How Is Jermain Taylor Ever Going To Win a SMW Title?

[MJ406]

the sad thing is Lacy will probably still be top 10 even with a loss to Taylor.

[kayjay]

I believe Taylor will make a fight with Kessler. Taylor hasn't hesitated to take a challenge before.

Technically he has ducked Kessler, but coming off two losses I think he had a gfood excuse to go after Lacy instead.

[SHB]

i understand the dilemma. but thats what happens when you move up to a weaker divison. he will become a mandatory of theirs sooner or later and have to fight these paper belt holders. i just hope he fights best bum possible

Weaker division? Pavlik apart, I doubt anyone else at MW would make the top #5 SMW's.

[Pugilistic™]

Taylor did duck Froch and to be honest i don't know why, he would of beat him. One thing about Taylor is he does fight the best, look at his reign at middleweight and there's proof. He is just now taking an easy fight in Lacy so he can then later on fight the champs at 168.

[dstew]

Taylor's current rankings at 168, after only having one fight (a loss to Pavlik) in the division:

WBC: #2 (will be the #1 contender to Froch/Pascal winner)
WBO: #2 (Inkin the current champ)
IBF: #9 (Bute the current champ)
WBA: unranked (to be fair, the WBA's 168 rankings are a who's who of "who!?")

The WBC fight is his if he wants it, but if the new titleholder takes a defense before Taylor, I'd like to see Taylor stay busy with a fight against Miranda, Green, or even the Manfredo/Bika winner. He needs the ring experience, especially with true 168 lbers (it could be argued that a few of those guys are more natural 160 lbers, but it's still better than the Jr Middles and Welters he's fought in the past).

I think Inkin will milk his new WBO title for as long as he can by fighting nobodies. I can't see them making a deal with Taylor, and likewise if Taylor's team wouldn't fight Froch because he was unknown to American tv audiences, that goes ten fold for Inkin.

Despite being unranked by the WBA, if Taylor wanted a fight with Kessler, I'm sure he could get it. There is more money in it than any other fight in the division, and Kessler has said he wants bigger challenges, especially ones in the U.S.

[BattlingNelson]

Taylor did duck Froch and to be honest i don't know why, he would of beat him. One thing about Taylor is he does fight the best, look at his reign at middleweight and there's proof. He is just now taking an easy fight in Lacy so he can then later on fight the champs at 168.

I tell you why: M O N E Y!

Much more dough in fighting a known (albeit shot) yank than an unknown (potentially) dangerous euro.

And think about it. After Taylor wins he will be re-established in yankee-land and be in a position to choose whichever titleholder he want. The would all want to fight him because he would have the key to HBO.

So he will choose the fight with the best risk/reward ratio of Froch, Bute or Kessler (presuming they all win their next assignments of course).

[egreezy]

Weaker division? Pavlik apart, I doubt anyone else at MW would make the top #5 SMW's.

was joking going along with thread, but mw is top heavy and smw is more balanced 1-10. miranda and abraham would be and we'll see after sturm/sylvester how good they are.

[The Slickster]

Mikkel Kessler and Lucian Bute are pretty solid tests and could bring trouble to Taylor

I like both of these fighters BUT Taylor is in another league from these guys to be quite honest.

[Flawless 2]

Taylor does need a Tune – Up fight, after coming of those brutal losses to Pavlik he needs to regain confidence than he start cleaning the division

[dstew]

I like both of these fighters BUT Taylor is in another league from these guys to be quite honest.

Until he proves it in the ring I don't think you can say he's "in another league." Would he beat them? Bute, probably, Kessler, maybe. But being in another league implies that he would dominate them, and nothing he's shown us has indicated he can dominate other good fighters.