CHAMPIONSHIP BOXING Taylor's middleweight title on line with Wright

The champion is unbeaten, while the challenger hasn't lost in seven years.
MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) -- Jermain Taylor hasn't fought enough or been around long enough to be considered one of boxing's all-time best. That would come only through the years, and after some big fights against the best of his era.
Talk to some of those around Taylor, though, and there's a quiet belief that the equally quiet middleweight champion could be on the cusp of a great career.
"I see an intensity about him that I never see in other fighters," trainer Emanuel Steward said. "He has an inner toughness, and you have to be tough in this business."
Won 25 straight
Taylor has been plenty tough so far, winning all 25 of his fights and upsetting Bernard Hopkins to become the undisputed 160-pound champion. He's knocked out 17 fighters, and beat Hopkins in a rematch to prove the first fight was no fluke.
Things don't get any easier for Taylor, though, when he meets No. 1 contender Winky Wright in a classic matchup of puncher versus boxer tonight with the middleweight title at stake.
The fight is such a tossup that oddsmakers can't even figure out who to favor. Taylor hasn't lost since the semifinals of the 2000 Olympics, while Wright has beaten every fighter put in front of him -- including Felix Trinidad -- since losing a controversial decision to Fernando Vargas nearly seven years ago.
Televised by HBO
Those streaks will be in jeopardy when they meet in a scheduled 12-round fight that will be televised by HBO beginning about 10:30 p.m.
"I'm always out to prove something," Taylor said. "That's the story of my life."
That story still has many chapters to go, but so far the 27-year-old from Arkansas has come a long way since coming out of the Olympics as a touted prospect. He won a bronze medal in those games, but for tonight's fight he will get $3.75 million to defend his titles.
Impressive over Trinidad
He'll have to work for every dollar of it against Wright, the former 154-pound champion who was so impressive in dominating Trinidad last year and owns two wins over Shane Mosley.
"My determination is impeccable," Wright said. "It's going to be fun to fight the best middleweight and enjoy it."
Taylor hadn't planned on such a tough title defense after winning a second close decision over Hopkins in December. But Wright was the top challenger and wasn't about to wait and, rather than be stripped of his titles, Taylor agreed to the fight.