Wacko you always do this to me, make me defend a point I don't like defending. I think it got to the point where I agreed with you to much I started going the other way, I don't know.

But Wacko you know as well as anyone that I LOATHED the Wright - Taylor decision and I literally went off that night. I was by no means happy that my favorite fighter wasn't champion. BUT, it was a close fight. As much as I believe Wright won that bout, it was a close fight. There is an argument to be made that Wright won every single one of his close bouts.

With Hopkins the first time there is an argument as a couple of the very early rounds were close and Bernard didn't get going again for 5 rounds. The second fight I feel Jermain won. Then in his third bout, ughh, it was close enough. I by no means feel he won, but he got the draw. And that is reasonable, because a lot of people think Taylor won.

Then he takes 2 fights easy after 3 of the toughest fight any champion had. 2 fights. That's not bad. This time last year he was about to take on the number two pound for pound fighter in all of the land. And it wasn't exactly Whitaker - Chavez. It was a close fight that had a lot of people split. He happened to get the decision, that's reasonable.

He has 3 close decisions against two of the very best in the world. I can't bring it up in me to hold that against him. I can't. On the other hand, he very well could have lost 2 of those fights.

I can't not call him the middleweight champion of the world for 2 reasons.

First being that the only other guy who can lay a single claim to that title possibly being his is fighting at 170 lbs next time out. Let's not get carried away on Pavlik as far as his champion status goes. He knocked out a contender, making him the primary contender. No way is he the champion.

Secondly, he hasn't lost. We may have thought he did, we may have thought him to look lackluster but he hasn't lost. And he hasn't been involved in any blatant robberies. He's gotten the ball to bounce his way in close fights. But he hasn't lost so therefore, he is still champion.