Undefeated WBC #2 middleweight contender Giovanni Lorenzo has informed his promoter Main Events that he would like to challenge recently installed WBC #1 challenger Jermain Taylor, it was announced by Main Events CEO Kathy Duva. In its latest rankings the WBC dropped Lorenzo to #2 and installed Taylor in the #1 spot.
“Jermain has been a great champion and I don’t have a problem with the WBC installing him at #1,� said Lorenzo. “He beat Hopkins twice and beat Winky Wright so he has earned that respect. However, I have heard that he is considering taking an interim bout before fighting the Pavlik rematch. If that’s true I want to be his opponent because I’d like the opportunity to earn back my number one ranking and become Pavlik’s mandatory.�
“We have already reached out for DiBella Entertainment and HBO to see if Taylor would be interested in facing Lorenzo in a WBC title eliminator should he decide to take an interim fight prior to exercising his right to a Pavlik rematch,� said Duva. “Giovanni is eager for the showdown and for the right to earn an eventual shot against the recognized middleweight champion Pavlik.�
Lorenzo (25-0, 17 KO’s) has won his last seven bouts by knockout. The 27-year-old Washington Heights, NY resident by way of Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic is a heavy-handed boxer who has stopped 14 opponents within the first three rounds.