The controversy surrounding the first "fight" between Jermain Taylor and Bernard Hopkins was centred around the fact that Hopkins was robbed and Taylor's body language after the fight didn't speak the same dialogue as that of a new middlweight champ would. What the hemming and hawing should have been about though, was that a fight failed to break out.

That's right. Taylor may have been the aggressor, but he was outboxed by Hopkins and as, a "young stallion", he could have done more. A LOT more. Alright, so we'll give him that this was his first major fight after an early career of being protected by his promoters, and he was fighting a boxing legend. But that fateful night in July was supposed to be Taylor's night to shine. Instead, he literally stole the spotlight. Hopkins, for his part, should have known better. Yes, he's a slow starter, but he has too much experience to take anything for granted, and that includes ominous judging by suspect officials. While in my eyes, Hopkins clearly, if not overwhelmingly, won the fight, his posturing and one-punch combinations did not help his cause.

And let's get one thing straight. This notion that a challenger has to "take" the title from a champion, which has perpetuated over the years as something of boxing folklore, is nonsense. Look, if a challenger wins seven rounds and the champ only five, then he wins the fight and the title, no matter how bad he looks doing it. And if Hopkins was thinking along those lines, that he did not have to fight to secure his title, then that's his problem. But the unofficial fact remains that Hopkins won his first fight with Taylor, and should not have lost his title.

Which brings us to Saturday night at the Mandalay Bay in Las Vegas. A rematch it is, but will it be a fight? With all the feinting and faking that went on in their first bout, you'd think (or hope) that the two fighters had used up all their miming techniques. Hopkins, 46-3-1 (32), says he will have to knock Taylor out this time, but why didn't he do that the first time? And how much does the 40-year-old Philadelphian have left in his tank? Taylor has since gotten a lot more cockier over the past few months, no doubt a result of his closest associates doing a stellar con job on him in convincing him of the legitimacy of his victory. And let's not forget Taylor's meeting with former President and fellow Arkansan Bill Clinton. Did Clinton's magic rub off on Taylor? Taylor, 24-0 (17), has the power to knock out Hopkins with one punch, but his boxing skills pale in comparison. What Taylor will have to do is the same thing he had to do but didn't in the first fight - use his jab. Unless it only looks works on junior middleweights.

What we'll see on Saturday night is something similar to the two fights between Lennox Lewis and Evander Holyfield a few years back, except instead of redemption for Hopkins, Taylor will win another close decision. Hopkins will fight the same fight he fought in July, but Taylor, who in a sense has nothing to lose, will make the most changes, simply because he is young and still learning. This is not to say that Taylor will beat Hopkins convincingly this time. But the aggressor usually has the advantage, and Hopkins will not be the aggressor for twelve rounds against a fast, young, strong puncher.

Now, if Hopkins can dominate Taylor and knock him out in the later rounds as he did to Felix Trinidad, he will improve in his overall ranking to be one of the top four middleweights of all-time.

But let's make one thing clear: whoever wants to win beyond the shadow of a doubt, must FIGHT this time.

Prediction: Taylor by split decision