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

[Skunk]

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.

Good post. The reality of Jermain Taylor's career is that his best performances remain a pair of scrappy, though in my view deserved victories over a Bernard Hopkins, a great fighter but one who looked like he was getting a bit too old to mix it with twenty-something middleweights. He's never beaten an elite fighter in his prime and in fact the only time he fought one he lost, twice. There is no basis whatsoever for believing that he is in a 'different league' than any of these guys. His wins over Hopkins suggest that theoretically he should be better than the likes of Bute, Froch and Inkin, and would have at least a chance of beating Kessler, but he really needs to go on and prove this now by actually doing so.

[The Slickster]

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.

I really like Bute he is a good boxer but power wise he is lacking.
Kessler has good power but not the best boxer in the world.
I see Jermain having MORE POWER and BETTER BOXING SKILLS than either of these two.
I think Jermain Taylor vs Arthur Abraham would be a killer fight though.

[Dirk Diggler UK]

I really like Bute he is a good boxer but power wise he is lacking.
Kessler has good power but not the best boxer in the world.
I see Jermain having MORE POWER and BETTER BOXING SKILLS than either of these two.I think Jermain Taylor vs Arthur Abraham would be a killer fight though.

The same Jermain Taylor who couldnt get rid of a couple of Welterweights and was outboxed by Pavlik?

[dstew]

I really like Bute he is a good boxer but power wise he is lacking.
Kessler has good power but not the best boxer in the world.
I see Jermain having MORE POWER and BETTER BOXING SKILLS than either of these two.
I think Jermain Taylor vs Arthur Abraham would be a killer fight though.

I can't attest to Bute's power, but I think it says something that he KO'd Joppy, who went 12 rounds with Taylor. Taylor dominated him but couldn't finish him. That may be a different story at 168 with an older Joppy, but still... I don't think it's fair to question Bute's power when talking about Taylor.

As for Kessler, I think you're underrating him as a boxer. He's arguably more technically skilled than Taylor. And he's strong. This is the kind of fighter that is a bad matchup for Taylor. However, with the speed advantage, Taylor's got a chance, just as he did against Pavlik. I think this fight goes to the man who shows better conditioning and more determination (which is why Taylor lost to Pavlik).

[Dirk Diggler UK]

I can't attest to Bute's power, but I think it says something that he KO'd Joppy, who went 12 rounds with Taylor. Taylor dominated him but couldn't finish him. That may be a different story at 168 with an older Joppy, but still... I don't think it's fair to question Bute's power when talking about Taylor.

As for Kessler, I think you're underrating him as a boxer. He's arguably more technically skilled than Taylor. And he's strong. This is the kind of fighter that is a bad matchup for Taylor. However, with the speed advantage, Taylor's got a chance, just as he did against Pavlik. I think this fight goes to the man who shows better conditioning and more determination (which is why Taylor lost to Pavlik).

I would actually say Kessler is the better boxer and Bute is probably a bigger puncher.

Dude doesnt know what he's on about clearly

[Pullcounter]

Very shortly all 4 'big four' alphabelts in the SMW division are going to be in the hands of Brit/Euro/Russia/Canada bums. We all know that these guys don't bring anything like enough to the table for a real boxer like Jermain Taylor to bother fighting them. After all, who have they beat and what have they done?

So since he won't be fighting these guys, who is Jermain Taylor going to fight in the SMW division, and how is he going to get a title? A Jeff Lacy trilogy perhaps? Maybe if Paul Williams can get a win over Left Hook too they could fight for the Ring belt? They would easily be the #1 and #2 in the division after that.

It's a puzzle, it really is.

I think Taylor isn't looking to get any belts... just make fights that make financial sense.