Former undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor 28-4-1 (17) is pulling out
of the super middleweight super six tournament and taking a break from boxing.
Taylor, who has suffered back to back last round stoppages against Carl Froch and Arthur Abraham, made the following statement on his website, jermaintaylor.com
"I'm going to take some time off from the sport of boxing and take myself out of Showtime Sports World Boxing Classic tournament. It's important that I give my body and mind some much needed rest, because I have been boxing for nearly 20 years. I plan on keeping myself in shape and making a return to the sport sometime in the future."
"This was not an easy decision for me, having discuss it with my family, trainer, friends and my adviser Al Haymon, because I'm a very competitive person-but I know this is the smart road for me to take. I want to thank SHOWTIME Sports for everything and I wish the best for my 5 counterparts who will continue on in the Super Six tournament. Most of all, I want to thank the many fans for their continued support."
After back to back wins over Bernard Hopkins , Taylor seemed destined for greatness. However patchy performances followed against Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks (all smaller men). Then came the knockout loss to Pavlik and several defeats since. Despite his obvious skills and talents it has been said on many occassions that Taylor has no love for boxing and it is without doubt that he fades late in fights.
It will be interesting what Showtime plan to do with the super six tournament from now on. Will a reserve be drafted in or will the tournament become the fabulous five?
By JIMMY LAST (EDITOR)
