Inside the Hopkins/Taylor camps!
By Karl Freitag
BERNARD HOPKINS TRAINING CAMP
SOUTH FLORIDA BOXING GYM, MIAMI
JERMAIN TAYLOR TRAINING CAMP
SHOWTIME GYM, MIAMI
Source
Undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins and undefeated rising star Jermain Taylor opened their camps to the media on Tuesday. Although the fight, billed as "NeXt in Line" will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, both fighters are preparing at gyms just miles apart in Miami.
Fightnews first visited the training camp of Jermain Taylor (23-0, 17 KOs), who looks to be in tremendous shape. The 26-year-old Olympic bronze medallist, who is trained by Coach Pat Burns, looked fast and powerful as he unleashed a barrage of punches while hitting the mitts (which had the face of Bernard Hopkins attached, inspiring Jermain to punch a little bit harder. Note the picture below/right).
Taylor, as always, was very polite and was respectful in his comments toward the long time champion.
"I'm very excited," Taylor said of his first world title shot. "It's along time coming. Actually I think it's past due. I've been looking forward to this fight for a long time. I've finally got my chance and I'm going to take it."
When asked is he plans to stop Hopkins, Taylor told Fightnews, " I just think it's going to be a great fight. He is a true champ. I have to give respect where it is due and he deserves it, but I'm going to take care of business."
* * *
"The EXecutioner's" training camp is exactly 12.4 miles northeast of Taylor's prefight headquarters.
Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 KOs), who recently turned 40, is a fitness phenom who still looks like he's in his twenties. He will be making his record 21st defense of the middleweight title, when he faces Taylor.
The talkative Hopkins was very blunt in his assessment of the fight. "I'm predicting that it would be best for him to get knocked out," said Hopkins who brought up the possibility of career-ending damage if Taylor's corner allows Jermain to take a twelve round beating.
"I would not have any mercy," Hopkins promised. "The referee is in there to do a job and I'm not asking for nothing. I'm in the fight business. The fight business is not about 'Are you okay?' while the fight's going on. 'Are you all right?.....let me help you up'..... did I hit you too hard? Oh, I'm sorry I hit you in the ribs.'
"This is a fight game and in a fight game from what I was taught, blame Bowie [trainer Bowie Fisher], blame the trainers before Bowie. You cannot have emotions about another fighter when you're in combat. That's just part of the game.
"It might make you like an animal or think like an animal or have no feelings. I can't have the best of both worlds and want to be the guy with the soft heart in the sport that you have to be tough. You have to be mentally and physically ready. You have to think about yourself. This is a sport that you have to be physically and mentally selfish about what's happening to you and not what's happening to the next guy.
"So it's up to Pat Burns, up to his corner, whether they want to see Jermain Taylor have another opportunity when I'm gone, which won't be far around the corner, to come back and redeem himself. Hey, and think about it, he's in a win-win situation.
"When he loses to Bernard Hopkins, makes $1.8 million, he got beat by Bernard Hopkins. Twenty other people can say 'Hey Jermain don't feel bad. I got beat, too.'
"So he's in a win-win situation when it comes to that, unless his corner is too brave for his own good, because fighters don't quit, fighters won't stop. He might look at the corner and tell them. That's a sign. A fighter grabbing in the eighth round, ninth round and he's looking at the corner like 'can't you help me?' That's a tell tale sign that the man wants to get out. It's up to them to get him out."
* * *
So the stage is set. It's experience vs youth. It's the unbeaten Olympic hero vs the reformed ex-con who after losing his first pro fight battled his way to the undisputed championship. It's 'Bad Intentions' vs 'the EXecutioner.' And it's the latest installment in a terrific year of terrific fights.
BERNARD HOPKINS TRAINING CAMP
SOUTH FLORIDA BOXING GYM, MIAMI
JERMAIN TAYLOR TRAINING CAMP
SHOWTIME GYM, MIAMI
Source
Undisputed middleweight champion Bernard Hopkins and undefeated rising star Jermain Taylor opened their camps to the media on Tuesday. Although the fight, billed as "NeXt in Line" will take place at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, both fighters are preparing at gyms just miles apart in Miami.
Fightnews first visited the training camp of Jermain Taylor (23-0, 17 KOs), who looks to be in tremendous shape. The 26-year-old Olympic bronze medallist, who is trained by Coach Pat Burns, looked fast and powerful as he unleashed a barrage of punches while hitting the mitts (which had the face of Bernard Hopkins attached, inspiring Jermain to punch a little bit harder. Note the picture below/right).
Taylor, as always, was very polite and was respectful in his comments toward the long time champion.
"I'm very excited," Taylor said of his first world title shot. "It's along time coming. Actually I think it's past due. I've been looking forward to this fight for a long time. I've finally got my chance and I'm going to take it."
When asked is he plans to stop Hopkins, Taylor told Fightnews, " I just think it's going to be a great fight. He is a true champ. I have to give respect where it is due and he deserves it, but I'm going to take care of business."
* * *
"The EXecutioner's" training camp is exactly 12.4 miles northeast of Taylor's prefight headquarters.
Hopkins (46-2-1, 32 KOs), who recently turned 40, is a fitness phenom who still looks like he's in his twenties. He will be making his record 21st defense of the middleweight title, when he faces Taylor.
The talkative Hopkins was very blunt in his assessment of the fight. "I'm predicting that it would be best for him to get knocked out," said Hopkins who brought up the possibility of career-ending damage if Taylor's corner allows Jermain to take a twelve round beating.
"I would not have any mercy," Hopkins promised. "The referee is in there to do a job and I'm not asking for nothing. I'm in the fight business. The fight business is not about 'Are you okay?' while the fight's going on. 'Are you all right?.....let me help you up'..... did I hit you too hard? Oh, I'm sorry I hit you in the ribs.'
"This is a fight game and in a fight game from what I was taught, blame Bowie [trainer Bowie Fisher], blame the trainers before Bowie. You cannot have emotions about another fighter when you're in combat. That's just part of the game.
"It might make you like an animal or think like an animal or have no feelings. I can't have the best of both worlds and want to be the guy with the soft heart in the sport that you have to be tough. You have to be mentally and physically ready. You have to think about yourself. This is a sport that you have to be physically and mentally selfish about what's happening to you and not what's happening to the next guy.
"So it's up to Pat Burns, up to his corner, whether they want to see Jermain Taylor have another opportunity when I'm gone, which won't be far around the corner, to come back and redeem himself. Hey, and think about it, he's in a win-win situation.
"When he loses to Bernard Hopkins, makes $1.8 million, he got beat by Bernard Hopkins. Twenty other people can say 'Hey Jermain don't feel bad. I got beat, too.'
"So he's in a win-win situation when it comes to that, unless his corner is too brave for his own good, because fighters don't quit, fighters won't stop. He might look at the corner and tell them. That's a sign. A fighter grabbing in the eighth round, ninth round and he's looking at the corner like 'can't you help me?' That's a tell tale sign that the man wants to get out. It's up to them to get him out."
* * *
So the stage is set. It's experience vs youth. It's the unbeaten Olympic hero vs the reformed ex-con who after losing his first pro fight battled his way to the undisputed championship. It's 'Bad Intentions' vs 'the EXecutioner.' And it's the latest installment in a terrific year of terrific fights.
posted by Scott Fish at 3:09 PM
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