There was a time when Jermain Taylor (28-2-1, 17 KOs) was on top of Mt. Boxing. His 78-inch jab was marveled at for its punishing accuracy and effective pop. From turning pro in 2001 to defeating Bernard Hopkins in back-to-back dates four years later, Taylor was the primary focus in the middleweight division.

And then everything changed.

It was on the night of May 19 that Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor fought Corey Spinks to retain his WBC and WBO titles. But something seemed off as Taylor cruised by the scheduled 12 rounds with what can best be described as a lack of hunger. This was a match that the once undisputed champ needed as a wake up call for the public relations backfire that occurred just five months earlier in a unanimous decision win over Kassim Ouma (caused by the same decline in motivation). But the uneventful victories in both matches were against guys that could be considered undeserving of the payday.

The result was a fan base that questioned whether or not Taylor was the successor to Bernard Hopkins. The final blow came in a damaging TKO defeat followed by a unanimous decision letdown against aspiring champion, Kelly Pavlik. It took seven years in the pros and countless more as an amateur to build up the career that defined Taylor as the next best thing. It took less then a year to destroy it.

Taylor returned to the ring to face Jeff Lacy eight months after the second defeat to Pavlik. The result was another bout that went the distance, but one that was characterized by the use of the effective jab, excellent defense and counter shots that ultimately declared Taylor as the unanimous decision victor. It gave all those watching reason to wonder if the "old" Taylor had vested interest in a serious comeback attempt. 

Preparing to carry over momentum and the planed resurrection of his career at 31, Taylor will meet UK native, Carl Froch (24-0-0, 19 KOs).

Talent wise, Froch is another English product who has built a reputation almost exclusively within the boarders of his country. A recent victory over No. 18 world ranked Jean Pascal helped solidify Froch’s own No. 4 world ranking in the super middleweight division.

As uneventful as his resume may seem from an international perspective, Froch hasn’t fought professionally for six years because he looks good standing around. At 6’1”, he’s a fighter with solid range and above average power. What “The Cobra” lacks is a stiff defense. A low guard leaves Froch susceptible to the big shot. As a result of this weakness it will be of the utmost importance to defend against Taylor’s patented jab.

Advertisement

A question mark hovering over this match is Froch’s limited six-year career in relation to his age. Froch has said that he considers himself a young, 31 and that he’s still yet to reach the pinnacle of his career. However, climbing into the ring versus a fighter that’s almost exactly the same age but has a laundry list of top ranked fighters on his resume could be reason for concern. Not to doubt Froch’s skills in the ring but there has to be a point that quality of opponents translates into a marginal edge in Saturday's exchange favoring Taylor.

Taylor’s best shot at defeating Froch will come in the form of jab, jab, jab. There’s been times when Taylor gets derailed from using his strengths in the ring and that’s when trouble arises. Bad Intentions has a leg up in the defensive department which will translate to counter punches that score big.

Froch must remain composed at all times. His greatest weakness is breaking away from tactics that may otherwise be the difference between a win or loss. Not for nothing but Froch is undefeated with 19 KOs. But let’s be honest, Froch has never faced the talent that he’ll see at Foxwoods Resort Casino in Mashantucket, Connecticut.

We can't leave out the fact that Taylor has outboxed Froch by a difference of 71 rounds in their careers. 

Sportsbetting.com has listed Taylor as a $1.50 favorite versus Froch’s +120 (bet $100 to make $120) price. The round prop is sitting at 10 ½ with the ‘over’ catching -205 (bet $205 to make $100) and the ‘under’ looking to return +165 (bet $100 to make $165). In Taylor’s last eight fights, seven have gone to the cards for a 5-2-1 record.

Nothing related to wagering but this will be first time that Jermain Taylor will be fighting on Showtime. This is a big break away from the Taylor that was a driving force behind HBO's boxing marketing campaign. But as they say, nothing lasts forever. The 12-round bout is scheduled to get underway at 11:00 p.m. EST. Froch’s WBC super middleweight title will be on the line.

Joshua Jacobs can be reached at jacobs@vegasinsider.com.