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By Jay Hughes, The Associated Press
LITTLE ROCK — Jermain Taylor and William Joppy traded barbs Tuesday while in training to trade blows Dec. 4 in a middleweight bout that will determine which fighter moves up to the next level.
Taylor, 26, is looking for credibility so he can get fights against top-tier opponents. Joppy, a three-time world champion, wants to use Taylor as a springboard to get back to that level after taking a year off to deal with personal problems.
The fight, dubbed "Season's Beatings" by promoters, will be held in Taylor's home town of Little Rock and televised on HBO's "Boxing After Tark."
Joppy, 34, is 34-3-1 with 25 knockouts. His last fight was a loss to Bernard Hopkins, who is now the undisputed middleweight champion, but he predicted a convincing beginning to his comeback.
"I'm starting with Jermain Taylor, in his hometown, and it's going to be an explosion," Joppy said in a teleconference arranged by promoters. "I will be the last man standing. It's not going 12 rounds."
Taylor is 21-0 with 16 KOs and holds the WBC Continental Americas belt. A 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, he knocked out former world champion Raul Marquez in Los Angeles on June 19 and is ranked third in the world by three major boxing organizations.
Taylor acknowledged that this will likely be his toughest fight to date, but said Joppy has made a mistake launching his comeback against him. He said he's never trained as hard and is in "tip-top shape."
"It's time for a step up. He's the next step in my career," Taylor said. "I feel like I have to win this fight, and I have to shine. If I win this fight, then I'm ready."
The bout will be held at Barton Coliseum at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, which will seat about 8,000. Promoters said their initial pick was the larger Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, but there was a conflict with an ESPN broadcast of a University of Arkansas basketball game there earlier in the day.
Taylor's managers said if Taylor wins, it will probably be his last bout in his home town for a while because he will graduate to opponents like Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Hopkins.
Joppy said his experience gives him the edge and, as he has before, criticized Taylor for fighting no-names and "blown-up welterweights" until now. He scoffed at the idea of getting back in the game with an easier opponent before taking on Taylor.
"I don't go through my career fighting guys like Jermain Taylor's been fighting," he said.
Replied Taylor: "It doesn't make a difference what this guy's said. I'm going to do what I do, and that's win."
Joppy said the year off allowed him to get his personal life in order, including dealing with the death of a daughter and successfully fighting two felony charges. He said those issues hampered him during his bout with Hopkins and he wants a rematch if he beats Taylor.
"Everybody remembers your last outing. This game is rough," he said.
LITTLE ROCK — Jermain Taylor and William Joppy traded barbs Tuesday while in training to trade blows Dec. 4 in a middleweight bout that will determine which fighter moves up to the next level.
Taylor, 26, is looking for credibility so he can get fights against top-tier opponents. Joppy, a three-time world champion, wants to use Taylor as a springboard to get back to that level after taking a year off to deal with personal problems.
The fight, dubbed "Season's Beatings" by promoters, will be held in Taylor's home town of Little Rock and televised on HBO's "Boxing After Tark."
Joppy, 34, is 34-3-1 with 25 knockouts. His last fight was a loss to Bernard Hopkins, who is now the undisputed middleweight champion, but he predicted a convincing beginning to his comeback.
"I'm starting with Jermain Taylor, in his hometown, and it's going to be an explosion," Joppy said in a teleconference arranged by promoters. "I will be the last man standing. It's not going 12 rounds."
Taylor is 21-0 with 16 KOs and holds the WBC Continental Americas belt. A 2000 Olympic bronze medalist, he knocked out former world champion Raul Marquez in Los Angeles on June 19 and is ranked third in the world by three major boxing organizations.
Taylor acknowledged that this will likely be his toughest fight to date, but said Joppy has made a mistake launching his comeback against him. He said he's never trained as hard and is in "tip-top shape."
"It's time for a step up. He's the next step in my career," Taylor said. "I feel like I have to win this fight, and I have to shine. If I win this fight, then I'm ready."
The bout will be held at Barton Coliseum at the Arkansas State Fairgrounds, which will seat about 8,000. Promoters said their initial pick was the larger Alltel Arena in North Little Rock, but there was a conflict with an ESPN broadcast of a University of Arkansas basketball game there earlier in the day.
Taylor's managers said if Taylor wins, it will probably be his last bout in his home town for a while because he will graduate to opponents like Oscar De La Hoya, Felix Trinidad and Hopkins.
Joppy said his experience gives him the edge and, as he has before, criticized Taylor for fighting no-names and "blown-up welterweights" until now. He scoffed at the idea of getting back in the game with an easier opponent before taking on Taylor.
"I don't go through my career fighting guys like Jermain Taylor's been fighting," he said.
Replied Taylor: "It doesn't make a difference what this guy's said. I'm going to do what I do, and that's win."
Joppy said the year off allowed him to get his personal life in order, including dealing with the death of a daughter and successfully fighting two felony charges. He said those issues hampered him during his bout with Hopkins and he wants a rematch if he beats Taylor.
"Everybody remembers your last outing. This game is rough," he said.
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