The super middleweight division gets some mainstream publicity this weekend as Jermain Taylor moves up in weight in an attempt to capture a world title in a second weight class. Carl Froch will defend his title against Taylor this Saturday on Showtime in a fight that really could go either way.
Carl Froch vs. Jermain Taylor (WBC Super Middleweight Title)
Money Line: Froch +120; Taylor -150
Carl Froch is an undefeated British fighter who captured the WBC Super Middleweight title after Joe Calzaghe retired. Froch defeated Jean Pascal to obtain the vacant title in a 12-round slugfest. Froch comes into the fight with an undefeated record and a pension for knocking out his opponents. That is something Froch will find very difficult against the durable Jermain Taylor.
Taylor is looking to regain his championship form that saw him defeat the likes of Bernard Hopkins twice and Winky Wright, all as a middleweight. Taylor was beaten handily by Kelly Pavlik in 2007 and has since left the middleweight ranks. A win over Jeff Lacy last year put Taylor in line for this title shot. Taylor is a superior talent as a boxer yet still hasn’t seemed to entirely reach his potential.
Fight Predictions
Corey: This is a really tough call because even though I consider Taylor to be the superior fighter, he doesn’t do well with guys that don’t let up. Froch is the much hungrier fighter and won’t be backing down at all. He’s also the natural and career super middleweight, so Taylor has no advantage there as he’s enjoyed over most of his opponents throughout his career. Still, it’s hard to go against the real talent here. Taylor will edge enough rounds with better boxing and keep his jab in Froch’s face all night. Froch makes him war often, but Taylor manages to hold his own there and pulls out a gritty one, 115-113.
Trent: I might be in the minority here, but I think Jermain Taylor is overrated. I remember watching him beat Bernard Hopkins even though Taylor didn’t have his “A” game. I remember Taylor beating Winky Wright all because Wright didn’t fight the last round. He’s beaten top level fighters without having to execute a perfect gameplan. He outworked Jeff Lacy and jabbed his way to a victory over Left Hook, but I’ve never been all that impressed with Lacy either. Taylor is an excellent fighter, and Carl Froch is certainly no Kelly Pavlik, but Froch will fight. Taylor has yet to put together that brilliant performance he has shown glimpses of, so I see plenty of opportunities for Froch to steal this fight from Taylor. It may be difficult for Froch to get the decision in the United States but I’m going to say that Froch wins in a fight that shouldn’t be as close as the scorecards will indicate.
Fight odds from Bodog.com
