It's youth versus experience, it's current champion versus future champion. This fight should be a great barometer for both men. Is Bernard finally in a challenge that may be too much for him? Will he show signs of his age of forty years or will he just be facing a young hungry lion that is ready to take his place on the Middleweight throne? No matter which Bernard shows up, Taylor has a style that could give Hopkins problems, even while Hopkins was in his 20's, and we all know styles makes fights.    

Will Bernard Hopkins show the world the reason why he is the undisputed champion of the Middleweight class and has 20 defenses under his belt?            

Jermain 'Bad Intentions' Taylor is what you would call a very live underdog and it has nothing to do with Bernard Hopkins being forty years old. Taylor is a tall boxer with an excellent jab and with pretty good punching power. He better have some real bad intentions on July 16th. If Taylor can establish his jab against Hopkins on a consistent basis, look for Taylor to emerge as the new Undisputed Middleweight Champion.            

The other side of that coin is this: Has Taylor ever been in with a guy that can be crafty and can get a little dirty at times? A guy who can use some rough tactics, and who has that win by any means necessary attitude? Hopkins is very economical with his attack, he picks his spots, and doesn't waste a lot of energy throwing punches just to keep busy.    

A big factor in this fight will be how Taylor responds when and if Bernard decides to play a little dirty. Will Taylor come right back and do to Hopkins what Hopkins does to him? Or will he try to keep his composure, not be fazed by it and go on fighting? I think that in order for Taylor to get the respect he needs to get a physiological advantage, he shouldn't allow Bernard to bully him. Whatever you do to me, it's coming back to you even harder... If Taylor doesn't send that message at some point during the fight, he too will be executed like the 20 others that came before him. Bernard will win the fight because he would have won the mental battle, and forced Taylor to respect him without the younger man even being conscious of that fact.        

Mind games will play a big part in this fight, but, at the end of the night the man with the best skills and the strongest mindset will emerge victorious. Personally, I think it's a pick' em fight;  there are so many intangibles that can sway the fight one way or another. Either way I think that on July 16th Bernard Hopkins will have a fight on his hands and will have to dig down to a place he hasn't been in a while.