The Olympic Medalist with the impish smile continues to grow before our eyes, although he always seemed mature beyond his years. Blame the maturity factor on his childhood, perhaps on the real live education he received during his Olympic years, but the truth of the matter is that when all is said and done, Jermain Taylor might just be the best of the 2000 class.

Taylor hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, a state not known as a hot bed of boxing or boxing talent for that matter. He participated in the Olympics that drew the lowest TV ratings for a Summer or Winter Game in over thirty years, and was part of a very competitive team, with talent spread in all weight classes, and Taylor didn't necessarily steal the spotlight.

"This team here, everyone has a chance for a gold medal," said coach Al Mitchell back then. "But it's not only skill and attitude that's important, but a lot depends on the luck of the bracket."

Critics have abounded throughout most of Taylor's pro career, and I would like to explore the reason(s) why. Is it because, as dissenters like to point out, he really "hasn't fought anybody?" Or is it because he is not a Latino fighter?

Let's face it, and don't anyone get offended by this, but Latino fans rule the sport and of course they are going to gravitate to their own, to what is familiar. I think it's fair to say that 2000 Olympians "Rocky" Juarez (winner of the silver medal) and even "Panchito" Bojado, (who competed for Mexico and didn't medal), garner a lot more media attention and fan popularity than Taylor. Are they better than he? You be the judge. In my humble opinion, Jermain Taylor is one of boxing's best kept secrets, and that is not taking anything away from Mr. Juarez and/or Mr. Bojado.

I can attest first hand to his discipline in the gym, and unless something changes drastically, I don't foresee his conditioning ever being a problem. Rest assured that with Pat Burns and Ozell Nelson in his corner Mr. Taylor's form will never be a problem. The Burns/Nelson combo fits Taylor perfectly, they respect each other, know each other's boundaries very well. I haven't had the pleasure of seeing much of Mr. Nelson's work with Jermain, as he mostly works with him in Arkansas, but I certainly have seen what Pat Burns does with the youngster.

With all due respect, and in my humblest of opinions, there isn't a better conditioner in the business than Mr. Burns. He is a tough disciplinarian and a great motivator. I have been around Taylor's camp from beginning to end, and the transition, the transformation that takes place is amazing. Pat Burns knows how Jermain thinks, he is in his head; during training they are ONE, and I can assure you that by the end of camp, Pat will have Jermain sharper than a double edged sword. No short cuts, no over or under training, no weight problems, no fatigue, no dehydration, no ifs ands or buts about it. That's the Burn's way.

Nevertheless, cries of "he hasn't fought anybody" are usually heard whenever an opponent is named for Taylor, much to the chagrin of his efficient and affable manager Mark Vaz. Dominican Republic's Rogelio "Golden Warrior" Martinez, 29 years of age, with a six year career and a 13-4, 5 KOs record, may not be the man to quiet the naysayers.

Rogelio Martinez has campaigned as a junior middleweight, mostly in Philadelphia; hasn't fought in five months and over all doesn't look like a fighter who can conquer Jermain's bad intentions at all. Back to square one... When is Jermain Taylor going to be tested? Well, perhaps a more appropriate question would be how many willing "testers" are out of there?

For those who may not know, managing a fighter like Taylor is no easy task. After numerous phone calls are made to gyms, matchmakers, managers, agents and all in between, proposed opponents quickly respond "NO, but NO thanks!" or "Hell NO!" as the case may be. A cache of others will pretend to be interested only to bow out for a number of rea$on$, i.e., "that's not enough money, isn't it a televised bout"? ... "that's not enough money, didn't you say it was on PPV?"..."I'm not fighting an undefeated Olympian for that kind of money" would probably rate #1 on the list of excuses. In addition to being an undefeated Olympian, Mr. Taylor is currently ranked 5th in the world by the WBC and WBO, 7h by the IBF, and 8th by the WBA.