Yes. I don't rate Eubank too highly. Has a ton of close, if not.controversial, decisions against subpar opposition. Taylor has.proven himself against much better foes. Sure, he lacked the intelligence of a great fighter.and was.prone to mental lapse, but i see Taylor outjabbing/outworking a passive Eubank, while surviving a few scary moments.
I don't think your scenario is out of the question. Taylor does provide a lot of problems for Eubank, in the form of his great jab and his athleticism. However, the scenario I see is Eubank knocking Taylor out while behind on the cards. Taylor's defense was just too shaky, and pre-Watson tradegy, Eubank was a good finisher once he got a guy in real trouble. Eubank TKO 11.
I like Taylor on points. I don't think Eubank brings anything that he didn't already see from Hopkins (even an aging version).
He does, actually. Eubank was a much bigger puncher than Hop. Certainly he lacked Hopkins' skill and smarts though.
Not sure about that, tbh. If Eubank was both a big puncher and a vicious finisher (as you suggested), he should have way more stoppages over even semi-credible opponents. I believe Hopkins was a solid hitter, at that stage of his career he just fought very passively
I agree with Xplosive. Eubank come from behind KO IMO. In fact, I think both Taylor vs Benn and Watson are better match-ups.
Benn KOs Taylor at some point. I just cannot wrap my brain around Taylor's mediocre chin handling Benn's power. Jermain matches up well with Watson though. Though Watson is possibly too good a technician for him. It would be a close fight.
For me, it's who can take the other's power better and then see how the fight goes from there. I agree, Benn wins. He might have to get off the canvas first though, he was awfully reckless at 160. Watson's high-guard and counters would be troublesome for Taylor, but as a technician, there isn't anything Watson does in particular that Hopkins doesn't do better. He had a bigger punch, and was probably a bit stronger, but that's it. I think Taylor wins a close decision. I think all three annihilate Taylor at 168. Watson especially.
I don't agree with that at all - Hopkins went up in weight in his next fight and savaged Tarver with right hands, enough to reduce him to just looking to survive.
How well would Benn's mediocre chin handle Taylor's power, though? I think Taylor-Benn is a "whoever catches who first" kind of fight.
Taylor went years without scoring a stoppage. He had pop, but was arguably the worst finisher in boxing history. He isn't stopping Benn.
He fought a succession of some of the most notoriously difficult fighters to stop in that time frame, though. -Hopkins x2 (never stopped until he was ancient) -Winky (never stopped) -Pavlik x2 (never stopped) -Froch (never stopped) -Lacy (never previously stopped, known for his durability) -Abraham (only stopped once later in his career) Even Spinks was a difficult defensive fighter who proved he could thwart big punchers. Taylor proved against Pavlik and Froch that he could floor and seriously hurt fighters that were far more durable than Benn. Benn would probably be the chinniest fighter he fought in the above time frame.
Taylor could definitely hurt/drop Benn, I questioning him having the ability to stop him... he was a porous finisher. If he were a great finisher, he would have stoppage wins over Pav and Froch.
Eubanks generally fought up or down to the level of his opponent. He was also a really strange type of fighter. He never really did a lot. He was awkward to watch and awkward to fight, and so made for some pretty awful fights to watch. Watson showed the blueprint for beating him, though. He couldn't handle controlled pressure at all. Benn was wild, and he could tame Benn with his power, but Watson, especially in the second fight, simply beat the brakes off him. Eubanks only survived long enough to land that miracle punch because of his excellent chin. He was utterly exhausted and on the brink of being brutally ktfo. As for this fight, I don't see how JT wins. He might land something hard, and win early but his stamina was dreadful, he couldn't finish his tea and Eubanks had an exceptional chin. He could win on points, as he would almost certainly rack up rounds, especially early on. I think Eubanks late is the sensible pick. MTF
I fully believe that Watson was a full level above Eubank and Benn, and would've proven that if he had been able to carry on with his career afterwards.
I'm not sure he was a level above them but I wouldn't argue it too much. He was certainly better. Save for an absolutely freak occurrence, he proved that conclusively over thirty round against them. He barely lost ten of them. MTF
