Taylor REALLY needs to stay busy with a tune-up (or two) before any superfight

[dstew]

At this moment, Jermain clearly does not have the confidence he needs to be a dominant fighter. I think some tune-up fights against lesser comp could go a long way in restoring his swagger.

He was tentative tonight against a sitting duck in Jeff Lacy... sure they are friends, but he wasn't just holding back because of that, he was holding back because he lacked confidence in his skills, his power, and his chin.

Toward the end of the fight, he was even asking his trainer if he was winning the fight... when it was clear to EVERYONE watching that he was dominating Lacy. But he didn't even realize it? That tells me that instead of realizing how well he was fighting, he was way too focused on every little punch Lacy was throwing, probably magnifying them in his head due to a lack of self-confidence.

How can you be dominant if you don't feel dominant?

Technically he boxed very well tonight; clinched too much for my tastes, but a lot of that occurred because he hates fighting on the inside and Lacy kept falling into him.

But as a big JT fan (look at my location for chrissakes), I think he could use more time in the ring against journeymen (like Lacy is becoming) in order to develop his killer instinct before moving up to fight someone like Kessler, or (god forbid) Calzaghe.

That, or take a time machine back to the second round of the first Pavlik fight, where we last saw that killer instinct, and try to catch it in a butterfly net or something.

[Mojita]

At this moment, Jermain clearly does not have the confidence he needs to be a dominant fighter. I think some tune-up fights against lesser comp could go a long way in restoring his swagger.

He was tentative tonight against a sitting duck in Jeff Lacy... sure they are friends, but he wasn't just holding back because of that, he was holding back because he lacked confidence in his skills, his power, and his chin.

Toward the end of the fight, he was even asking his trainer if he was winning the fight... when it was clear to EVERYONE watching that he was dominating Lacy. But he didn't even realize it? That tells me that instead of realizing how well he was fighting, he was way too focused on every little punch Lacy was throwing, probably magnifying them in his head due to a lack of self-confidence.

How can you be dominant if you don't feel dominant?

Technically he boxed very well tonight; clinched too much for my tastes, but a lot of that occurred because he hates fighting on the inside and Lacy kept falling into him.

But as a big JT fan (look at my location for chrissakes), I think he could use more time in the ring against journeymen (like Lacy is becoming) in order to develop his killer instinct before moving up to fight someone like Kessler, or (god forbid) Calzaghe.

That, or take a time machine back to the second round of the first Pavlik fight, where we last saw that killer instinct, and try to catch it in a butterfly net or something.

once he beats Froch for WBC belt, i feel he'll be ready to unify with Kessler.

[-Hyperion-]

good post........and on top of that you can see a difference in the way he fought before and after the knockdown-slip(didnt catch it properly in the stream).......his confidence is still not back completely.....and that incident took even more of it...

[dstew]

good post........and on top of that you can see a difference in the way he fought before and after the knockdown-slip(didnt catch it properly in the stream).......his confidence is still not back completely.....and that incident took even more of it...

I agree... he fought like it was a KD...

I am 90% sure that if Lacy wasn't his good friend, Taylor would've finished him tonight. Probably before the fifth round. Which would've done wonders for his confidence.

But that nagging 10% uncertainty makes me hesitant to see him in a fight with Kessler or even Froch. He will HAVE to KO those guys, if presented with the opportunity, to keep them off of him.

It all comes back to Taylor needing a KO after not having one since Edouard, almost 4 years ago. He NEEDS it.

[The_Italian]

I think taylor's confidence is back...not 100%...but a pretty big amount is back...

you mention the killer instinct he had against pavlik in the second round and he did show that tonight but he did it much differently...he showed urgency when lacy was hurt but he learned from the pavlik experience by not jumping on lacy and selling out on every punch swinging wildly...

when he had lacy hurt he was smart about it...he jumped on him and placed WELL calculated shots instead of planting 25 punches and only having 5 land...he showed a sign of brilliance tonight...

He was really driving his punches...you can clearly hear and see the force beind those punches...like the well placed uppercut between lacy's throat and jaw...or the impressive doubling up on the 1-2 combination...very hard/crisp punches in which lacy's head snapped back...or even the wildly impressive series of body shots at a very rapid speed at that...

taylor was sticking and moving, putting his punches together WONDERLY...not wasting many punches...using his boxing ability...going a good job of locking up with lacy when he got inside on him (taylor isnt much of an inside fighter), he stayed off the ropes very well (another thing thats not his strength).

In my opinon he wasnt knocked down in the fight...i mean BY DEFINITION it was a knockdown because he did go down after being punched but if you look at how it BARELY touched him and was a very wide GLANCING blow there is no doubt in my mind that the punch did NOT cause the knockdown...it was a slip.

however I think it would be a HUGE mistake for taylor to take a calzaghe fight next...it would easily be another loss for him...a 8 rounds to 4 rounds UD win for calzaghe at the least.

he should take one more tune up before facing froch then go for kessler...if he wins those 3 fights then i think a fight with calzaghe would be in order.

just not his next fight...

taylor is showing a lot of promise.

[Clegg]

Taylor seems to be someone who has the talent of an elite boxer, but not the mentality.

I think Taylor might do well to link-up with a Teddy Atlas-type trainer. Someone who will be aggressive and fire him up. Certainly he could do with there who knows how to motivate him and bring out his more aggressive side.

Who would you suggest they put him up against? I think Bika or Andrade would result in a similar showing to what we saw tonight. I personally would suggest Berrio, the former IBF champion. He is a hard puncher, but he throw bombs often enough that I think Taylor could land some nice counters. He also has a dodgy chin, so I think we'd see a KO.

Like most Colombians, he does seem to have very heavy hands, so maybe he wouldn't be the best choice. Yusuf Mack is another possibility. Enough people know who he is that it wouldn't be meaningless, but Taylor is much better than him and would likely win by KO.

[dstew]

There's always the Froch/Pascal winner... probably Froch... I know I said he should take a tune-up before even a Froch fight, but I think if he fights the way he did tonight, Froch would be in desperate need of a lucky punch to steal it.

[Clegg]

The only thing I would wonder with the Froch fight is the location. Froch is a fairly big draw in terms of filling English venues, and a stadium full of hostile fans does tend to have a negative impact on a lot of boxers.

Then again maybe the fight is worth more in America?

[dstew]

The only thing I would wonder with the Froch fight is the location. Froch is a fairly big draw in terms of filling English venues, and a stadium full of hostile fans does tend to have a negative impact on a lot of boxers.

Then again maybe the fight is worth more in America?

After the fight, Taylor said if he were to fight Joe that he didn't know about going to Wales, and half-jokingly said maybe Joe should come back over here... so I doubt there is any way he would travel to the UK for a Froch fight. Regardless of the monetary advantages, if there even are any.

[kenso]

i thought taylor looked good and showed some serious ring smarts. i think he is evolving and getting better as a fighter, he shouldnt want any of calzaghe... but anyone else is fair game i think.