Taylor’s rise started with Little Rock brick-layer

Trainer Ozell Nelson said he knew Jermain Taylor was special by age 15.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Jermain Taylor was 13 years old when he walked into a gym in Little Rock, Ark., and met boxing trainer Ozell Nelson.

Taylor was with his cousin, a boxer, and Nelson figured Taylor was like a lot of teenagers — he liked the idea of boxing but would change his mind when he got hit.

“You know how kids are — they see someone doing something and they want to do it,” said Nelson. “Kids will come in and get hit and their nose will get busted a few times and say, ‘This is not for me.’ So when I saw Jermain for the first time, I didn’t think too much of him.

“I thought it was just another kid who would come in the front door and go out the back door.”

But Nelson learned Taylor was different. Problem was, Taylor’s mother, Carlois, wasn’t too crazy about her son boxing. Taylor’s father had abandoned his family when Taylor was 5. As the only male in a family of four women, it was Taylor’s job to be a father to his three younger sisters.

Carlois eventually acquiesced and Taylor surprised Nelson with his willingness to absorb punishment.

“He was sort of like, ‘I like this, I like getting hit,’ ” said Nelson, who will train Taylor for his Feb. 16 rematch with Kelly Pavlik. “I said, ‘Son, the point is to hit and not be hit.’ ”

Taylor stuck with it and by the time he was 15, Nelson knew he had something special. Nelson told him, if he trained hard enough, he had a shot at the Olympics. After a long amateur career, Taylor eventually won a bronze medal at the 2000 Olympics and turned pro soon afterward.

Nelson, a brick-layer by trade, knew he wasn’t ready to be Taylor’s head trainer, so he turned his young fighter over to Pat Burns. By then, Nelson had also become a father-figure to Taylor and he was worried he was too close to him. He stayed in Taylor’s corner, but as a coach.

“I had nothing to go on as a professional,” Nelson said. “I had a lot to learn from the pros. I didn’t know about a lot of the dirty things. As an amateur, everything’s clean. I had to learn to watch out for elbows and head butts, that kind of stuff.”

With Burns as head trainer, Taylor started his career 25-0 and won the middleweight title. But Nelson, who was not close with Burns, opted to switch to Emanuel Steward in the spring of 2006. The relationship didn’t work, as Taylor went 2-1-1 in four fights under Steward, earning lackluster decisions in both wins. After getting knocked out by Pavlik last September, Taylor and Nelson made a change.

“Manny Steward is a great trainer but sometimes things don’t work out,” said Nelson.

Nelson plans on improving Taylor’s endurance — he thought Taylor wore down against Pavlik, which is one of the reasons he couldn’t finish Pavlik after earning a second-round knockdown — and bringing back some of Taylor’s “slickness.”

“Back when Jermain was an amateur, he was more of a boxer,” said Nelson. “When he went pro, it became about knocking somebody out. He got away from boxing and scoring points. We have to figure out how to get him back to how he used to be.”

Nelson said he has a lot of respect for Pavlik and expects a good rematch.

“Kelly is a very strong fighter,” said Nelson. “He’s very dangerous, he has a good left hook and a nice straight overhand right. And he’s a tough kid. He’s quiet and seems to be real nice, but when he steps in the ring, you know Kelly’s coming to fight.

“Both guys know they can hurt each other and there’s a lot of respect for one another. I expect a great fight and for both guys to come out there and do what they need to do. Hopefully this time, it’ll turn out the other way.”

scalzo@vindy.com