Saturday night’s Middleweight main event between Cory Spinks (36-3, 11KO’s) and Jermain Taylor (26-0-1, 17KO’s) will pair two of this eras better skilled fighters and coming on the heels of the Dela Hoya/Mayweather Jr. mega fight two weeks ago it should be more than enough to whet the appetites of fight fans around the globe. As if those two names aren’t big enough, in the undercard match, (which is easily a headliner itself), fight fans get to watch a slugfest between Edison Miranda (28-1, 24KO’s) against Kelly Pavlik (30-0, 27KO’s). It’s hard to actually nail down a solid prediction in either fight but there’s no harm in trying so here we go… Jermain Taylor: Taking No Prisoners Jermain Taylor comes into this fight on a road less traveled in boxing today, taking on the best competition in his weight class fight in and fight out. His last four matches have pinned him against the dangerous Kassim Ouma (SD Victory), perhaps one of the best defenders of this era, (Winky Wright – Draw), and easily the best Middleweight of this era and perhaps of all time, Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins (1 Victory/ 1 Draw). Taylor has made it clear from day one that he only intends to fight the best and his recent track record has displayed this as he continues to take on the biggest names in the Middleweight, as well as Jr. Middleweight divisions. Some have recently argued that Taylor should pick opponents who fight north of the Jr. Middleweight division only, but for the second fight in a row he finds himself squaring off against a man who’s talented yet obviously smaller, leaving skeptics with a very critical frame of mind. Regardless, Taylor continues to rack up victories and it’s hard to argue with his success because all the man has done is defeat everyone his management team puts in front of him. Cory Spinks: Jinx Or Be Jinxed? For Cory Spinks, this is a fight most boxing insiders feel he shouldn’t have made but as we saw in Floyd Mayweather Jr.’s masterful victory over a much bigger and supposedly stronger opponent, a good big guy doesn’t always beat a good little guy. Cory Spinks, (like Mayweather Jr.), doesn’t possess the knockout power fight fans often search for but there’s no questioning his defensive skills. After a TKO9 loss to Zab Judah a few years ago many find him to have a rather ‘paper-thin’ chin but it should be noted that that fight was the only time in his career that he tasted the canvas and his resume boasts a hand full of heavy hitters with ‘wildman’ Ricardo Mayorga leading the charge.Granted, Spinks has never faced a fighter as powerful as Jermain Taylor and considering that this will be his first trip to the weight division, conventional wisdom says that it could very well be a short night. Trouble is, Taylor has to catch him and if he can’t, it could be a long night. Emanuel Steward, (Taylors famed trainer), boldly stated that if he can’t knock Spinks out it’ll be tough to win a decision against the slick south paw. Adding proof to his theory, Kassim Ouma showed us that head movement and slick defense can give Taylor fits and his “D” was nowhere near as solid as Spinks’. Fight Prediction All things being equal, I see this fight going to Jermain Taylor. Cory Spinks is too skilled for me to predict him being knocked out so I’ll reserve the ‘when and how’ frame for the gamblers. In the end, I see the bigger guy being probably the better guy and eventually getting the “W” on Saturday night. Spinks will outslick Taylor for the first 2 to 4 rounds but when Taylor finds his range and gets his timing down, I see him finding a way to coast to victory, maybe even an early stoppage. Undercard Prediction: Miranda vs Pavlik In a strange twist of fate, this under card match in the eyes of most should be a the main event. Other than Jermain Taylor being the Middleweight Champion, the other reason this fight was probably designated for the undercard is the fact that there’s a total of 51 knockouts between the two fighters and if either guy finds himself on the receiving end of the wrong shot it could be a quick one. That outcome is possible, yet very improbable as these guys both come in with durable chins and have no problem taking punishment to give some. In the end, I see Miranda doing enough to slow/stop Pavlik late in the fight. Pavlik has shown a great deal of talent but Miranda has been in against better opposition and I think his heart is probably a little more tested and proven. Look for Miranda to take enough of the late rounds to close the deal. *****Keep It Locked For The Recap On Sunday Morning, Covering Stats And Results*****
Taylor On Top Or Spinks Jinxed: Fight Night Previews, Predicitons
Posted by Tim Starks on May 19, 2007 13:18
