Calling a Spade a Spade 10.23.09: Paved With Good 'Intentions'

Posted by Ryan Bates on 10.23.2009

Remembering the career of Jermain Taylor... and hoping it doesn't continue.

Dearly beloved, fans, friends, and press: Today we gather with sorrow in our heavy hearts. However, let us remember that though we gather for a death, we also come together in a celebration of life -- the life of a career that would show us courage, determination, and would eventually lead to an unified middleweight champion.

And though legally we cannot pronounce this career "dead," in our hearts and minds, we ultimately know where this is headed. This is why we gather today. To celebrate the life that was, and mourn the death of this fabulous career. For now, despite one's intentions, be they good intentions or "Bad Intentions," we must call a spade a spade...

JERMAIN TAYLOR'S CAREER IS DEAD.



JT (I call him JT, we're close like that... okay, we're not that close, but we Twitter) was the hot new thing at middleweight, ending nearly 75% of his first 23 fights by knockout. His fight against William Joppy, although Joppy was fairly well seasoned at this point in time, was supposed to be the true coming-out party for Taylor and his introduction into the elite status.

But Taylor was never really introduced to the elite; he was thrust into it, going from Daniel Edouard (16-0-2) to unified middleweight champion Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins (46-2-1).

If that's an introduction, it's somewhat along the lines of, "Hi, I'm Ryan, nice to meet you. Will you have my love child?"

As July 2005 approached, the big questions didn't revolve around Hopkins. It really was about who believed the buzz about the hot new middleweight from Arkansas. Some thought he was going to replace Hopkins, who some saw as starting to fade. Some thought he was too fresh for Hopkins, not ready for the veteran's wily tricks and techniques. And some still didn't know who the hell he was.

And yet, he still squeaked out a split decision, winning by a round on two of three judges' cards. Taylor took a pounding and somehow walked away with the belts around his waist.



And believe it or not, that may have been the downturn of his career -- or at least the start of it. Because while he walked away with the belts, he left everyone wanting more. Unfortunately, that didn't mean more fights. It meant more from his performance. At 24-0, everyone thought, "He squeaked by that time; next time he'll really shine."

Hopkins exercised his rematch clause, and more people supported Taylor this time around, figuring that he would have cleaned up his fight plan and win the rematch more decisively. But again, he squeaked out a close fight, this time winning by one round on all three cards. And people thought, "Well, next time he'll look great."

But the next time was against ultra-defensive Ronald "Winky" Wright, and the two men fought to a close and controversial draw. The new unified champion, in his last three fights, had 2 wins and a draw. But for decisive wins, he was 0 for 3.

Surely the words began to haunt him -- that he was lucky, that he didn't win the first fight with Hopkins, or the second fight, or the fight with Winky, that he didn't belong in the elite of the division. Surely the seed of doubt had started to germinate. But his supporters also said that after two with B-Hop and one with Wink, the next one will surely be easier.



But it never got easier, as Taylor's next two opponents were the duo of akward and akward-er, Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks. The win against Ouma certainly didn't win any awards, and again in the Spinks fight many thought he lost, instead of retaining the belts in a split decision.

To JT's credit, he fought a rogue's gallery of opponents in that stretch. Bernard Hopkins is age-defying, and he later made Kelly Pavlik look like a novice amateur. "Winky" Wright in his heyday had an impenetrable defense. Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks are both so awkward that it's almost impossible to look good against them, as Zab Judah and Ricardo Mayorga could tell you. Saying Taylor hasn't fought good opposition would be unfair to the champion.

And yet, everyone waited for that bout, that victory that they could point to and say, "See? That's it. That's why he's champion. That's why Taylor's our man."

That was supposed to be the fight against the new new thing at middleweight, the "Ghost" from Youngstown, Kelly Pavlik. The public saw Pavlik and fell in love with his story: a hometown blue-collar kid, living in the Rust Belt, with the same part-time trainer he had started his amateur career with. Although he had a lovable story, and smashed up a monster in Edison Miranda, many thought JT was finally going to show the world how he made it happen, overcoming Pavlik's powerful 1-2 and exposing what at the time was a one-dimensional style.

And he did that. He pummeled Kelly Pavlik, putting him down on the canvas in the second round. Taylor had done it. He had shown the world that he deserves to be champion, that he had what it takes to win big fights.

That euphoria lasted approximately five rounds.

Kelly Pavlik had dug deep inside, down to the depths of his intestinal fortitude, and pulled himself up off the canvas. He turned the fights around, and in the seventh round, literally beat him in a corner until Steve Smoger had no other option but to stop the fight and award Pavlik the TKO victory.



Terminal prognosis made on one Jermain "Bad Intentions" Taylor on September 29, 2007, sometime around round three or four.

Diagnosis: A brain cancer. Not a physical one, a mental one. One that said, "You're not good enough." Because as hard as he tried, as much as he tried to improve his fight plan, he lost the rematch to Kelly Pavlik in February of 2008 by a wide unanimous decision.

He showed signed of an improved condition in November of last year, and we thought we may have Jermain Taylor a little longer, but mainly we were just going through the first stage of grief: denial. For although he had won a unanimous decision in Tennessee, it was against a broken Jeff Lacy (terminal prognosis made March 4, 2006 against Joe Calzaghe). This is like claiming victory over the St. Louis Rams. Congratulations, anyone with half a talent in the sport can do what you did.

We had high hopes for JT against Froch, and were mostly pleased. But Taylor's conditioning started to wear on him. And his doubts started to surface. In round twelve, Jermain Taylor had to do what Kelly Pavlik had to do. He had to dig deep, sink down into the lowest depths of his intestinal fortitude, and come up with something to survive and claim victory.

Jermain Taylor dug down, and came up with nothing. He was knocked out in the twelfth round.

Now, as the Super Six got started, many thought Taylor could be the dark horse in the tournament. The sleeper hit. Abraham was a tough draw, probably the toughest opponent to draw in round one. But Taylor had the most to prove. He had to prove to the world that he belonged in the Super Six World Boxing Classic super middleweight tournament. At the very least, we figured he wouldn't fall apart in the twelfth round again.

Jermain Taylor dug down, and came up with nothing. He was knocked out in the twelfth round.



Taylor's wins were dubious, and his losses were heart-wrenching. The last knockout sent him to the hospital with a concussion and short-term memory loss.

To conclude this eulogy, I address my closing comments to Jermain. I feel as if he's still with us, still getting ready for his next fight against Andre Ward. I feel as if he can hear me. JT, wherever you are... you have a family. You have kids. And you've lost four of your five last fights. JT, for the sake of your family, hang up the gloves. Retire, pull out of the tournament, let someone take your place. You don't want to be punch drunk. You want to appreciate your family's points in life. You can be a trainer maybe. Or a promoter -- the South needs good more good boxing events! (Well, except Houston, they're grounded.)

Please, Jermain. May God have mercy on you, but God also helps those who help themselves.