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I definitely think Taylor looked better. He boxed behind his jab more than he had since Hopkins I and landed cleaner punches.
Your high impression of Kessler in a lopsided loss to Calzaghe seems to hint toward an overly grandiose opinion of the Welshman.
That is probably accurate over the last several years at least, but while Taylor's performances against smaller opposition are often belittled, the circumstances of those matchups are rarely considered.
To review his title reign...
Hopkins* - Nobody looks good against Hopkins (a Joe C. fan should know this as well as anyone)
Wright* - Nobody looks good against Wright
Ouma - This is where the matchmaking starts getting questionable. But Taylor threw everything but the kitchen sink at Ouma, with quite a bit of it landing, and should've knocked him out. Definite disappointment.
Spinks - Another terrible selection by Taylor's management. It's hard to look good against Spinks, especially when he is running from you half of the night. If you think Kessler would've looked any better chasing a midget around the ring, I question your judgement.
Pavlik - Despite the losses, the best Taylor has looked in a long time because he was in against a fighter his size (first since bHop) who would stand and trade with him.
*future HOFers. Getting decisions or drawing against HOF competition is more than Kessler can say for his career thus far.
Taylor's advancement would've been best served by being matched against true middleweights, even if it meant riskier fights. I think if he was accustomed to fighting guys his size prior to Pavlik I, things might've gone a little differently. Instead his management played it safe, bringing in smaller fighters who ended up being stylistic nightmares, all while trying to preserve his reign without considering his development (both physical and psychological).
Do I think Taylor would've looked better had he been matched against Kessler's competition? Yes, definitely.
Your high impression of Kessler in a lopsided loss to Calzaghe seems to hint toward an overly grandiose opinion of the Welshman.
That is probably accurate over the last several years at least, but while Taylor's performances against smaller opposition are often belittled, the circumstances of those matchups are rarely considered.
To review his title reign...
Hopkins* - Nobody looks good against Hopkins (a Joe C. fan should know this as well as anyone)
Wright* - Nobody looks good against Wright
Ouma - This is where the matchmaking starts getting questionable. But Taylor threw everything but the kitchen sink at Ouma, with quite a bit of it landing, and should've knocked him out. Definite disappointment.
Spinks - Another terrible selection by Taylor's management. It's hard to look good against Spinks, especially when he is running from you half of the night. If you think Kessler would've looked any better chasing a midget around the ring, I question your judgement.
Pavlik - Despite the losses, the best Taylor has looked in a long time because he was in against a fighter his size (first since bHop) who would stand and trade with him.
*future HOFers. Getting decisions or drawing against HOF competition is more than Kessler can say for his career thus far.
Taylor's advancement would've been best served by being matched against true middleweights, even if it meant riskier fights. I think if he was accustomed to fighting guys his size prior to Pavlik I, things might've gone a little differently. Instead his management played it safe, bringing in smaller fighters who ended up being stylistic nightmares, all while trying to preserve his reign without considering his development (both physical and psychological).
Do I think Taylor would've looked better had he been matched against Kessler's competition? Yes, definitely.
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