Jermain Taylor to meet Jessie Nicklow in comeback bout on Friday

Phil D. Jay
WBN Editor

Arkansas fighter back after two-year absence

Former undisputed world middleweight champion Jermain ‘Bad Intentions’ Taylor returns to the ring for the first time since October 2009 for his first middleweight bout since 2007 on Friday.

The 33 year-old, who dethroned Bernard Hopkins in 2005 after ‘B-Hop’ reigned as 160lb champion for ten-years, will meet little-known Jessie ‘The Beast’ Nicklow as he looks to get back in the mix following a frustrating time out of boxing.

License problems and a lack of drive have hampered the Little Rock native who has four losses in his 33 contests - but has only lost to one man, Kelly Pavlik at the 160lb limit and had a horrid time at super-middleweight.

Nicklow, 24, is seen as a must-win clash for Taylor, whose career may well be over if he suffers a fifth loss in six fights at the Morongo Casino Resort & Spa in Cabazon, California this weekend.

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Phil D. Jay WBN Editor (picure by boxrec.com) After almost a year and a half without one of boxing’s great journeymen, World Boxing News is looking back at the 161-fight career of Worcestershire warrior Ernie Smith, concentrating on his contribution in the ring, rather than the tragic way his life ended out of it. Smith turned professional at super-featherweight in 1998 at the Park Hall Hotel in Wolverhampton, losing a six rounder against Welshman Woody Greenaway. One month later, Ernie was thrown in with an unknown prospect by the name of Gavin Rees (former world champion and current British Lightweight Champion) who he also took the distance over four rounds. The “Gypsy Boy” then managed to string together a four fight unbeaten run together in early 1999 and ended the year winning five out of his twelve contests, but by this time had already delved into the journeyman pool of boxers with a record of 5-8-1. After settling at the welterweight limit, Ernie ga...

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WBO #4 Orlando Cruz comes out as the first openly gay boxer in history

Orlando Cruz, a professional boxer from San Juan Puerto Rico (18-2-1, 9 KOs), former Olympian and currently ranked No. 4 Featherweight by the World Boxing Organization (WBO), is announcing today that he ”Is a proud gay man.” Cruz is the first openly gay man in boxing history. “I’ve been fighting for more than 24 years and as I continue my ascendant career, I want to be true to myself,” said Cruz. “I want to try to be the best role model I can be for kids who might look into boxing as a sport and a professional career. I have and will always be a proud Puerto Rican. I have always been and always will be a proud gay man.” Orlando Cruz began boxing at the age of 7 and posted an amateur career record of 178-11. He won 7 Puerto Rico National Title's and spent 4 years on The Puerto Rican National Team. Cruz won 7 Gold Medals, 1 Silver and 2 Bronze in various international tournaments. His amateur career culminated as a representative of the 2000 ...

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