This is all rumor, so take it as it is. The current "next opponent" for Jermain Taylor in his jump to super middleweight is apparently Jeff Lacy, which follows rumors that it would be Tito Trinidad (whose father thought the extra two pounds below 170 would be too much) and Brian Vera (who simply isn't all that good and has no drawing power).

Lacy is with Golden Boy now, and talk is that the company has an offer from Taylor's people, but have yet to decide whether or not to accept it.

Taylor and Lacy are friends, having been Olympic teammates, but have indicated for years that they'd absolutely fight one another and treat it as business. Both guys could certainly use a win at this stage of their careers.

Taylor, of course, is coming off of two consecutive defeats to Kelly Pavlik, and is just 2-2-1 in his last five fights, with disrespected "soft" victories over junior middleweights Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks.

The 31-year old Lacy (didja notice that dude ain't no spring chicken?) famously was taken to the woodshed by Joe Calzaghe in 2006, and since then has fought just twice, injuring himself in a debated win over Vitali Tsypko and then returning unimpressively on the undercard of Mayweather-Hatton, beating Peter Manfredo, Jr.

If this fight does come off -- and it's a good business proposition on both sides that would find an easy TV home on HBO -- then give me Taylor with no trouble whatsoever. Calzaghe not only exposed Lacy, but since the loss, Lacy has fought like crap. I know he was hurt against Tsypko and was rusty against Manfredo, but he's not near the fighter his biggest fans wanted him to be pre-Joe. He's slow, he's robotic, he's mechanical, his power isn't what was advertised. He's just not that good.

Taylor's losses to Pavlik were the best two fights he'd fought in years. Outside of some moments in his draw with Winky Wright, Jermain had been pretty disappointing post-Hopkins.

I don't think Jermain would knock Lacy out. He's got a good chin. But I do think he thoroughly dominates and has no more substantial trouble with Lacy than he would have the washed-up, bloated Trinidad. Probably a better fight than one against Vera, though.