Opinions and Observations: Taylor-Lopez

Josh Taylor certainly had a plan to beat Teofimo Lopez. Using jabs to the head and straight lefts to the body, it was clear that his goal was to break Lopez down and defang him for the later rounds. But Lopez quickly adapted to Taylor's tactics. By the fourth round, Lopez was ducking under the jab on a consistent basis and countering with hard straight rights and left hooks. Lopez also timed Taylor's straight left. Taylor would often cock his left hand back before letting it go and the punch was too deliberate and long. Lopez would sting him with something short before Taylor could connect with it.  

For whatever problems Lopez had in facing George Kambosos and Sandor Martin, fighters who had disciplined game plans and could box on the outside, Taylor's approach played into Lopez's strengths. In the first half of the fight, Taylor always initiated his sequences with the intention of getting closer on the inside. Thus, Lopez didn't have to play a cerebral game of chess. He didn't have to go find Taylor; he just had to react with hard counters.  

As Taylor lost confidence with his initial approach, he tried to let Lopez lead. Now Lopez isn't always naturally a lead fighter, but he had gained so much confidence in the earlier rounds that he enjoyed walking Taylor down. Flashing lead jabs and straight rights, Lopez not only beat Taylor to the punch, but it became clear that he was the one possessing more power.  

Lopez (right) landing a right hand
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Lopez took over the fight for good in the eighth round and put on a masterclass of aggressive boxing in the back end of the bout. Leading and countering, Lopez displayed his considerable skills and hit Taylor with lots of thunder. By the end of the fight, Taylor's spirit had dissipated. In tough fights against Regis Prograis and Jack Catterall, Taylor had been the better fighter in the championship rounds. But on Saturday there was no heroic stand or additional gear. Taylor's fiery intensity was now a distant memory.  

And that's the most disappointing part of Taylor's performance, not that he lost, but after he ran out of ideas, he didn't try to outwill Lopez, like he did against Catterall. On Saturday, there was an acceptance of defeat. 

After the fight, Taylor, who lost by scores of 117-111 and 115-113 x 2 (I had it 116-112), admitted that he was second best on the night. The once proud undisputed champion seemed oddly compliant by the end of the fight; the final defense of his junior welterweight title ended with a whimper. No, he didn't quit and he kept throwing punches, but he was eager to make it to the end of the fight upright and with his faculties intact. 

While Taylor may only be 32, it could be an old 32. He beat three tough fighters on his way to becoming undisputed – Ivan Baranchyk, Regis Prograis and Jose Ramirez. He also had a much tougher developmental slate than many champions of this era, facing Ohara Davies in his 10th, Miguel Vazquez in his 11th and Viktor Postol in his 13th pro bout. 

He looked like a worn down and exhausted fighter in the second half against Lopez. His legs, which once were his prized assets, were plodding and mostly stationary. His fire wasn't there. And once that extinguishes, it's so tough to rekindle. 

Taylor's career seems adrift. He's admitted to blowing up in weight in recent years. He changed trainers twice, going from Shane McGuigan to Ben Davison to Joe McNally. He's talked about moving up to welterweight for years, yet there he was on Saturday at 140. Does he have trusted confidants to help him make key decisions? I don't know what his next step is, but I hope that he finds reliable counsel. Boxing isn't the place for those who have made money and are no longer fully dedicated.

*

The remarkable, strange career of Teofimo Lopez continues. In defeating Vasiliy Lomachenko in 2020 to become the lineal lightweight champion and now beating the top guy at junior welterweight, Lopez, still just 25, has notched two of the more impressive victories among his peer group, which includes Tank Davis, Shakur Stevenson, Devin Haney and Ryan Garcia. In between the Lomachenko and Taylor performances, Lopez laid an egg against George Kambosos, where he appeared overconfident and underprepared in the ring. He authored a flat performance in beating Pedro Campa in his first outing at 140 lbs. and he was lucky to escape with a victory against the tricky Sandor Martin.  

Lopez has limitations against certain fight styles; he's also had a litany of out-of-the-ring issues that have played havoc with his personal life, which we can only assume have contributed to his erratic performance levels in the ring. He's had numerous family problems, including with his dad who trains him. He has admitted to having anxiety, as well as anger management problems. And this is just what we know about. 

Lopez is one of the fascinating figures in the sport. He has already beaten two lineal champions, and in matchups where he was the clear underdog. He had Lomachenko hardly throwing punches for seven rounds and forced Taylor to accept defeat far before the final bell. When Lopez is on, he is a truly elite fighter.  But we've also seen how he can get frustrated in the ring, how he can force things when the fight isn't going his way, that he doesn't always show up at his best. He's not a perfect fighter by any means. But if a fight is in his wheelhouse, if an opponent wants to bring the fight to him, then there are few better.  

Teofimo possesses rare gifts. He isn't intimidated by anyone and doesn't care what an opponent can do. He can hit hard with either hand. He's a terrific short- and mid-range counterpuncher. He has a stubbornness that's a blessing and a curse.  And he can make top fighters do the darndest things. He has shown us something unique in this era: a man who looks at what is supposed to be greatness across the ring, laughs at it, and conquers it. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. 

He's a contributing writer for Ring Magazine, a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Pound-for-Pound Update 12-28-21

After a busy autumn where many of the top fighters in the sport were in action, it's time to update the Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List. This update will hit the highlights for the major moves in the Rankings, as well as point out the fighters who have entered the top-20 and those who have been removed. 

At the top, the most notable change has been Oleksandr Usyk, who jumps to #2 after his win over Anthony Joshua. Usyk, the former undisputed cruiserweight champ, now holds three major belts at heavyweight. Also at heavyweight, Tyson Fury moves up to #8 after his thrilling victory over Deontay Wilder in their third fight. 

Oleksandr Usyk continues to ascend the Rankings
Photo courtesy of Mark Robinson

Josh Taylor ascends to #5 after becoming undisputed junior welterweight champion, defeating fellow titleholder Jose Ramirez by unanimous decision. He also scored two knockdowns in the fight. 

The highest debutant in the Rankings is junior featherweight Stephen Fulton, who has won two belts in 2021, beating undefeated titlists Angelo Leo and Brandon Figueroa. Fulton enters the Rankings at #15. Gervonta Davis also makes his debut on the pound-for-pound list. Davis has demonstrated that he can compete on the world-level in three divisions (130, 135, 140), which is the essence of pound-for-pound. Additional top-level opponents could see him further ascend in the Rankings. He debuts at #16. 

Spots 18, 19 and 20 are all new fighters as well. John Riel Casimero enters the list after a less-than-impressive split decision victory over Guillermo Rigondeaux. Still, Casimero has won world titles in three divisions and has proven that on his best night he is an elite fighter. Cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis enters the Rankings at #19. He's amassed impressive victories over Yuniel Dorticos, Krzysztof Glowacki and Marco Huck in the division, while also giving Usyk his toughest fight to date. And coming in at #20 is Knockout CP Freshmart, the longtime strawweight champion from Thailand. Although his opponents haven't all been terrific (but many have been capable), he's defended his title ten times, an impressive achievement in any context.  

The biggest name to drop out of the Rankings is Teofimo Lopez, who lost a split decision to George Kambosos. Lopez didn't look good in that fight and while he did win some rounds, he didn't have a legitimate case for winning. Without a fight scheduled at the moment, Gennadiy Golovkin drops from the Rankings on account of inactivity. He was supposed to fight Ryota Murata in December, but the bout was cancelled due to COVID-related travel issues. Nevertheless, Golovkin has not faced a top opponent in over two years. 

Manny Pacquiao drops out of the Rankings after his unanimous decision loss to Yordenis Ugas. After the fight, Pacquiao announced his retirement.

Two more notable departures include Mikey Garcia and Kenshiro Teraji. Garcia lost a majority decision to Sandor Martin in a fight where he looked uncomfortable pulling the trigger. Teraji was upset by the relatively unknown Masamichi Yabuki, losing via a tenth-round stoppage. 

Here is the complete Saturday Night Boxing Pound-for-Pound List: 

1. Saul Alvarez
2. Oleksandr Usyk
3. Naoya Inoue
4. Terence Crawford
5. Josh Taylor
6. Juan Estrada
7. Errol Spence
8. Tyson Fury
9. Artur Beterbiev
10. Srisaket Sor Rungvisai
11. Roman Gonzalez
12. Kazuto Ioka
13. Vasiliy Lomachenko
14. Stephen Fulton
15. Jermell Charlo
16. Gervonta Davis
17. Jermall Charlo
18. John Riel Casimero
19. Mairis Briedis
20. Knockout CP Freshmart

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook. 

Opinions and Observations: Ramirez-Taylor

The signature moment of Saturday's undisputed junior welterweight clash between Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor occurred in the seventh round. During a clinch, Ramirez turned his head away from Taylor and signaled toward referee Kenny Bayless to step in and separate them. With Ramirez looking away, Taylor maneuvered his body, pushing Ramirez off him. Taylor then unfurled a hellacious left uppercut that sent Ramirez to the canvas. Ramirez beat the count, but he was badly hurt. Although Taylor had already knocked Ramirez down in the sixth from a short counter left hand, it was the knockdown in the seventh that significantly changed the tenor of the fight. 

That seventh-round knockdown stopped whatever momentum Ramirez had earlier in the match. Even after getting dropped in the sixth, Ramirez pressed forward and had good moments toward the end of the round. But after the second knockdown, Ramirez needed to marshal all of his forces just to survive. It wasn't until later in the ninth round when Ramirez was finally able to go on the offensive again.

Consider the ramifications of that second knockdown: The seventh round was a clear 10-8 round for Taylor. Ramirez didn't attempt much offense in the eighth; that was an easy 10-9 round for Taylor. Those three points made the difference on the judges' 114-112 scorecards for Taylor.  

Taylor (center) celebrating his knockdown
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Now it's not just as simple as that. Taylor certainly coasted during the final third of the fight, believing that his victory was already secure. It's possible that if Taylor and his team thought that the fight was closer, he would have worked harder during the last three rounds.

If we're being honest, how Taylor finished the fight was problematic. It speaks to the lack of experience in his corner and perhaps some overconfidence. I'm sure that the 114-112 scores reflected a fight that was closer than his team believed (I had it for Taylor 115-111), but we've all seen atrocious scorecards in Vegas over the years. Why would Team Taylor assume that the fight was done and dusted by the tenth round? That's too early in a competitive fight to be taking a victory lap. I'm not downplaying the magnitude of Taylor's win or the quality of his performance in the first nine rounds, but overall, one has to be concerned with his team's naivete and/or arrogance. 

Josh Taylor has cleaned out a talented group of fighters at 140, with wins over Postol, Baranchyk, Prograis and now Ramirez. He clearly is among the best fighters in the sport. And yet I can't help thinking that he has another level to ascend to if he properly applies himself. What's been missing in his victories has been dominance. Some of that can be attributed to the level of his opposition. But, if you watch his fights closely, Taylor himself deserves some blame for this lack of separation from his opponents. 

Not stopping a capable champion like Ramirez isn't a crime, but Taylor certainly could have done more in the fight's final third to leave no questions unanswered. Taylor's fight against Prograis followed a similar pattern, where Prograis, although outgunned in the trenches, found success late in the fight from the outside. Credit to Prograis for winning those late rounds, but Taylor didn't close like he could have. It wasn't enough for Prograis to win the fight; however, those scorecards sure got tight by the end of it. 

In Taylor's last three fights against notable opponents (Ramirez, Prograis and Baranchyk), the majority of the judges for each bout didn't have him winning more than seven rounds. That seems like a small margin of error to me. Fight enough of those type of bouts and you are bound to lose one of them. Again, I'm not claiming that his opponents have been incapable; they certainly were fine boxers, but in each of these bouts Taylor made decisions that directly made the fights closer than they needed to be. 

Taylor and Ramirez working at close range
Photo courtesy of Mikey Williams/Top Rank

Let's end with some positives. Taylor's comprehensive skillset was enough to beat Ramirez and referee Kenny Bayless, who seemed determined not to let Taylor get any work done at close range. With clever boxing moves, Taylor created both knockdowns. His quick counter in the sixth was an excellent example of turning defense into offense. His ability to work in the clinch before Bayless could intrude ultimately led to his victory. Taylor was faster, he had more punch variety, his legs looked excellent and he had more ways of winning the fight.

Ramirez also had some solid passages in the fight. His body shots clearly bothered Taylor. And Ramirez landed enough clean power shots, whether rights to the body or head, or left hooks to the body, where Taylor never seemed fully comfortable in the fight. Even during Ramirez's worst moments in the fight, in the seventh and eighth rounds, Taylor didn't press for the knockout; Ramirez's power punching was enough to keep Taylor honest. 

Taylor deserves all the praise for his victory. Becoming an undisputed champion is a rarity in boxing, and a wonderful achievement. I've been a fan of his in the ring for many years. I picked him before the tournament started to win the World Boxing Super Series and I thought he would have a little too much for Ramirez. 

And as exciting and special as Taylor has been, once he stops making unforced errors, there is a possibility that he could arrive at an even higher level, one in which opponents are intimidated before they enter the ring, where they can't see clear paths to victory. For now, Taylor is elite, but he leaves enough food on the table to give opponents hope. At this point, if a guy can stick around, he will have an opportunity. 

Let's hope that Taylor and his team realize that their work isn't done yet. Taylor has the skillset to become a generational-type fighter, but if we are being honest there's a self-sabotaging streak of his that needs to be eradicated. 

Boxing is hard enough as it is without providing extra opportunities or motivation for opponents. When Taylor finally gets to that next level, you will see more corner stoppages, mentally defeated fighters sitting on their stools, and foes uneager to get up after a knockdown. Taylor's not there yet. For now, his opponents all believe that they will eventually get their chance. Taylor's final test as a professional will be if he can remove hope.   

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Ramirez-Taylor: Preview and Prediction

Unified junior welterweight champions Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor meet on Saturday in a rare opportunity to crown an undisputed champion. The fight will take place at the Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas. Scotland's Taylor (17-0, 13 KOs) impressed during his winning run in the 140-lb. World Boxing Super Series Tournament where he beat notable fighters such as Regis Prograis and Ivan Baranchyk. Ramirez (26-0, 17 KOs) didn't enter that tournament, but he was able to unify titles with an emphatic knockout victory over Maurice Hooker. For Ramirez, a U.S. Olympian, the Hooker win was his most comprehensive performance on the world-level.  

Going into this matchup, I have significant questions and concerns regarding both fighters. This bout will be Taylor's second fight with trainer Ben Davison after leaving Shane McGuigan. Taylor and Davison did have a fight together last year, but that was just a one-round walkover against an overmatched opponent. Davison is relatively new to the world boxing scene. He was instrumental in getting Tyson Fury into shape for his first fight with Deontay Wilder. Davison and Fury executed a stellar game plan of boxing on the outside and movement for that fight. Despite receiving an official draw on the scorecards, Fury should have been the rightful victor according to most observers. 

Image courtesy of Top Rank

Davison and Fury parted ways after Tyson's harder-than-anticipated fight against Otto Wallin. Recently, Davison assisted Mark Tibbs in Billy Joe Saunders' corner against Saul Alvarez, and he will be helping prepare Devin Haney for his upcoming fight against Jorge Linares.  

It's fair to say that Taylor, who is just one boxer, may have more meaningful rounds and tougher fights in his entire career than Davison, his cornerman, has. Whereas McGuigan has established himself as a trainer with creative game plans and one who issues incisive advice in the corner, Davison has yet to reach that level. It's possible that he may turn out to be a great trainer, but there are still unknowns as it relates to him, especially as a cornerman. McGuigan helped guide Taylor through tough fights against Postol, Baranchyk and Prograis; can Davison do the same?  

Coming into Saturday's fight, Taylor has had one professional round of boxing in 17 months. That's a real concern. Not only is he essentially working with a new corner, but ring rust could be a factor. Taylor is a fighter who relies on timing and sharpness in the ring. If it takes him a few rounds to find his form, that could be a strong opportunity for Ramirez to pick up points.

Taylor has gone 12 rounds on three occasions: Postol, Baranchyk and Prograis. Despite winning all of his fights, and winning them without controversy, he has yet to put together a comprehensive 12-round performance in my opinion. Meaning, I think that there have been lulls in his energy level. He takes small breaks where his punch volume and focus can drop. He can let opponents come back into fights.  

Another concern for Taylor is his ring demeanor. He can get a little too greedy in the pocket. There is a macho streak in him and he often slugs it out more than he needs to. He is an excellent boxer on the inside, but he takes some unnecessary shots sometimes. For this fight, staying in the pocket too long will play into Ramirez's hands, who does much better when an opponent is right in front of him. Taylor can box and bang, and against Ramirez, the more he boxes, the better off he will be.  

I was asked on a recent British podcast why Jose Ramirez isn't more popular in America. I answered that boxing fans have seen his fights, and they haven't always been impressed with his performances. In two of his three biggest fights he looked far from convincing. Ramirez won majority decisions over Zepeda and Postol and I won't say that he deserved to lose either, but he certainly could have dropped both with different judges. It's not just that those two fights were close, but there were large stretches in each where he looked ordinary.

It's clear that Ramirez struggles with movement. And while he can box, his power is far less of a factor when he can't set his feet. Perhaps more concerning is that when things haven't gone smoothly for Ramirez in the ring, he can look befuddled; he doesn't switch to a Plan B instinctively.  

Ramirez does have Robert Garcia in the corner, one of the truly best trainers in the sport. Garcia can make great adjustments during fights, but in the ring, during those three minutes of a round, Ramirez isn't one to experiment or improvise. Ramirez may lack Taylor's intuitiveness when it comes to righting the ship.

Prediction: I believe that if both are at their best, Taylor is the better fighter, with more comprehensive skills. He has weapons at every range. He also makes better adjustments during fights.

However, boxing is not fought in a vacuum. There are travel and time zone considerations in which to factor. Who knows if a fighter is injured or how good a camp was? How will a new trainer respond in a corner? Will there be ring rust? Is a fighter outgrowing the weight class? A number of these considerations could be in play for Ramirez-Taylor.  

Let's also not forget that this fight will be contested in America. The three judges for Ramirez-Taylor (Tim Cheatham, Steve Weisfeld and Dave Moretti) were the same three who didn't believe that Postol beat Ramirez. I'm not saying that their scores were outrageous in that fight, but in a close matchup, Cheatham and Weisfeld had Ramirez edging it.  

The pick for me, by the thinnest of margins, is Taylor – something like 115-113 on my card, with a possibility that we could see a split or a majority decision victory in his favor. Taylor has a number of small edges in the fight, but he will have to apply them throughout the entire 12 rounds. It's going to be vital for him to keep his punch volume up, without forcing too fast of a pace. He will need to be strategic when he decides to go inside. When he does march forward, he has to keep exchanges short and not linger in the pocket. If he fights to his strengths, he has a very good shot of winning.  

A Ramirez victory would not surprise me. He will have good moments and win a number of rounds. He throws a sneaky right uppercut in close quarters that is damaging. His right hand to the head and body can be a weapon.  The crowd will most likely be on his side. His punches are easy to see and score well with judges. His work is clean. 

Ultimately, I don't think that we will see a definitive winner on Saturday. I'm picking Taylor to have his hands raised after 12 rounds in a fight where nobody is too sure of who actually won. Both will have moments. Both will do good work. Perhaps Taylor will do a just a little bit more. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Punch 2 the Face Podcast

In this week's Punch 2 the Face Podcast, Brandon and I previewed the undisputed junior welterweight title fight between Jose Ramirez and Josh Taylor. We both ate some crow regarding Brandon Figueroa and we talked about last weekend's fantastic Showtime card. Also, what should we make of the most recent heavyweight drama? What will happen next?  To listen to the show, click on the links below: 

Apple podcast link:

Spotify link:

I heart radio link:

Stitcher link:

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.

snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.

Opinions and Observations: Prograis-Taylor

Regis Prograis entered Saturday's junior welterweight unification fight with a plan. He wanted to beat Josh Taylor at Taylor's own game, breaking him down on the inside, and Taylor was more than happy to oblige; this was his preferred style after all. Taylor must have been smiling at his good fortune when he realized that he didn't need to exert energy trying to find and track down Prograis in the ring. Instead he could focus on winning a type of fight in which he had excelled.  

The first seven rounds of Saturday's match were mostly contested in close quarters with lots of leather traded. And at that moment it was clear that Taylor was ahead, having won anywhere from four to six of the frames. Even more importantly, he was imposing himself on the smaller Prograis. He was more adept at the craft of inside fighting. He better understood its secrets and opportunities. Taylor expertly utilized his forearms and wrists to create space to land his shots and move away from danger. Every shot was short and purposeful. Subtle sidesteps created angles where he could land and Prograis could not. There is an art to inside fighting and throughout Saturday's fight Taylor demonstrated that he was one of its masters while Prograis was a precocious student – highly talented, but still a student.  

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

In the eighth round Prograis changed his tactics and tried to win from the outside. He scored with some strafing lead left hands and jabbed effectively. After two rounds where Taylor was able to close the distance and land some thunderous right hooks and straight left hands, Prograis had perhaps his best moments of the fight in the 11th, where he was able to box effectively and mix in some punishing power shots. Prograis also competed well in the closing 12th frame. 

Ultimately Taylor won by a majority decision, 117-112, 115-113 and 114-114 (I had it for Taylor 116-112). It was certainly a competitive fight, but from my vantage point Taylor was more consistent throughout the match and was able to outwork Prograis in several close rounds, especially those in close quarters during the first half of the bout. 

After 12 tough rounds I don't believe that there was much difference in skill or talent between Prograis and Taylor. However, one fighter knew exactly who he was in the ring and how he needed to win the fight, while the other seemed less certain. In my estimation Prograis-Taylor was decided by strategy, tactics and Ring IQ, not always the sexiest factors, but they can certainly be the difference between winning and losing. 

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

In handicapping Prograis-Taylor, I was concerned with Prograis's lack of competitive bouts throughout his development. Now Prograis and his team are not all to blame for this. A major reason why Prograis had rarely been tested was his supreme talent; he was blowing through reasonable opponents. 

Prior to Saturday Taylor had already been through wars with Ivan Baranchyk and Viktor Postol. He had been rocked with big shots, he had faced duress and he had demonstrated strong powers of recuperation. Perhaps one could look at those factors and determine that Taylor was potentially more vulnerable, but I viewed his history as a positive. Taylor, and importantly lead trainer Shane McGuigan, knew exactly what they needed to do and how they had to fight in order to beat good opponents. 

Prograis and lead trainer Bobby Benton just hadn't had the reps against top competition. That's certainly not a disqualifying factor in winning a big fight, but it was something worth noting. Perhaps if Prograis and Benton had just a little bit more big-fight experience maybe they would have made adjustments faster on Saturday. Taking it a step further, with more tough rounds prior to Taylor they might have learned more about what Prograis needed to do to beat top competition. 

A problem with fighters that have such broad skill sets is knowing when and where to use certain tactics. This has been a recurring criticism that I've had with Daniel Jacobs throughout his career. Jacobs has all the skill in the world and can seemingly fight in any style; yet there doesn't seem to be a coherent strategy throughout a fight and he doesn't realize fast enough what's working and what should be scrapped. 

Now Prograis did come into Saturday's match with a plan, but there needed to be a quicker adjustment to taking the fight to the outside. And maybe, just maybe, Prograis and Benton got their tactics wrong from the jump. To me they seemed to underestimate Taylor's effectiveness on the inside. I certainly think that they were surprised by his power.  

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

Prograis had rarely struggled coming into Saturday's fight. He had won fights on the inside and from distance. He had success leading and countering. He could use the ring or slug it out in the pocket. Perhaps Prograis and Benton thought that they were a little bulletproof in the ring, that the opponent didn't necessarily matter, that Regis was just on another level. He had never really been vulnerable prior to Saturday; why would Taylor be any different?   

Ultimately Saturday's fight will be a great learning experience for Prograis and Benton. They certainly didn't embarrass themselves and gave boxing fans a hell of a show. However, the margin between winning and losing can be so thin. Getting the fight plan wrong can make all the difference. Prograis had better hand and foot speed. I'm not exactly sure why they didn't utilize their natural advantages in this fight. 

However, all is not lost. They will have additional opportunities. Prograis will make for a great fight against any of the top guys at 140, and he could certainly compete one division north at welterweight. He has a wonderful skill set and presents a series of problems for opponents. At 30, in the absolute prime of his career, and not tied to a particular network or boxing platform, he could have several big fights in the next few years. Here's hoping that he will learn from Saturday's bout and realize that the other guy gets paid too. 

Photo Courtesy of Mark Robinson

As for Josh Taylor, he has long been a favorite of mine in the ring. Far more than the sum of his parts, Taylor has off-the-chart intangibles that make up his for pedestrian hand speed, foot speed and athleticism. For starters he has a fantastic Ring IQ. Unlike so many fighters, he has an innate understanding of which punches work at a given distance, and he can execute on that knowledge. Sure, Prograis might throw a prettier hook, and it might even be a harder punch in a vacuum, but Taylor can get his there first because it is perfectly thrown and placed. He has every punch in his arsenal and uses them properly. He's not trying to throw lead uppercuts from five feet away or jabbing from too close. In addition, Taylor is one of the few fighters who can cut off the ring effectively. His footwork is fluid, purposeful and he is always in position to throw.  

All of the above is important, but Taylor also has that intestinal fortitude to persevere. I've seen him get absolutely rocked by huge shots against Baranchyk and Prograis. His right eye by the end of the fight on Saturday made him look like an alien – there was just a hole where it was supposed to be. But Taylor kept pressing forward, refusing to let his physical deterioration become a hindrance in the fight. Perhaps most importantly Taylor doesn't beat himself. He's smart, both intellectually and in the ring. He doesn't make many mistakes. Sure, he's not the fastest guy in the sport and he can be hit, but he forces his opponents to earn everything. 

One area of concern for Taylor is his lack of true knockout power. As he continues to face tough competition he's not going to have many easy fights. His opponents are often going to have speed and/or power advantages and he will need to grind out victories by being smarter, sharper and better prepared. That's a tough way to earn a living at the highest level of the sport. Only 28 and with just 16 professional fights, it's likely that he will have a relatively short run. The body just can't sustain itself through that many wars. But that's in the future, and for now let's just enjoy yesterday and today. 

Josh Taylor possesses a wealth of information about the sport that most fighters, even excellent ones, will never acquire. Right now he's in the perfect sweet spot where his mind and body are in sync. He can see the openings and can physically exploit them. While his time at the summit could be short, for now it's certainly a beautiful view at the top of the mountain. He's earned his position at this impressive, elevated peak. 

Adam Abramowitz is the founder and head writer of saturdaynightboxing.com. He's a member of Ring Magazine's Ring Ratings Panel and a Board Member for the Transnational Boxing Rankings Board. 

Email: saturdaynightboxing@hotmail.com.
snboxing on twitter. SN Boxing on Facebook.