LITTLE ROCK -- Jermain Taylor's next title defense will be
in the Little Rock area Dec. 9 against Kassim Ouma, according to
Taylor's promoter. The Arkansas-Democrat Gazette first reported the deal Wednesday
for the fight at North Little Rock's Alltel Arena, citing promoter
Lou DiBella. DiBella later confirmed the report. "We're fighting Dec. 9 in the Alltel against Ouma," DiBella
told The Associated Press. The fight will be on HBO. Taylor, the middleweight champion, fought to a draw with Winky
Wright in June. DiBella said negotiations for a rematch had taken
place. "He wanted to fight Winky," DiBella said. "We tried to make a
deal with Winky and for whatever reasons Winky has -- whether it was
money or the date -- Winky pulled out. ... Winky's quoted in his own
local newspapers over the weekend as saying there was no deal." According to Tuesday's St. Petersburg Times, an adviser to
Wright had said a Taylor-Wright rematch was agreed to in principle.
But the Florida paper said Wright seemed hesitant. "Well, nothing's signed, and we aren't done looking over the
offer that they gave us," Wright told the Times. "But I'm not
going to take it if there aren't some changes." Representatives for Wright could not be reached for comment
Wednesday. Russell Peltz, a promoter for Ouma, said he's been told the
fight with Taylor will be in the Little Rock area. DiBella said he wasn't sure when a news conference would be held
for an official announcement, and Peltz wasn't certain either. "The sooner the better," Peltz said. Taylor (25-0-1) and DiBella have been saying for a while they
would bring a championship fight to Arkansas -- Taylor hasn't fought
in his home state since becoming champion in July 2005. Ouma (25-2-1) is a native of Uganda and a former junior
middleweight champion. He is known for his flashy ring presence and
an extremely aggressive style. He is moving up a weight class for a
title shot against Taylor. "This is a very tough opponent, a very serious fight --
certainly the biggest fight probably to ever be in Little Rock,"
DiBella said. Terms of the contract were not released.
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