Even tho it still took him 2 more yrs to lose the MW title, Bhop tainted him in those fights.

Taylor is just trying to find his way back home taylor will never beat a top fighter....he will be in the fight but ultimetely he does have the "it" factor. He makes tons of mistakes and is just not boxing smart. Something is missing upstairs and there is nothing he can do. He can hire the best trainers, nutritionists etc....but he will never beat a top fighter. He's DONE and Abraham will retire him. Your mother is an idiot and breast-feed you with motor oil. One thing I want to say about Jermain Taylor, he is NOT a fundamentally sound boxer but more of a athletically gifted boxer who will box your head off for six rounds. Taylor may be the best 6 round fighter I have ever seen and pre-Hopkins his jab was a thing to behold. Taylor level of opposition is second only to Manny Pacquiao, his last 10 fights have been against former or current world champs, his last tune-up fight was Feb 19, 2005....ever since then it been nothing but elite opposition. Here the thing, with the level of comp that Taylor has fought for the last 4 years, he was bound to lose. I'd rather him fight elite comp and lose than fight journeymen and stay undefeated. People question Taylor chin but he has only been down twice, it happens. Taylor is a front-runner and a damn good one, he doesn't know how to pace himself (his stamina could be better) but he is a exceptionally gifted athletic boxer. People act like his losses to Froch & the Hoax were blow outs....Taylor dropped those two mofo EARLY and that what I'm talking about with Taylor.....any fighter that fights him, he is dangerously early. I have Taylor winning the whole super-six, I think that he the best boxer out of all of them. He just need to settle down and pace himself. Jermain Taylor will be the best boxer that Arthur Abraham will have ever faced but Abraham will not be the best boxer that Taylor has faced. I see Taylor winning the 1st six rounds against Arthur easy and the next 6 will be tricky, Taylor chin will hold up, it not like the Hoax And Froch KO Taylor with one punch....Arthur is not going to outwork Taylor...Taylor will Winky Wright Arthur. Taylor is IMO one of the best boxers in the world, does he have a lot to work to fix...sure, can all of his flaw be fix? nope but fixing some flaws is better than not fixing any at all. Taylor has stop keeping his right low, he needs to bring back his pre-Hopkin jab and PACE HIMSELF....boxing is a 12 round affair, not 6. As big a fan I am of Taylor ( and I'm a HUGE fan) if he losses this tourney, it time to rethink boxing...but that what I love about Taylor, he knew this was dangerous and he took it anyway. He deserve to be in the tourney over Allan Greenfeet who has NO ONE on his resume except the one guy who beat him.

Taylor ain't been the juggernaut he was since Bhop. Of course him fightin nothin but A class comp got sumthin to do wot it. But he giot stung mentally by not bein able to really beat Bhop, despite havin gotten both decisions. He got more praise from losin 2 str8 to Pavlik, includin a KO, than he did winnin 2 str8 against Bhop. Bhops makes people look silly....especially younger less experienced fighters. Botton line JT beat Bhop twice...Kelly couldnt and neither could Tarver. No shame in looking bad against Hopkins......

Lol at that notion. B-Hop didn't take his shine away stupid, Pavlik did! Get your history straight! Taylor ain't been the juggernaut he was since Bhop. Of course him fightin nothin but A class comp got sumthin to do wit it. But he got stung mentally by not bein able to really beat Bhop, despite havin gotten both decisions. He got more praise from losin 2 str8 to Pavlik, includin a KO, than he did winnin 2 str8 against Bhop.

btw comparing him to jeff lacy is less than fair. lacy got a easy road to a title and lost badly to every good fighter he ever fought. taylor fought lots of great fighters and even when coming up short gave them one hell of a fight. he earned his title shot too. not to mention he gave lacy the ass whupping of a lifetime. Perfect....

He has only lost 3 fights... It's not the end of the road for Jermain Taylor... Although there is certain things he needs to work on. He has a problem with backing up too much. He was leading on the scorecards before he got KO'ed by Pavlik the first time, and he was KO'ed in the 12th against Froch, again leading on the scorecards for 2 of the 3 judges. But yes, he does back up too much. well yea and sven ottke only lost zero fights. sven please unretire! Wasn't he going to un-retire and fight the former WBO light heavyweight champion (Dariusz something), the dude that Roy Jones supposedly ducked? taylor will never beat a top fighter....he will be in the fight but ultimetely he does have the "it" factor. He makes tons of mistakes and is just not boxing smart. Something is missing upstairs and there is nothing he can do. He can hire the best trainers, nutritionists etc....but he will never beat a top fighter. He's DONE and Abraham will retire him. Sadly, I think Abraham takes this one also.

He has only lost 3 fights... It's not the end of the road for Jermain Taylor... Although there is certain things he needs to work on. He has a problem with backing up too much. well yea and sven ottke only lost zero fights. sven please unretire!

He has only lost 3 fights... It's not the end of the road for Jermain Taylor... Although there is certain things he needs to work on. He has a problem with backing up too much.

B-Hop might have taken it away from Taylor, but B-Hop DEFINITELY took it away from Pavlik. Not that Pavlik was ever that good to begin with, but he'll never be the same again. Just a gatekeeper waiting to happen.

He might be the most talented in the tournament but he needs to just relax in the ring

He achieved all his goals (winning an olympic medal, becoming a champion) and forgot to set new ones after he got on top. Taylor's biggest problem lies between his ears. I don't mean that he's dumb, but that somewhere along the way, probably between the criticism for the Hopkins/Wright/Ouma/Spinks fights, and the over-eager way in which he went after Pavlik the first time, only to fail, self doubt started eating away at him. You can see it when he fights. He's a ball of nervous energy, and never looks relaxed in the ring. On top of it all, he hasn't had a legitimate tune-up in more than 4 years; nothing to build his confidence. Not to mention that he cut his professional teeth on smaller fighters, and arguably never learned how to handle himself when in the ring with a bigger, stronger man until faced with true threats like Pavlik and Froch. His career, while nothing to be ashamed of, is one of the bigger disappointments in boxing recently considering how much potential and natural ability he has (had?). Hopefully he can change fans' minds against Abraham, but I stopped holding my breath after his late unraveling in the Froch fight.

he got skills but he fights scared after 6 rounds and doesnt have the mental edge anymore skill-wise he is exceptional just like judah but its heart/dedication/staminia they seem too lack I was thinking of Judah immediately after I posted this thread. Lots of talent, but starts to gas out in the middle rounds... I definitely believe Hopkins took a lot away from him (made him cautious, more of a keep-him-off-me style rather than gunning for the knockout, as someone mentioned). That Spinks defense should have been easy work instead of the SD. Pavlik broke him, he could not believe that he almost had Pavlik down and Pav still won. After that, Jermain was timid when the stuff hit the fan. Pavlik finished off whatever was left, in my opinion.

Arguably,this SMW tournament is his last chance to shine, otherwise he'll join the likes of Jeff Lacy in terms of relevance in my opinion.. It seemed like he had nowhere to go but up after beating Hopkins twice. But it all went downhill from there. Is it the change of trainers (From Pat Burns to Steward to his amateur coach)? Is it stamina issues, which have always plagued him? Has he lost the hunger? Another HBO hypejob? All of the above? Something else? I personally believe it's partially stamina and changing trainers. It seemed like he was listening to Burns and did not have that same "chemistry" with Steward. Pavlik broke him, he could not believe that he almost had Pavlik down and Pav still won. After that, Jermain was timid when the stuff hit the fan.

what do you mean what happened? his best real wins are over william joppy, raul marquez and jeff lacy. just not that good no matter what hbo tells you. Exactly the point that many of us have tried to get across. He was not really that good to begin with. He was a champion that was force fed to the fans.

what do you mean what happened? his best real wins are over william joppy, raul marquez and jeff lacy. just not that good no matter what hbo tells you.

he lost the love for the sport

he got skills but he fights scared after 6 rounds and doesnt have the mental edge anymore skill-wise he is exceptional just like judah but its heart/dedication/staminia they seem too lack