Sure enough, we finally get a fighter fighting hurt, and look what happens. I, like many boxing fans, have been complaining about the myriad of ways that fights are being cancelled. Injuries have derailed careers, not to mention all of the delays they cause... wasting primes! However, we see why this past Wednesday. The events that took place during Soliman-Taylor for the IBF Middleweight title are not going to help anyone rush to take chances, I am afraid.
Jermain Taylor deserves credit for staying calm and fighting the exact correct fight against an injured fighter. For once, Taylor's patience actually helped him. This is a fighter who was one punch away from early KO wins against Carl Froch and Kelly Pavlik. Think where his career would be now if he had scored those wins. However, he refused to let his hands go, and was ultimately stopped by both men. He was not in danger of this against lighter hitting Soliman, but stole rounds, and usually at the 10-8 mark, by forcing Soliman back on his injured lead leg.
Taylor now has a belt, and Soliman, at age 40, is facing an uphill climb to remain vital. Many fighters, including Taylor, are under the Al Haymon umbrella, which is not one known for taking chances. Danny Garcia is now rumored to be pulling out of his mandatory defense against Viktor Postol (a risky fight), due to injury. You cannot tell me that Soliman's injury did not help Haymon learn a lesson. He is not alone.
Andre Ward lost the better part of 2 years dealing with a shoulder injury (although legal problems have not helped). Tyson Fury has faced delay after delay due to the injuries of his opponents! Not even his most of the time! Unless we are going to bring back fighting 5-6 times a year, fighters cannot afford many cancellations. Soliman had a very good chance of winning that fight, had he not been injured.
He refused to make that excuse, but has always been one of boxing's good guys, so that is expected. Taylor, on the other hand, has likely earned himself another big payday, and another big KO loss, whether it's to GGG, Jacobs, Quillin, or Canelo remains to be seen. However, don't expect it to happen in 2015. If the modern era has taught us anything, it's to cherish any fight that actually comes off.
Chris Strait
www.convictedartist.com
