madjack
11-04-2003, 03:28 AM
Taylor needs knockout
By Paul Kent
April 10, 2003
THE fight game is built as much on promises as promise.
For a long while there Shannan Taylor had promise and too many promises, but now, as life goes, he doesn't have a whole lot of either.
His future is behind him and yet he continues to fight, like many, in the hope that his chance might still come.
Taylor fights Marc Bargero tomorrow night at Penrith, a rematch from when their last fight was stopped early through a head clash and declared a draw.
Taylor thought he won and his reaction earned him a suspended sentence from the NSW Boxing Authority. Now he goes after redemption, or is it marking time against Bargero? Or maybe measuring what is left?
"If he can't beat Marc Bargero and beat him convincingly he better start living in the real world," said Jeff Fenech, who promotes the card.
Fenech dominates boxing in Australia, with Nader Hamdan (WBC No.2), Hussein Hussein (WBC, IBF, WBO No.1) and Skinny Hussein (WBC No.3) in his gym among others.
But Hamdan is so frustrated he has taken a month off to consider his future.
"I never started boxing to stay here," he said.
"I want to do something with it or nothing at all. I've done a lot of things wrong recently with my fights only because I'm frustrated."
Hamdan has had two fights this year, and both were forgettable.
"I'm fighting to keep busy," he explained, "but how many of them can you do?"
Recently he and Fenech exchanged words, a symptom of his frustration. Of promises.
Fenech understands it.
"He just thought boxing politics are a joke," he said. "But sometimes you've just got to wait.
"I had Shannan Taylor here and within a few months he fought [Shane] Mosley. Glen Kelly, he fights Roy Jones.
"They think it's going to happen to anybody but it's not what boxing is like. It's more political than anybody knows.
"Here we have the WBC, who I respect more than any other organisation, and they haven't made Oscar De La Hoya fight the mandatory in 30 months."
Which, for the uninitiated, should take place every six months.
"They won't force him to fight because he makes them too much money," Fenech said.
De La Hoya's failure to fight the mandatory has stalled Hamdan at No.2. Promise being eaten away by promises.
Fenech approached No 1 Fitz Vanderpool to fight Hamdan but he priced himself out of a match-up, meaning Hamdan is caught. He can't fight anybody ranked below him for risk that a loss will take his ranking, but he can't go up either.
So he feeds on the bottom-dwellers in Australia, and takes time to rethink his future.
Hussein Hussein looks like having his pick when the champions are forced to fight their mandatories, while Skinny Hussein is in a landing pattern, waiting to swoop on the right opponent.
For his part Taylor realises whatever he has yet to do, he now has to do quickly, starting with Bargero.
"I've got to knock him out. Cold," he said. "The last fight I went in knowing I can win, but I went in to box and get some rounds up in my guts. Bad mistake.
"Shannan Taylor is a fighting machine. If he thinks he can deal with my bad intentions then tell him to meet me in the middle of the ring."
TV: Fox, Optus, tomorrow 7.30pm
By Paul Kent
April 10, 2003
THE fight game is built as much on promises as promise.
For a long while there Shannan Taylor had promise and too many promises, but now, as life goes, he doesn't have a whole lot of either.
His future is behind him and yet he continues to fight, like many, in the hope that his chance might still come.
Taylor fights Marc Bargero tomorrow night at Penrith, a rematch from when their last fight was stopped early through a head clash and declared a draw.
Taylor thought he won and his reaction earned him a suspended sentence from the NSW Boxing Authority. Now he goes after redemption, or is it marking time against Bargero? Or maybe measuring what is left?
"If he can't beat Marc Bargero and beat him convincingly he better start living in the real world," said Jeff Fenech, who promotes the card.
Fenech dominates boxing in Australia, with Nader Hamdan (WBC No.2), Hussein Hussein (WBC, IBF, WBO No.1) and Skinny Hussein (WBC No.3) in his gym among others.
But Hamdan is so frustrated he has taken a month off to consider his future.
"I never started boxing to stay here," he said.
"I want to do something with it or nothing at all. I've done a lot of things wrong recently with my fights only because I'm frustrated."
Hamdan has had two fights this year, and both were forgettable.
"I'm fighting to keep busy," he explained, "but how many of them can you do?"
Recently he and Fenech exchanged words, a symptom of his frustration. Of promises.
Fenech understands it.
"He just thought boxing politics are a joke," he said. "But sometimes you've just got to wait.
"I had Shannan Taylor here and within a few months he fought [Shane] Mosley. Glen Kelly, he fights Roy Jones.
"They think it's going to happen to anybody but it's not what boxing is like. It's more political than anybody knows.
"Here we have the WBC, who I respect more than any other organisation, and they haven't made Oscar De La Hoya fight the mandatory in 30 months."
Which, for the uninitiated, should take place every six months.
"They won't force him to fight because he makes them too much money," Fenech said.
De La Hoya's failure to fight the mandatory has stalled Hamdan at No.2. Promise being eaten away by promises.
Fenech approached No 1 Fitz Vanderpool to fight Hamdan but he priced himself out of a match-up, meaning Hamdan is caught. He can't fight anybody ranked below him for risk that a loss will take his ranking, but he can't go up either.
So he feeds on the bottom-dwellers in Australia, and takes time to rethink his future.
Hussein Hussein looks like having his pick when the champions are forced to fight their mandatories, while Skinny Hussein is in a landing pattern, waiting to swoop on the right opponent.
For his part Taylor realises whatever he has yet to do, he now has to do quickly, starting with Bargero.
"I've got to knock him out. Cold," he said. "The last fight I went in knowing I can win, but I went in to box and get some rounds up in my guts. Bad mistake.
"Shannan Taylor is a fighting machine. If he thinks he can deal with my bad intentions then tell him to meet me in the middle of the ring."
TV: Fox, Optus, tomorrow 7.30pm