Boxing

Taylor fight could start, end an era

Young talent vs. seasoned champ in a title bout that could show middleweight division is changing.

By JOHN C. COTEY
Published July 16, 2005

LAS VEGAS - No one doubts Jermain Taylor's status as the future of the middleweight division.

The big question: Is the future now?

Tonight, the 26-year-old Taylor will try to send reigning and unified middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins into an early retirement when they meet at the MGM Grand.

"Jermain Taylor is the future of boxing," his promoter, Lou DiBella, said. "The Hopkins era is about to come to an end."

If Friday's weigh-in is any indication, Taylor (23-0) is ready to fight now. After quietly taking all of Hopkins' prefight barbs, he finally responded when Hopkins (46-2) started jawing during the traditional faceoff.

The two had to be separated, with Taylor showing a new side - that of an angry fighter finally ready to defend himself.

With just 23 fights and five years of experience on his professional boxing resume, Taylor is looking to cap a quick ascension to the top of the division tonight. His skills and strong left jab are some of the best in boxing, but his competition hasn't been, prompting many to ask if he is ready for such a challenge.

"Of course it's a leap," he said. "It's the world championship, but I'm used to stepping up in situations before it's supposed to be my time."

He's done it his entire life.

Despite the perception that Hopkins is the meaner, tougher fighter - he was almost killed twice growing up in Philadelphia and did a five-year stint at the Graterford (Pa.) State Penitentiary for strong-arm robbery - Taylor says his childhood had pitfalls.

His father abandoned him and his three young sisters when he was 5, forcing him to grow up a lot faster than others.

"One day, I came home from school to find that one of my sisters had broken her hip riding a bike," Taylor said. "She had to be in a body cast, and I remember having to lift her into her wheelchair.

"Having to be a man at an early age like that, I look back and I don't know how I did it. At the time, you just had to step up and do it, just like I have to step up right now."

His grandmother, who along with mother Corlis raised him, was killed by her son, who commited suicide a few days later. Taylor also faced ridicule from other children because of a stuttering problem that lingers.

Fists, not words, were always his answer. That led him to an outstanding amateur career and a spot on the 2000 Olympic team, where he earned a bronze medal.

Taylor is now ready to use his past to pave the way to a golden future.

"I've prepared for everything," Taylor said.

He sounds ready. But so did David Reid and Fernando Vargas, two fighters who moved through the ranks fast only to hit a wall by taking on one of boxing's best.

While Reid (who won a title in his 12th fight) and Fernando Vargas (15th fight) captured belts early, they haven't been the same since losses to Felix Trinidad in their 15th and 21st fights, respectively.

The list of others who have failed in their first megafight is a long one. Tommy Hearns had his Sugar Ray Leonard, Leonard had his Roberto Duran, and Hopkins had his Roy Jones.

"He's not in Little Rock anymore," Hopkins warned, referring to Taylor's hometown.

The champion is No. 1 on more pound-for-pound lists than anyone. He is hyper-skilled, has defended his titles 20 straight times, hasn't lost since 1993 and left a trail of ruined fighters.

A hardscrabble and wily veteran with no discernible weaknesses, Hopkins is vastly superior to anyone Taylor has faced. Their only common opponent is William Joppy, who lost lopsided decisions to both.

Hopkins also says this will be his last middleweight fight, and no one in boxing is as consumed with their legacy as he. Taylor will have to beat a fighter willing to die to protect it.

Hopkins agrees that the future is Taylor, but it will have to wait.

Taylor says it arrives tonight.

"My whole life has prepared me for this," he said. "I've wanted this all my life, and I've been waiting on this moment and now, it's my turn. It's time for Bernard to go."

[Last modified July 16, 2005, 00:25:11]