Taylor-Soliman Preview and Prediction

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    taylor99-420x294Jermain Taylor (32-4 KO’s 20) the former undisputed middleweight champion of the world will try to rebound his career, against Sam Soliman (44-11 KO’s 18). Both fighters are aging but are looking to reenter boxing’s spotlight. The winner is set to face Hassan N’Dam who just came off a recent victory over Curtis Stevens.

    Here is the Breakdown of the Fight

    Offense

     

    Taylor

    Jermain Taylor is a well-paced fighter. He has a good jab, which will be important in negating Soliman’s offense. He also throws good body shots and combinations. He’s also the more accurate puncher than Soliman.

    Soliman

    Sam Soliman has a very active pace. He flicks his jab, then closes the gap and smothers his opponent, then throws short combinations on the inside as they separate. When Soliman does not smother, he moves around flicking his jab, throws a straight right after at times, then decides to smother, and then throw a short combination on the inside. He heavily relies on this pattern.

    Defense

    Taylor

    Taylor has good defense awareness. He uses good subtle head and foot movement to avoid punches. Since Soliman is not the most accurate puncher, Taylor should be able to avoid many punches in this fight from the outside.

    Soliman

    Soliman’s defense is to move his feet, and smother his opponent’s punches. When in range he can be found easy. The thing is, Soliman smothers his opponent numerous times through the round to where it becomes an effective defensive arsenal. It’s also a huge advantage Taylor is known to clinch as well especially in one of his most recent fights against Caleb Traux.

    Power/Chin

    Taylor

     

    Taylor still has decent power. Even though Soliman has only been knocked out once in his career in 51 fights, his level of opposition has not been too high. It will not be a surprise if Soliman goes down after receiving a flush shot.

    Soliman

    Soliman has ok power. He doesn’t have the punch to deliver a devastating knockout, or to possibly produce a knockdown, but has enough to have an effect on Taylor. It also helps Taylor is not known to have a great chin.

    Speed

    Taylor/Soliman

    As far as hand speed Soliman and Taylor are evenly matched, but Soliman is far more active using his feet. It is not because Soliman is the better athlete than Taylor, but just his style of fighting.

    Referee

    The referee will play a huge factor in this fight. If Soliman is allowed to excessively clinch, he will be able to execute his game plan. If the referee does not allow Soliman to clinch, his fight will be thrown off balance, and Taylor would be a big favorite to win the fight.

    Conclusion

    This is another close fight in boxing this year. It’s difficult to gage who is going to win because the biggest external factor is the third man in the ring. Soliman who at age 40 may still have a difficult time pulling off a win over Taylor even if he fights his fight. The pick will still go to Soliman given the fact, Taylor is also known to initiate or allow his opponents to clinch, this was evident in the Traux fight, which is one of his most recent fights. This will play into Soliman’s hands, and he will probably come out with a unanimous decision victory, if he’s allowed to fight his fight.