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Taylor, Wright - Two Great Warriors

posted by mightygloves.com on June 18, 2006, in News

The fight could have gone either way, and several of the rounds were very hard to score. With the crowd so lopsided in favor of Taylor, one might wonder if the crowd noise might have been a possible distraction, or the fact that many of the shots that Taylor threw didn�t really connect, but his power moved Wright, which could have been mistaken for a landed punch. When the human element is involved many things can happen. Saying that it was a robbery may be a little strong, but Wright, who felt he clearly won the fight believes that is just what happened. He was so outraged at the decision that he abruptly left the ring and did not attend the post fight press conference.

Taylor, who suffered a ninth round head butt, which caused his left eye to swell shut, was very effective when he was fighting Wright in the middle of the ring, but would continually allow himself to be backed into the corner where Wright pretty much had his way with Taylor by landing, it seemed, almost every jab he threw. Taylor, on the other hand, was much more active in the fight and more effective with his power, even though he made many tactical mistakes. Taylor�s footwork was off balance and his defense was definitely lacking. He rarely kept his left hand up and that was the perfect opportunity for Wright�s viscous right jab.

Taylor, under the world class training of Emanuel Steward, will no doubt be a much more balanced and technically sharp fighter and should remain at or near the top of the middleweight division for quite some time. Taylor, 27, has trained for, and fought in three extremely tough bouts in one year and one day, two with new IBF Light Heavyweight Champion, Bernard Hopkins and this bout against Wright, the #2 pound for pound best fighter in the world. Looking at this accomplishment and being able to perform as well as he did with the number of mistakes he made shows just how good Taylor could be.

Wright, 34 is much more experienced, and has not gotten as much respect he probably deserves. He should be a future hall of famer and he is definitely a world class boxer. His ability in the ring is outstanding and he is a class act, even though the media would have appreciated the chance to get his opinion from him, personally, at the post fight press conference.

A Taylor and Wright rematch would be a great treat for boxing fans. It should be in a venue that is neutral, maybe, Atlantic City, and then, hopefully, the best middleweight in the world can be determined.

Story by Kathleen Holland, Mightygloves.com

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