Spinks can't dodge abuse

May 21 2007 By The Journal

Cory Spinks spent 12 rounds running away from Jermain Taylor in their middleweight title showdown in Memphis on Saturday night - then walked into a barrage of abuse after losing a split decision to the WBC and WBO champion.

Spinks, who landed only 16% of his 542 punches, still thought he had done enough to win, celebrating with his arms raised at the final bell.

The judges thought otherwise. While one had Spinks (pictured below) winning 117-111, the others had Taylor a winner by 117-111 and 115-113.

But the after-fight slanging match produced the action the eagerly-anticipated bout itself never delivered.

"You want to be champion? Fight me, don't run from me," said Taylor.

"He ran the whole time. I ran every day to get ready for this because I knew it was going to happen. You can't run and win a championship. I saw some tapes of him and he's a fighter sometimes, but he ran the whole fight."

Spinks, for virtually the first time all night, countered.

"I executed my game plan. I think I won," he said. "That's bull [Taylor`s criticism]. I don't know what to say. It was highway robbery. I thought I gave a great boxing display. He was tough, but come on. I'm very disappointed."

Taylor and Spinks spent the early rounds sizing each other up, landing 211 punches in the first three rounds.

The only excitement came when Taylor wobbled Spinks with a left to the head with a minute to go in the seventh round.

The co-feature fight at the FedEx Forum saw Kelly Pavlik beat Edison Miranda with a seventh-round TKO and earn at shot at Taylor.

Taylor watched the fight in his dressing room but was unimpressed.

"Miranda is overrated," he said. "Pavlik, I give the man credit. If Kelly Pavlik is the best fight out there for the most money, I will fight him."

"Jermain Taylor is a great champion," said Pavlik. "I definitely want to fight him."