A Boy Named Sooie

An old adage in boxing says that “styles make fights”:  the truth of this axiom is what makes boxing such a hard sport to predict.  How else can we explain how Jermain Taylor was able to beat Bernard Hopkins twice, then suffer two defeats at the hands of Kelly Pavlik, who then was beaten by Hopkins?

So what are the styles of JT and Jeff Lacy, and how will they mesh?

Jermain Taylor is in the boxer-puncher mold.  He is a superior athlete with excellent hand speed and a textbook jab, honed through years of amateur experience.  If Taylor can keep the fight in the middle of the ring, control distance with his jab, and land enough solid power punches to get Lacy’s respect, he could potentially win every round.  He needs to avoid getting lured into a slugfest, which may be the only kind of fight that Lacy can win.

Jeff Lacy is more one-dimensional than Taylor.  The one thing he does have is power, in both hands, and power can be the great equalizer:  you don’t have to win rounds if you score a knockout.  Lacy is an aggressive fighter who will come forward and try to get inside on Taylor and land power punches.  If much of the fight takes place in the corners or on the ropes, chances are that Lacy is dictating the fight.

The oddsmakers have Taylor as a 5-1 favorite.  One could argue that Jermain needs to not only win this fight, but look impressive as well.  A particularly interesting subplot is whether either fighter will be able to hurt the other at any point in the fight.

I think Jermain wins this fight by decision, claiming perhaps 9-10 of the 12 rounds.  Provided Jermain gets by Lacy, his next fight should be with Sakio Bika, the most recent champion of the Contender reality/boxing TV series, who also happens to be campaigning at 168 lbs. Trust me, it would be a classic.