Tweet
For several years, against underachieving but steadily improving competition, Jermain Taylor began to stake his claim as not only a future opponent for Bernard Hopkins, but the type of opponent Hopkins so desperately needed to cap off his glorious career. For far too long, Hopkins feasted on a steady diet of desultory mandatory defenses of his beloved title belts. Then came his night of perfection against fan and betting favorite Felix Trinidad, at a raucous Madison Square Garden in 2001. After brilliantly dismantling "Tito", Hopkins soared near the top of the pound for pound list and unified the middleweight division. And then, despite all that momentum, he nearly blew it all by returning to title defenses against marginal opposition. All the while Taylor kept improving his skills and boosting his confidence level. It was inevitable that both men would turn their focus on the other and a potential super fight would be born.
[details]
[details]