Jermain Taylor unanimously
outpointed Kassim Ouma on Saturday night to retain his middleweight
title.
Taylor, fighting in his home state for the first time since
winning the title in 2005, was in control throughout despite a cut
around his left eye that appeared to bother him in the later rounds.
There was little suspense at the end _ open scoring was used at the
fight and showed Taylor with a big lead after eight rounds.
Taylor became the middleweight champion in July 2005 by beating
Bernard Hopkins in Las Vegas, then beat Hopkins there again that
December. Taylor escaped with a draw against Winky Wright this July
in Memphis, Tenn.
After three straight decisions, Taylor (26-0-1) hoped for a
knockout in front of his home fans, but Ouma (25-3-1) made the
Little Rock, Ark., native fight the full 12 rounds.
The judges scored the fight 118-110, 117-111 and 115-113 for
Taylor.
© The Canadian Press, 2007
