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Maybe Jermain Taylor is not moving up in weight after all?
Jermain Taylor with local Arkansas fan and former US. President Bill Clinton - pic Neil Abramson
By Paul Upham: A couple of weeks ago undisputed middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor indicated in an interview he was on the way up in weight and this weekend would be his last fight in the division. But maybe that wasn't so correct after all. The 28 year-old now says he's not going anywhere.
"Exactly, I can stay of course, as long as I want," he said. "I'm having no problem with the weight."
Taylor's trainer Emanuel Steward feels that the 2000 USA Olympian can be one of the great middleweights of boxing history.
"If he remains at a 160 for another year," he explained, "that's sort of the way he is looking now, that he could be considered one of the best middleweights ever with a tremendous amount of natural talent that he has and I'm just excited about his next fight."
This Saturday night Taylor faces 28 year-old aggressive southpaw Kassim Ouma 25-2-1 (15) in a world title fight homecoming at the Alltel Arena in Little Rock, Arkansas.
"Kassim Ouma, he is a great fighter," said Taylor. "I'm not looking down this man. I'm taking it very serious because I know he comes to win, but I want to do my thing. I'm going there and I'm trying to every time I'm getting ready for a fight, so I know that every time I'm in the ring, I'm giving all again."
Taylor 25-0-1 (17) rejected any suggestions that he is having trouble making the 160lbs limit. He is just looking to make big fights and will move up if it presents itself, or stay where he is right now.
"I have no problem," he said. "It's about whatever you know where the big fight is. I am going to fight the best. So whichever weight I have the best opponent, that's where I want to be in. I only want to fight the best."
Steward, who has trained countless world champions over the last four decades, said that his former star Thomas "Hitman" Hearns was very impressed with Taylor.
"Tommy said to me that in terms of an athletic ability, he has never seen a fighter before with more athletic ability than Jermain," he said.
While he may have upset middleweight great Bernard Hopkins in July 2005 to win the undisputed world title, repel the 'Executioner' in a rematch in December 2005 and then draw with pound for pound contender Winky Wright on June 17 this year, Taylor is still looking for bigger fights.
"I just think I have so much to prove," he said. "I think I have so much to prove, not only for me, my fans, to people who are not still willing to be my fan and I think I still have a long way to go."
Paul Upham
Contributing Editor
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