Jermain Taylor of Little Rock, Ark, will put his WBC and WBO Middleweight titles on the line tonight against Cory Spinks of St. Louis in Memphis at FedExForum in the headliner of a nine-bout card. Taylor was ready to fight Friday afternoon during the official weigh-in at FedExForum when he came in at 159.8 pounds, just under the 160-pound limit. Spinks weighed in at 161, disappeared for an hour, then came back and weighted in at 159.8.
“I’m always going to make weight,” Taylor said walking out of the arena wearing a scowl. “I’m a professional. This is a business. He (Spinks) comes in a pound overweight, and it shows you how professional he is.”
“I feel fine,” Spinks said. “I just went out and walked (to lose the excess pound). I’m in the best shape of my life. I’m strong. Ain’t no monkey wrench in my plan.”
While he still insists his mode of operation remains that he'll do whatever it takes to win, Taylor dearly wants to show a maturity in his style against Spinks, the IBF junior middleweight champion who is moving up in weight class.
"It's important to me to look good and win," said Taylor, 26-0-1 with 17 knockouts. "The last couple of fights, I haven't looked as good as I was supposed to look. I tried to knock people out, and I looked sloppy. I know I'm a better fighter than that. I want to use my jab more and stop looking for the knockout. I'm anxious to show everything I learned in training camp.”
Spinks, son of former heavy weight champ Leon Spin ks, is not expected to put up much of a threat to Taylor’s championship belts as a +525 underdog according to oddsmakers at online sportsbook Bodog.com. Taylor appears to be mentally and physically ready to take care of business and the odds reflect the same at -850.
I don’t expect this bout to go beyond 10 rounds of the 12 round fight . The UNDER 10 ½ looks to be the best value (-135) as opposed to the riskier OVER (-105).
Middleweights Edison Miranda of Columbia and Kelly Pavlik of Youngstown, Ohio will battle on the undercard with the prize, a chance at Taylor on a later date. Miranda is a slight favorite at -175. Pavlik the underdog is getting +145 juice.
This fight will pay +120 if it goes under 9 ½ rounds as opposed to -160 if it goes OVER as it is expected to do.
