Taylor retains title over Spinks

NEW YORK – Jermain Taylor retained his world middleweight title on Saturday with a lacklustre split decision over IBF junior middleweight champion Cory Spinks in Memphis, Tennessee.

Taylor (27-0-1) drew boos from a largely home-town crowd by landing few serious punches on Spinks (36-4), who was stepping up in weight and managed to avoid Taylor for most of the dreary 12-round fight. While Taylor, defending his title for the fourth straight time, was ahead on two scorecards (117-111 and 115-113), judge Richard Flaherty somehow scored the fight 117-111 for Spinks.”He ran the whole time.I couldn’t get my punches right,” Taylor said.”You can’t take a championship running.You want to beat the champ, fight the champ.He knows that.He’s been around fighting too long.”Spinks said he thought he had won.The victory by Taylor may set up a title defence against undefeated Kelly Pavlik, who scored a technical knockout of Edison Miranda at 1:54 of the seventh round.”I will fight anybody, anybody” Taylor said.”If Kelly Pavlik is the best fighter out there for the most money, we’re going after Kelly Pavlik.”The Pavlik-Miranda bout was hard-hitting and entertaining from start to finish, unlike the featured fight on the card.Nampa-ReutersWhile Taylor, defending his title for the fourth straight time, was ahead on two scorecards (117-111 and 115-113), judge Richard Flaherty somehow scored the fight 117-111 for Spinks.”He ran the whole time.I couldn’t get my punches right,” Taylor said.”You can’t take a championship running.You want to beat the champ, fight the champ.He knows that.He’s been around fighting too long.”Spinks said he thought he had won.The victory by Taylor may set up a title defence against undefeated Kelly Pavlik, who scored a technical knockout of Edison Miranda at 1:54 of the seventh round.”I will fight anybody, anybody” Taylor said.”If Kelly Pavlik is the best fighter out there for the most money, we’re going after Kelly Pavlik.”The Pavlik-Miranda bout was hard-hitting and entertaining from start to finish, unlike the featured fight on the card.Nampa-Reuters