Jermain Taylor ponders return to middleweight

[littlerock]

Jermain's problem has nothing to do with weight. He's a nervous guy. When he's in that ring he expends WAY too much nervous energy. I'm sure Steward had him as physically ready as he could possibly be, but you can see it in the tightness of his body how nervous he is. If he learned to relax in there his stamina problems would evaporate. You'd see Taylor as a racehorse in there, easily completing 12 rounds. But the guy can't get past something that made him tire out in the first fight with Hopkins and the first one with Pavlik and he had a much harder time with both guys than he should have.

Excellent point, and one that I think is overlooked a lot.

He's constantly fidgeting from the waist up, almost like there is low voltage electricity going through his arms, shoulders, and neck. He touches his forehead with his glove every few seconds - maybe a nervous tick, maybe wiping sweat - whatever it is, it expends energy.

[ClubberLang]

Unless Taylor can get a third fight with Pavlik--which at this point makes little sense for Pavlik--then the bigger money fights are going to be at 168 and 175. If he beats Lacy, I'd love to see him fight Kessler.

[ClubberLang]

Jermain's problem has nothing to do with weight. He's a nervous guy. When he's in that ring he expends WAY too much nervous energy. I'm sure Steward had him as physically ready as he could possibly be, but you can see it in the tightness of his body how nervous he is. If he learned to relax in there his stamina problems would evaporate. You'd see Taylor as a racehorse in there, easily completing 12 rounds. But the guy can't get past something that made him tire out in the first fight with Hopkins and the first one with Pavlik and he had a much harder time with both guys than he should have.

Excellent point, and one that I think is overlooked a lot.

He's constantly fidgeting from the waist up, almost like there is low voltage electricity going through his arms, shoulders, and neck. He touches his forehead with his glove every few seconds - maybe a nervous tick, maybe wiping sweat - whatever it is, it expends energy.

It's the nervous energy, plus he tends to load up on all his punches. He needs to learn when to take something off a punch so he isn't wasting his ammo for the stretch run.

[AdamGB]

The fact that he is thinking about this... let alone having his camp release statements about this is bad...

Most people have wrote Lacy off but what the hell... give him at least some credit... I really don't think that Taylor can afford to have his head up in the clouds and overlook lacy at all.

[Myk_Myk]

Most people have wrote Lacy off but what the hell... give him at least some credit... I really don't think that Taylor can afford to have his head up in the clouds and overlook lacy at all.

I agree. I haven't seen Lacy look good at all after the Calzaghe fight (even if he has won, and seems I remember thinking Tsypko beat him), and I had pretty much written him off. But with Taylor talking like that, Lacy's chances look much better.