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Jermain Taylor has nothing to lose.
On July 16, the 26-year-old middleweight prospect will step between the ropes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to face Bernard Hopkins, the man recognized as the undisputed 160-lb. champion.
The worst possible outcome is that Hopkins will dismantle Taylor like he has all other challengers for the past decade, and that the Little Rock native will surrender his undefeated record (23-0) in a loss to a future Hall of Fame enshrinee.
At best, though, Taylor could pull off a stunning upset, knocking off the 40-year-old Philadelphian and usurping his throne, capping Taylor’s ascent to prominence that began after he won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
There is no shame in losing, everything to gain from winning, and a nearly sealed deal that no matter the outcome of Saturday’s match, Taylor will be guaranteed an opportunity to carry Hopkins’s torch once the Executioner retires next January upon his forty-first birthday.
Ironically for Hopkins, despite his middleweight belts, twelve year unbeaten streak and string of twenty consecutive successful title defenses being on the line, he, too, has little to lose.
Hopkins has dominated his peers for an extended period of time, but did not earn true public respect until September 2001, when he knocked out Felix Trinidad after twelve rounds of clinical dissection. As his career dwindles towards its end, Hopkins has chosen to go out on a high note, against opposition that brings a challenge to the ring and cash into the coffers. [details]
On July 16, the 26-year-old middleweight prospect will step between the ropes at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas to face Bernard Hopkins, the man recognized as the undisputed 160-lb. champion.
The worst possible outcome is that Hopkins will dismantle Taylor like he has all other challengers for the past decade, and that the Little Rock native will surrender his undefeated record (23-0) in a loss to a future Hall of Fame enshrinee.
At best, though, Taylor could pull off a stunning upset, knocking off the 40-year-old Philadelphian and usurping his throne, capping Taylor’s ascent to prominence that began after he won a bronze medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.
There is no shame in losing, everything to gain from winning, and a nearly sealed deal that no matter the outcome of Saturday’s match, Taylor will be guaranteed an opportunity to carry Hopkins’s torch once the Executioner retires next January upon his forty-first birthday.
Ironically for Hopkins, despite his middleweight belts, twelve year unbeaten streak and string of twenty consecutive successful title defenses being on the line, he, too, has little to lose.
Hopkins has dominated his peers for an extended period of time, but did not earn true public respect until September 2001, when he knocked out Felix Trinidad after twelve rounds of clinical dissection. As his career dwindles towards its end, Hopkins has chosen to go out on a high note, against opposition that brings a challenge to the ring and cash into the coffers. [details]