'King' Arthur Abraham showed that moving up to super middleweight wasn't going to be a problem for him with a crushing knockout victory over 'Bad Intentions' Jermain Taylor.
How Taylor vs. Abraham Played Out
In the opening round, Taylor jabbed well, while the notoriously slow starter Abraham didn't assert himself. While this was a feeling out round, it was a round in the bank for Taylor nontheless.
More of the same occured in the second, although Abraham was slightly more active. The bigger shots were coming from Abraham, but his workrate wasn't high enough at this point to win him the round.
Abraham landed a big right straight in round three, and may have done enough to steal it. However, he irritated the referee by hitting Taylor on the back of the head, and he recieved a warning for this.
This evidently irritated Taylor just as much though as he started the fourth round fast. His combinations and flurries worked a treat, while Abraham was content to sit back and defend in his shell.
Abraham finally got going in round five though, and his power was beginning to show. A couple of solid right hands landed cleanly for him in this session, and Taylor looked slightly disorganised.
Taylor was also to lose the next round 10-8, but this wasn't because he ended up on the floor. He had a point deducted for persistent low-blowing, although apart from that, the round was fairly even, with Abraham's strength and accuracy just stealing the session for him.
Things were only going to get worse for Taylor though, as he was punished by some ferocious hooks to the body and head courtesy of the Armenian, who hurt his American foe at the end of the round.
Abraham allowed Taylor back into the fight temporarily though, as he took his foot off the gas in the eighth session. Taylor was more active, jabbing at every opportunity, while Abraham was just a little too inconsistent with his offence.
The ninth was huge for 'King' Arthur. He shook Taylor to his boots with a huge right hand, and despite the American recovering well, Abraham was well in control for the whole session.
Abraham slowed slightly in the tenth, but still pulled it out of the bag with his precision. The eleventh went in much the same fashion, and it was beginning to look as if a knockout win was a neccessity for Taylor; particularly on Abraham's home turf.
Taylor didn't start the twelfth with much urgency, but as the round went on, he realised he needed something big. In trying to catch Abraham though, he walked onto a punch which laid him out cold. This was truly highlight reel stuff, and Taylor had no chance of beating the count after what may have been the knockout of the decade.
Implications Of Taylor vs. Abraham
By winning in such brutal fashion, Arthur Abraham sent out a message to all the other super middleweights in this tournament. He now has three points on board, and looks to be in excellent form.
As for Taylor, a loss like that must surely derail his confidence. His last two fights have resulted in defeats in the last fourteen seconds, which must seriously affect his mentality. However, due to the nature of this tournament, he won't be allowed an easy comeback fight, and will have to regroup in double quick time.
