Jermaine Taylor's new coach

[US Tomato Can]

Via fightnews.com

Trainer Ozell Nelson will assume the head trainer duties for former middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, replacing Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward. Nelson was Taylor's amateur coach and was a key camp member throughout Taylor's career. "Manny is a great coach, a Hall of Famer," Nelson told the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette. "I very much respect Emanuel Steward. But I feel like things were going real good in training camp, but when we got to the fight, there was a communication problem. I don't know why there were the breakdowns [during the fights]. Sometimes fighters and trainers just don't click."

My personal opinion? Manny had good advice and Talyor repeatedly failed to follow up. May be after he rematches Kelly Pavlik he can challenge Manny pacquaio with Taylor's tendency to take fights with smaller fighters.

[Soulrise]

Manny is obviously a legendary trainer but for whatever reason he couldn't get through to Jermain like Pat Burns could. Here's a link to a great Thomas Hauser article that was written around the time of the Ouma fight, illustrating the need for Jermain to get back together with Pat Burns (also check out the note about Ozell's training methods in Manny's abscence):

http://secondsout.com/usa/colhauser.cfm?ccs=208&cs=20999

[US Tomato Can]

Hauser's on point with most of that. The problem is in Jermaine and always has been. He could have the hosts of heaven in his corner and it would not matter for the simple reason that Taylor cannot take direction. And Stewards directions have led to championship fighters.

Taylor's also always been a very emotional fighter. He fights hot or cold depending on his emotions. Taylor exploding on Miranada at the presser is evidence of that. He sure hasn't a very think skin for a champion. Hence the dramatization of Taylor fighting to his opponents level. Still there is truth to that as he did fight with serious balls against Pavlik. And yet got backed up by little Spinks.

That said I do understand some of Taylor's motivation for separating from Manny. Manny berates as often as he coaches. He's opinionated and he teaches fighters to fight safe and take minimal damage. Others would critique Taylor's fights prior to Ouma and Spinks as safe and boring while some would call it intelligent tactical fighting. Even in Arkansas the turn-out in basically Taylor's stomping grounds were underwhelming. Perhaps it's that Ouma was so much smaller.

My take on this entire coach change is pretty simple, it won't matter who Taylor's coach is if he still won't take his 2nd's direction.

[Paul T]

2 words: Freddy Roach

[US Tomato Can]

Freddy's good and he's not as much into reinventing fighters as enhancing them. He might be very good actually.

[Paul T]

Freddy's good and he's not as much into reinventing fighters as enhancing them. He might be very good actually.

Taylor might not go for it, but it might be a great way to build on his strengths.

[Soulrise]

Something tells me that Taylor needs more attention from his trainer than he could get from Roach. Interesting idea though.

[US Tomato Can]

Taylor actually needs to give his attention more to his coach than not. But damn if Manny hasn't got your interest after the money you spend on him what will?

[Lord Gaul]

This is a good move because Jermain doesn't listen to Manny so you may as well save your money if your just going to get into the ring and do it your way anyways.

I actually think if he listened to Manny he would have won all of his last four fights handedly with the exception of Pavlik.

[Paul T]

Ha, pair him up with Teddy Atlas! that would not last long.

[Soulrise]

LOL@pairing Jermain up with Atlas. Well whatever he does next I hope he can pull things together. Taylor's a great talent and I hope he can live up to his potential. Hopefully the fight with Pavlik will bring it out of him and we'll see it in the rematch.

[Soulrise]

Sounds like Pat Burns was gonna get his job back til Ozell canceled it:

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3121594&campaign=rsssrch&source=dan_rafael

[US Tomato Can]

Ha, pair him up with Teddy Atlas! that would not last long.

If Teddy can make Michael Moorer into a champ he could do the same with Taylor. Of course Teddy may hit Jermain over the head with a crowbar later but...

Interesting thing is Teddy was offered to take over the duties on Sam Peter's emerging career. Sam wouldn't move to be nearby Teddy and so Teddy refused.