THE BOXING TRUTH: Is Abraham bout...

THE BOXING TRUTH: Is Abraham bout Taylor’s last chance?





In this edition of The Boxing Truth Beau Denison examines the upcoming Super-Middleweight bout between Jermain Taylor and Arthur Abraham. As part of the “Super-Middleweight Super-Six” Tournament.





It was recently announced that Former Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor will face current IBF Middleweight champion Arthur Abraham in a fight at the 168lb. Super-Middleweight division. The bout will take place as part of a tournament concept of sorts put together by Showtime Networks.





In all of the bouts announced for this proposed tournament; it would appear that Jermain Taylor has drawn perhaps the toughest path to emerge as the best of all the boxers participating in what has become known as the “Super-Middleweight Super Six”. The Abraham-Taylor bout has several intriguing storylines.





The question of whether Jermain Taylor is now on the downside of his career is an obvious focal point going into this fight. After all, Taylor is a fighter who has been marred by inconsistency and stamina problems throughout his career. Taylor has also had moments where he has looked spectacular. Will this bout with the undefeated Abraham be one of Taylor’s bright moments?





If you analyze both boxers recent outings you would have to say that the advantage on paper would have to be in Abraham’s favor. Abraham comes into this contest with not only the confidence of being an unbeaten fighter but also ten successful defenses of his IBF Middleweight championship. It can also not be ignored that Abraham’s championship reign has been a dominant one.





It is also a championship reign that one might argue that Abraham may not have had, had Jermain Taylor fought Abraham in 2006 when Abraham was the International Boxing Federation’s (IBF) mandatory challenger. Taylor instead gave up the IBF portion of what was then the totally undisputed World Middleweight championship.





A question can then be asked of what was Taylor’s primary motivation in relinquishing the IBF championship? Was it merely a matter of economic incentives for potentially bigger purses by fighting boxers with more name recognition clout or, did Taylor see the Abraham bout as a high risk low reward scenario?





What ever the case may be both Abraham and Taylor have had differing paths in their careers since Taylor declined a bout with Abraham in 2006. Abraham has built credibility by winning the vacant IBF championship over former top contender Edison Miranda and seemingly unstoppable since.



In contrast Taylor has suffered a couple of set backs in losing his unified Middleweight championship to Kelly Pavlik and then losing the rematch. Although Taylor was able to defeat former IBF Super-Middleweight champion Jeff Lacy in November of last year, Taylor comes into this fight with Abraham having gone 1-3 in his last four bouts.





In his last bout, Jermain Taylor lost in his challenge of undefeated WBC Super-Middleweight champion Carl Froch. A fight that Taylor had won on the scorecards before being stopped by Froch with just seconds remaining in the contest. Based on the type of grueling contest that the Froch bout was, I question the wisdom of those handling Taylor’s career in taking a fight with such top caliber opposition as Abraham right off of a devastating loss. Did Taylor suffer any psychological effects from his loss to Froch?





It brings a scenario into play that is certainly not favorable for Taylor. Jermain Taylor of course is a household name in the sport of Boxing despite the setbacks he has incurred throughout his career. If he should lose this fight to Arthur Abraham however it will likely put his career in serious jeopardy. It also raises questions about Taylor’s inclusion in this tournament concept. Was his inclusion simply based on name recognition more then recent wins and losses?





If those handling Taylor’s career are under the impression that Abraham is perhaps not as solid a fighter as it would appear due to Abraham fighting only once in the Untied States they may be in for a rude awaking. Arthur Abraham is a boxer who is physically strong and can use his strength to impose his will on opponents. This could be a key for Abraham to focus on a strategy that will test Jermain Taylor’s stamina.



In all three of his losses the one constant was that Taylor looked good early but faded in the mid to late rounds. For a fighter like Abraham who is known for gradually breaking his opponents down; the trend of Taylor fading later in the contest plays right into his hands.





Taylor has to also contend with Abraham’s solid defensive skills. Abraham has defensive skills that are similar to former Jr. Middleweight champion Winky Wright’s style in how tight and high he keeps his guard. Winky Wright was able to give Taylor significant trouble with his defensive style in a fight that ended in a controversial draw. A draw that many including this observer feel that Wright deserved the decision.





The big difference between Abraham and Wright is that Abraham is more of a power puncher and tends to catch his opponents off guard with hard accurate counter punches. This was most evident in Abraham’s last fight when he knocked down the game contender Mahir Oral five times over ten one sided rounds before the bout was mercifully stopped. What can Taylor do to avoid a similar fate?





Taylor can at times be an excellent boxer from the outside. He dominated Carl Froch with this approach by staying outside and using his jab to set up his offense mixed with good lateral movement. The mistake that Taylor made in that fight was after he knocked Froch down in round three he seemed to become complacent. This lead to Taylor standing in front of Froch and trading punches and falling into Froch’s type of fight.





Taylor cannot under any circumstances fight the same type of fight here. He has the hand speed and lateral movement that can turn this fight with Abraham in his favor however he must box start to finish. He must not stay flat footed with the power puncher Abraham at any time. He needs to use his jab to set up his offense and mix it with his lateral movement in order to create angles that will make an illusive target for Abraham.





If a scenario of a knockdown in Taylor’s favor comes into the equation he needs to pace himself and not necessarily rely on his instincts to finish Abraham off. As I said this is what eventually led to Taylor’s downfall in the Froch bout. Taylor became a head hunter looking for one punch to finish the fight. This eventually left Taylor fighting fatigue in the mid to late stages of the contest.





If Taylor paces himself and conserves his energy he could have the stamina late in the fight when perhaps the contest is on the line on the scorecards. For Abraham the key for a victory is a bit simpler. If Jermain Taylor the pure boxer shows up Abraham will obviously have to contend with his jab and superior hand speed.





There is one way if you are a slower fighter to negate speed… Timing… Abraham must turn this fight into a cat/mouse scenario and set traps for Taylor to fall into. Taylor has had problems with boxers that put pressure on him. If Abraham is able to time Taylor as he comes in with his jab, Abraham should be able to effectively counter punch and press forward before Taylor can re-establish distance from the outside.





If those opportunities arise for Abraham when he presses forward he should be focused on going to the body. An effective body attack over time will take Taylor’s legs away from him and set up openings to the head that Abraham can take advantage and capitalize on.





You could say that Taylor has more to lose than does Abraham. If Abraham loses but gives a good account of himself it will validate his credibility to the casual boxing fans in the United States. Abraham will also be left with several options in both the 168lb. Super-Middleweight and 160lb. Middleweight divisions. Abraham would likely be best served by moving back down to Middleweight and continuing his championship reign. If Abraham takes that approach it could lead to a much anticipated bout with Unified champion Kelly Pavlik or WBA champion Felix Sturm.



The potential bouts with both those champions benefits Abraham but also will benefit the sport of boxing overall as it will serve the purpose of attempting a total reunification of the Middleweight division.





For Jermain Taylor it could be a do or die scenario. Taylor is still young in boxing years at thirty years of age. The politics of the sport however can be a double edged sword at times. Taylor is benefiting form potential politics of the sport by his inclusion in this tournament concept. The downside to that is if Taylor fails to capitalize on this opportunity it will likely see him fall out of the top level of competition. For some fighters it can be a very long road back to the top level of the sport if at all.





It is unfair somewhat to Taylor that he is in a must win situation. It is unfair because Taylor likely does not have to only win this fight with Abraham to prove he is still among the best fighters in the world. If the entire tournament concept comes to pass he will likely have to be the only fighter left standing. It is often how a fighter deals with setbacks that defines the mark of a true champion.





With the odds truly against this fighter with star quality he could likely be expected to crumble under the pressure. In the sport of Boxing however, it is often like the old saying… Expect the Unexpected…





And That’s The Boxing Truth.