Sam Soliman sparring with Lorenzo and Simon ahead of Taylor bout

Sam Soliman will defend his IBF middleweight title on October 8 against faded former unified champion Jermain Taylor, and says he's not worried about Taylor having any size advantage, as he's sparred with super middleweights in Australia, and has solid sparring lined up as he's now arrived in New York.

Soliman (44-11, 18 KO) will be working with Giovanni Lorenzo, Lajuan Simon, and three more fighters as he puts the final touches on his camp. Soliman faced and beat Lorenzo back in August 2012.

"(Taylor's) size will not be a problem for me. I was Australian cruiserweight champion and boxed and defeated several boxers who were bigger than Taylor. My sparring partners Zac Dunn and Jake Carr are similar size to Taylor. Felix Sturm is a big middleweight and I won ten out of twelve rounds when I won the championship in Germany."

The 40-year-old Soliman beat Felix Sturm in 2013, but that win was overturned after a failed drug test. A rematch saw Soliman dominate in May of this year, lifting the IBF belt.

Taylor (32-4-1, 20 KO) hasn't fought since last December, a win over Juan Carlos Candelo. His comeback has been a mixed bag so far, as he's gone 4-0 since returning in 2011, but had some struggles with Caleb Truax in the second of those fights, back in April 2012. This fight has been understandably criticized, as Taylor, 36, isn't a legitimate contender by any means these days, and has been given this opportunity mostly because he has some level of name left, and is advised by Al Haymon.

The fight will be televised by ESPN2 on Wednesday, October 8, from the Beau Rivage Resort & Casino in Biloxi, Mississippi.