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Taylor gets shot at belt vs. FrochBY CHRIS GIVENS
Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Jermain Taylor is training for another title shot.
Ozell Nelson, Taylor's trainer, confirmed to the Arkansas ********-Gazette late Tuesday night that Taylor, the former middleweight champion from Little Rock, will fight Englishman Carl Froch (24-0, 19 KOs) for the World Boxing Council super middleweight title on either April 18 or April 25. A site has not been determined, although it will definitely be in the United States. The fight will be televised on Showtime.
Froch won the world title vacated by Joe Calzaghe with a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6. Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) earned the title shot with a decisive victory over Jeff Lacy on Nov. 15.
Although Team Taylor discussed several opponents, including Pascal, Allan Green and even Bernard Hopkins, in the end Froch, because of the accessory he carries, was the most attractive option. The fight was made after a lengthy negotiation process.
"It's for the belt," Nelson said. "Jermain can get his belt back, and it will keep him hungry. He had the belt, and he lost it. He's hungry again. Jermain wants to be champion. He said any way possible, make it happen."
Taylor won the middleweight world championship in July 2005 with a victory over Hopkins and held the title until getting knocked out by current middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on Sept. 29, 2007.
The buildup for the Taylor-Froch fight already has a touch of animosity.
Froch posted a note on his official Web site, www. cobraboxing.com, titled "I will smoke Taylor's boots" that included several disparaging remarks. Froch and his promoter, Mick Hennessy, also have made several comments to British newspapers indicating their belief that Taylor was trying to avoid Froch.
"Carl Froch talked all that trash; that makes it even more important to beat him," Nelson said. "We're probably going to need some good security when they first meet."
Posted on Wednesday, February 4, 2009
Jermain Taylor is training for another title shot.
Ozell Nelson, Taylor's trainer, confirmed to the Arkansas ********-Gazette late Tuesday night that Taylor, the former middleweight champion from Little Rock, will fight Englishman Carl Froch (24-0, 19 KOs) for the World Boxing Council super middleweight title on either April 18 or April 25. A site has not been determined, although it will definitely be in the United States. The fight will be televised on Showtime.
Froch won the world title vacated by Joe Calzaghe with a unanimous decision over Jean Pascal on Dec. 6. Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) earned the title shot with a decisive victory over Jeff Lacy on Nov. 15.
Although Team Taylor discussed several opponents, including Pascal, Allan Green and even Bernard Hopkins, in the end Froch, because of the accessory he carries, was the most attractive option. The fight was made after a lengthy negotiation process.
"It's for the belt," Nelson said. "Jermain can get his belt back, and it will keep him hungry. He had the belt, and he lost it. He's hungry again. Jermain wants to be champion. He said any way possible, make it happen."
Taylor won the middleweight world championship in July 2005 with a victory over Hopkins and held the title until getting knocked out by current middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik on Sept. 29, 2007.
The buildup for the Taylor-Froch fight already has a touch of animosity.
Froch posted a note on his official Web site, www. cobraboxing.com, titled "I will smoke Taylor's boots" that included several disparaging remarks. Froch and his promoter, Mick Hennessy, also have made several comments to British newspapers indicating their belief that Taylor was trying to avoid Froch.
"Carl Froch talked all that trash; that makes it even more important to beat him," Nelson said. "We're probably going to need some good security when they first meet."
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