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In a fascinating trade fight, world middleweight number one Jermain Taylor defends his WBC and WBO titles against former welterweight and light middleweight champion Cory Spinks tonight at the Fed-ex Forum, Memphis.
Spinks, the challenger from St Louis,Missouri has only three defeats in 39 bouts. His first world title fight was at welterweight in April 2002 when he was pitched in against Italian Michele Piccirillo in a bout for the IBF crown vacated by Vernon Forrest. Spinks lost a disputed verdict that night in Italy but gained his revenge 11 months later back in the lions den to claim the IBF crown.
Next up was a rare unification bout against Nicaraguan wildman Ricardo Mayorga in December 2003. Mayorga at that time was hot property and also a hot pick to defeat Spinks, who many felt was biting off more than he could chew. However, Cory upset the applecart to win a majority decision to become the first undisputed 147 pound champion in over 15 years.
Spinks was on a roll and the big fights kept on coming. A successful title defence followed in April 2004 against former light welterweight champion Zab Judah but Spinks suffered a set back 10 months later, losing in nine rounds in the rematch in front of a 22,000 strong hometown St Louis crowd.
The 154 pound weight class beckoned. Such was Spinks reputation as being a blue chip player in boxing that his next bout was again for a world title. Highly rated Russian Roman Karmazin was his foe and Spinks gained a title at a second weight in July 2006, winning a majority decision. One successful defence later and Spinks is on the move again.
In Jermain Taylor, Spinks meets a true middleweight who has never switched weight classes in his professional career. That professional career peaked in July 2005 when in a chess match, he toppled long reigning middleweight king Bernard Hopkins over 12 rounds.
After defeating Hopkins in the rematch ,Taylor would face another master boxer and in June 2006 only just escaped with his crown. In a battle with fellow jabber Ronald “Winky” Wright, Taylor almost lost his crown but managed to escape with a drawn verdict that many people disagreed with. After a successful hometown defence in his last bout against Kassim Ouma, Taylor once again meets a man stepping up in weight.
So what happens on the 19th of May? Again, as with most of Taylor’s recent battles, I can’t see this being anything other than a tactical affair.
Spinks will once again be the underdog and with just reason. Taylor is undefeated and has been a 160 pounder all his career. Spinks has lost three and actually started his career as a light welterweight.
This could be a fight where the styles clash. Spinks, to succeed, will need to use speed and movement. Also, the southpaw style should serve him well. Southpaws, as we know, are never easy to face.
It’s easy to make comparisons with Taylor’s fight with Winky Wright in analysing this one. One could point to Taylor’s difficulty in handling a man coming up from light middle, but I don’t think you can compare anyone to Ronald Winky Wright.
I think Spinks will certainly have his moments, but I’ve a feeling that the fast jab of Taylor will be the difference maker on the way to a close but unanimous decision win.
