Jermaine Taylor looks set to Move up to 168

[kayjay]

Bruno and Eubank are very well known to in the UK-even to those who do not follow boxing.

And very much unknown in America, evenb among boxing fans who are not devotees of Juy, as I am.

[Cletus Funk]

I'm no homer. I'll only support a fighter that I think is worthy of it. You won't hear me championing the Frochs and Witters of this world because they're not up to it IMO. I couldn't really care less if a couple of other posters on the other site share your point of view, you're still in the minority and wrong IMO. I've never said he has an ATG resume at this point, I've only ever said it's a lot better than some people try to make out. My support is based on my opinion of his talent and the enjoyment I get from his style of fighting only. I'm no bigger a fan of his than I am of say, Morales.

Every fighter gets caught, especially southpaws with the straight right. You should know that. The isolated incidents that you've quoted show no more of a gaping hole in Calzaghe's game than Baldomir's early successes with the overhand right exposed holes in Mayweather's on Saturday.

Wharton was a fixture in the Ring top 10 SMWs for a number of years and garnered nothing but total respect from the guys who shared a ring with him. Yes, he was technically a bit limited but he was hard as nails and could **** with the best of them. I don't recall anyone ever calling him a world beater, so again your penchant for exaggeration appears to have taken over.

You're missing the point on Eubank v Thompson. Those fights only serve to put Calzaghe's win over Eubank into a bit of perspective. A shot fighter doesn't jump 2 divisions and perform as he did against a pretty good Cruiserweight. Yes, he lacked preparation against Calzaghe but he'd been fighting weight-drained for a number of years so that wasn't as big of a factor as made out.

I've read your fabricated take on the Ottke negotiations before so there's no need to go there. I'll just say that he was a cheating **** who should have lost his title long before he ever dreamed of unifying. It's got nothing to do with objectivity.

The fighters you've listed certainly aren't a step up, they're just more of the same. And are you really trying to say that Brewer was an inferior fighter for losing by a disputed SD in Germany prior to facing JC? Also, please explain how facing Glen Johnson would have been preferable to facing Sheika, a fighter who'd just beaten him. Johnson was in horrible form back then, losing 9 of 15 fights around that time.

I've watched most of Calzaghe's fights live, and had most of them on the pc until the hd went so there's not a lot you can tell me that I don't already know. You've either got a pretty short memory or you have a different criteria for what makes a good fighter.

I'm in agreement with you on today's champions in general but there are still a few guys around with the right attitude. MAB, Pac, EM, Taylor and Winky are carrying the sport at the minute. It would be truly ****ed without them.

You are either deliberately obtuse or a complete homer, I am not the only one holding Calzaghe at a distance right now, he got slaughtered on a popular British forum used by most British fans.

If Joe went to LHW and fought a big name right of the bat I would be very pleased. On the other hand he seems intent on fighting one of the poorer names there. The Woods fight has become moot, Johnson is still considerable and Tarver is an overrated plus average fighter. Maybe he will get Jones. Why not call out Adamek?

I actually went for B-Hops on points. A smaller (slightly quicker) fighter with better technique who counters with right hands and left hooks plus knows how to off-set his opponents balance taking on southpaw Tarver? The Tarver who is an overrated southpaw with one eye on the movies and a woeful work rate who would make Hopkins actually look fast and busy? Are you telling me you went for Tarver in this fight?

Calzaghe is not a beautiful boxer; Napoles is, Locche is, Gomez is, Charles is, Louis is. I assume you missed Veit catching Calzaghe worryingly in fight two? Mitchell dumping him with a right hand? Salem dumping him with a right hand in an ugly fight? Bika catching him with right hands? I will not labour the point (especially given that you do not want to talk about it, the Bika fight, man I thought "I don't want to talk about it" was my birds catchphrase!). Actually I will labour the point and ask if you recall Reid catching him with right hands. Calzaghe boxed well versus Lacy. It was an A performance, not A+, I reserve that for B-Hop finishing Tito off. Lacy was gone and Joe could not put him away. He hurt his hand Geoff (in case you interject)? He threw over a thousand punches/cuffs, if he sat down on some of them Lacy would have been gone before ten rounds and he would have got a win deserving the overblown hype that followed.

Wharton was massively overrated, he was a Lonsdale level fighter with a solid chin.

Names he could have faced in that 1998-on period? Ottke, Ok you do not like that. Brewer (before he got beaten by Ottke), Tate (likewise) or Johnson, the same Johnson he would fight now given the chance.

Eubank-Thompson. Great fights right? I guess they were both in their primes, my, I am rebuffed there.

Except, Frazier and Ali was a great fight featuring two men past their best. Carl is a fighter I love but he is at a certain level and fights wars there because he is easy to hit and can be chinned.

Woodhall was decent for his level but if you are saying those fights make Joe a world-beater you have a small view of the world and a myopic one not shared by others. People got tired of Joe's foes very quickly.

I have watched Joe's entire career, it is not impressive, it is not ATG, it could have been if he had fought harder fights but he had to be pushed into his defining fight by the desire of Lacy, Joe himself admits his father and Warren forced him to fight when Joe wanted to pull out with weeks to go.

Face it mate, the Bika type fight is the norm, the Lacy fight the exception. You cannot dispute that, if you do then I recommend watching some of Joe's fights, watch you do not break your ankle jumping off the bandwagon though!

Ps the bit in bold, I poinited out that Ottke fulfilled criteria for unification, by the time Joe did it Ottke was retired so Joe slipped into his shoes, again. Bear in mind that I cannot stand Ottke from a stylistic viewpoint. It is called objectivity.

At the moment I am re-watching the careers of Hagler, Duran, Hearns and SRR, it casts a pretty poor light on our title-holders. Someone once told me that Joe is thinknig of having a warm-up fight in Feb, the person is a big fan yet pointed out that Joe has had 30+ warm-ups!

[neils7147933]

Why would Taylor want to move up to a fight he is most likely to lose? Does he have a problem making weight? Taylor could probably make as much money in a rematch against Wright. Personally I think this story is nothing but hogwash. If were were Taylor's manager I wouldn't let him go anywhere near Calzaghe.

Do you really think the oddsmakers would make Joe the favorite?