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Taylor: Wright fight presser
www.fightnews.com
June 15, 2006
By Scotti Vandevender
The city of Memphis and the FedEx Forum welcomed Jermain Taylor (25-0, 17 KOs) and Ronald "Winky" Wright (50-3, 25 KOs) with open arms today for the press conference preluding their much-anticipated match-up for the Undisputed Middleweight Championship of the World.
After Lou DiBella welcomed the crowd and thanked everyone involved, including Wright's promoter Gary Shaw and Prizefight Boxing's Brian Young, HBO's Kerry Davis boasted that "I think we (HBO) are the only network to marshal the resources to put an event like this on our network for subscribers to see (versus charging as a pay-per-view)." Kerry continued by pointing gout that "both guys are great competitors and champions and are featured in HBO's countdown show airing on Friday at 11pm."
Then the crowd welcomed renowned trainer Emanuel Steward to the podium.
"It took a few phone calls from Ozell Nelson before I accepted the job as trainer. I think Winky Wright is pound-for-pound the best fighter in the world, so it took quite a bit of coercing for me to accept training Jermain for the fight. I saw an intensity in Jermain after his second professional fight that I was impressed with. When Jermain came to train he sparred with Andy Lee, an undefeated fighter. They sparred a couple of rounds and then they began to fight, choking one another and all. I didn't break it up though, just watched. Now Lee is a big supporter of Jermain, he showed he has toughness. If Jermain can get by Winky Wright he can rule his division for the next 5-10 years."
Winky Wright followed in a low-key style akin to another notable fighter who has seen success in Memphis of late – Glenn Johnson. He refused to bash the champion but instead showed respect but also the desire to earn what Taylor possesses – the moniker of Undisputed Middleweight Champ.
"This is a great fight. I show my skills in the ring," Wright proclaimed. Jermain is the champ. I want to be the champ (at Middleweight). I'm glad we finally got this fight. I know I am coming to fight and he's coming to fight, so don't miss it."
Taylor's stock soared after Bernard Hopkins dominated light heavyweight king Antonio Tarver last Saturday night and upon coming to the podium Taylor seemed genuinely touched that Hopkins had verbally passed the torch to him in a show of sportsmanship. Taylor remarked, almost thinking aloud in reference to his watching of the Hopkins-Tarver fight that (during Taylor's two victories against Hopkins) "man, Hopkins didn't do that to me."
"I have been working hard for this fight. Emanuel has brought in left-handers to spar with. I didn't know there were that many left-handers in the world! I'm in the best shape of my life. I fight – that's all I now how to do. I fight with my heart," stated a confident yet respectful JermainTaylor.
Fightnews spoke briefly to Jermain Taylor and his trainer Emanuel Steward following the press conference:
Jermain, what are the comparisons between Hopkins and Wright, as they are both great defensive fighters?
Winky is a great defensive fighter, but he's a cleaner defensive fighter. No head butts and tactics. But, he is also a great fighter.
How do you plan on getting through his defense?
I have to punch through his defense. I have to find holes and just punch through them, lead with my stiff jab.
Emanuel, what exactly did you see that made you decide to take on the role as Taylor's trainer?
There are two things really. I always thought Jermain had a lot of talent, it just hadn't been developed. I also liked his toughness, I saw that early in his career. Jermain is a hard jabber. He is more physical and explosive than Wright, and that's what I wanted to bring out in our training.
You trained the great Tommy Hearns years ago, how do they compare?
Right now I don't think either fighter is as good as Tommy was, but Jermain can be a better fighter than Hearns because he's already become a champion and he hasn't really even developed his skills yet. Tommy Hearns watched Jermain in training camp and said he would be a problem for him, Hagler, Leonard, or anybody for that matter.
Winky Wright also offered up a few words for Fightnews prior to leaving...
"If it ain't broke don't try fixing it. Dan Birmingham has a lot of knowledge and we have been together a long time. They (the Taylor camp) felt they needed extra knowledge and went and got it. That's good for them. But, I am ready to go the distance. I'm not getting knocked out so, unless he goes down, it's gonna go the distance."
Both camps exited and a room previously filled with excitement, energy, and searing camera flashes quickly shifted into a room of quiet anticipation as the proverbial quiet before the storm settled the space.
Both fighters claim they are prepared to come out aggressively from start to end. Taylor has recently had success in making an excellent, future Hall of Fame, defensive-oriented fighter look his age. Can he again defeat one of the world's best defensive fighters? HBO and the FedEx Forum will provide the stage for that question to be answered Saturday night.
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