"A CONVERSATION WITH JERMAIN 'BAD INTENTIONS' TAYLOR" By Aladdin Freeman

Jermain Taylor's alias is "Bad Intentions" because he fights that way. He's coming to hurt you. Taylor understands that to be the reality of the sport of boxing, where one man must win and the other must lose. Out of the ring you couldn't find a nicer, more respectful person than Jermain Taylor. However, after the Olympics Jermain Taylor wasn't at the top of the list when people spoke about the class of 2000; most people were blown away with Ricardo Williams, Francisco Bojado and Jeff Lacy. Fast forward to 2003 and it's Taylor who has all the buzz around his name and for good reason. He's undefeated with a record of 16-0, 12 KO's, but more importantly Taylor has improved with every fight, yet he works just as hard if not harder to get better. Today I had the opportunity to talk with Taylor and found out that he's a very mature young man with a tremendous work ethic. BRC: Describe your childhood, you've been quoted, as saying you didn't have a fun or normal childhood why was that? JT: I'm not going to say that I didn't have a good childhood. I didn't have a normal one because I had to grow up a lot quicker than other kids. I had a lot of responsibilities; I had to take care of my sisters. My mom had to work and my dad had left when I was younger so I... really, after school had to be a big brother and look after them. BRC: How has having to be more mature and responsible at such a young age helped you in life and boxing now? JT: Well actually it's helped out a lot more than most things because I feel like now, I can pretty much handle anything that comes my way, expected or unexpected. I always take care of my responsibilities. If I have something to do I'll do it, if I have to get up and run 5 miles I'll do it, I don't slack off and if I do anything I'm going to do it right the first time out. BRC: That's a great approach to life. I know you watched the Olympics in 1996 on TV, how did sitting back and observing what was going on helped your approach in 2000? JT: I'll tell you, sitting back and watching helped me out a lot. Watching them on TV, I really started to realize how special the Olympics were and I knew that this was something that I really wanted to do, could do, and knew that I wanted to be there. So basically I set my goals right then and there and I achieved them. BRC: What was your overall Olympic experience form the opening ceremonies to winning a medal? JT: It was a wonderful experience; I'll never forget the opening ceremony because it was that special. I think everybody in there had goose bumps. What was so cool was that everyone from the United States walked out together and man, I couldn't believe it! It was just amazing. Representing my country and getting a bronze medal in the Jr. Middleweight division was special although I would have liked to have won the gold! BRC: How did it make you feel to not be as highly touted as some of your peers like Bojado, Williams, Lacy and even Bennett at first? JT: Yeah, you know of course it didn't make me feel good but I'll tell you it did make me a lot better because I worked that much harder. I did know that if I kept training that one day soon it would happen and I'd be mentioned with those guys. BRC: So you used it as motivation to make yourself that much better. JT: Exactly! You see I had to work that much harder in the gym and on the road to improve my game. I feel I'm not as talented as those guys. Bojado has the hand speed and power to be great. Jeff can punch with the best of them, I'm mean one shot and you pack it up and go home. Ricardo can make you foolish when he's on his game. I see what all those guys have and it makes me want to be that talented, so when you don't have the God given ability you go to the gym and work on it 'till it comes naturally. BRC: How do you rate your fellow Olympians now? JT: I still feel like they are a bunch of talented guys. I mean, some may have had a bad break here or there, but I'm still praying for every last one of them and I know from what I've seen up close that they all have the chance to be champions and I wish them all the best. BRC: One more question about someone other than yourself. Lamar Murphy. Your trainer Pat Burns thinks Murphy is the more talented fighter of the two of you, but that you work so hard now that in the long run you're going to be the better fighter. How has working with Lamar made you a better fighter? JT: I can tell you off the top he's very smart, in the ring he's at home and very comfortable. I don't see why he's not a world champion yet. I love working with the guy I'm learning so much from him that it's pitiful. He takes the time to teach me all sorts of little tricks like movements on the inside and I can see that it's working so when he speaks I listen. I see him in the gym and it's amazing how he moves in there, he's so fluid and graceful. BRC: Is he teaching you how to set traps, finish guys by going to the body then coming upstairs, and stepping with the jab to bust people up? JT: Yes, he's teaching me all of that. He's teaching me how to catch the jab off the front shoulder so it won't hurt, he's teaching me everything. When it's all said and done he's going to be a big part of me winning the title. BRC: Well, it sounds like he's got a willing pupil to teach and that's a great thing. You know in a way you're a very lucky and fortunate fighter to have all these good people around you. What was it like to fight in Madison Square Garden in your professional debut? JT: It was amazing. It was a dream come true for me. I do understand some fighters may never get a chance to fight in the Garden for their entire career but I was lucky enough to get to fight there, my first fight out of the box. It's something I'll never forget. BRC: As you shouldn't, the Garden is a historic place where a lot of great Middleweights like yourself fought, most notably one of the greatest fighters to ever walk the earth the late, great, Sugar Ray Robinson. Since that first fight you've moved up in the rankings considerably do you know why or is it something you don't really care about? JT: To be honest I don't really care about the rankings I just worry about my training and dedication. All that ranking stuff, man, hey that's not for me. What I find funny is they'll say if you look good in one fight then you're the toast of the town and if you look sloppy then they'll say, "oh, he wasn't nothing anyway," so I don't get caught up in all that. BRC: You have improved though, I mean in your last fight you knocked down Cervera with a jab. I can't remember seeing that very often. So do take some credit that the people are watching and impressed with your skills. JT: Thank you, Sir. BRC: If you had a path to get to the championship what would it be? JT: Well it would be the Middleweight championship and really it's on whoever steps up. I have a goal in mind to be the middleweight champion of the world and I know what I need to do to get there. See, when I was in the amateurs I was fighting at 156 lbs. and everyone in the world knows that at 156 lbs. there's nothing but great fighters, everyone knows this. So I did very well and beat everybody in the weight class and I mean EVERYBODY IN THE WEIGHT class; then they wanted me to move up but I didn't, I gave everyone a chance and I will do the same when I become the middleweight champion. BRC: Well let's talk about the biggest dog on the middleweight block. How many fights would you like to have before you think you're ready for Bernard Hopkins? Because you don't want to get put in deep water before you're ready to swim, the way Vargas was with Trinidad... JT: Well it's not really how many more fights, it's really how much more I progress in the next couple of fights. Like you said, I want to make sure everything is right when I get in there with him. I'm not going to put a timetable on it, but man, I'll say this... I'm ready to fight. I love this sport. BRC: It's a great sport if you know what you're doing in there; if you don't it can be a painful sport (Laughing). JT: (Laughing) It's a beautiful sport if you know what you're doing. BRC: Watching film on you, you make tremendous adjustments round by round, which is something you don't see in young fighters. I know that's a testament to you and your corner but is it something that you all look for during fights, because you can look completely different round by round. JT: That's cool that you picked that up. I have a lot of sparring partners and they all have different styles. For example what I like to do is spar a round with a guy who's real aggressive, then spar a round with a boxer, then a round with a cutie, and then spar with a guy who can do anything. For me this works because it teaches me to adapt to the style while I'm in there, and not to be just one way in the ring because being predictable is not good in a fight. BRC: You fight this Friday on ESPN2's Friday night fights vs. Freddie Cuevas. What are your thoughts on this fight? JT: I feel like I'm going to go in there, use the jab a lot and then work off of it with the power shots and show everyone that hard work really does pay off. BRC: When it's all said and done how do you want to be remembered as a fighter? JT: I'd like it to be like this... Remember here's a fighter that was never out of shape, he was never not prepared for the guy in front of him, always worked hard, always said 'yes, sir,' 'no, sir,' and was easy to work with. I also want to be remembered as a guy that was always honest and just an all around hard working good guy who loved and respected the sport of boxing. BRC: So what boxers are you trying to mold yourself after? JT: I like Oscar De La Hoya, he's a great business guy. I like Bernard Hopkins he's probably one of the smartest guys in the sport. I like them all but as far as fighting, I want to be above them all when it's all said and done. BRC: Keep working hard and I'm sure you'll get your wishes. Best wishes to you Jermain. JT: Yes Sir, thanks a lot. 08-05-03 Questions? Comments? Write Aladdin Freeman   Brought to you by Saratogamist copyright 2001-2005