Marquis Taylor Denied Victory in Against Paul Kroll
At the Caribe Royale Orlando in Orlando, Florida, unbeaten junior middleweight prospect Paul “The Punisher” Kroll (9-0-1, 6KOs) kicked off his 2022 campaign against once-beaten prospect Marquis Taylor (12-1-2, 1KO) in an eight-round junior middleweight Shobox co-main event.
Born and raised in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Kroll had a very successful amateur career. I included a record of 123-17, a silver medal at the 2015 National Golden Gloves Championships, and winning the 2016 Olympic trials. However, an attempted murder charge nearly cost him his pro career before it could get started.
In 2016, Kroll, along with some friends, went to confront his ex-girlfriend over money. The verbal altercation led to a shootout. Ultimately, Kroll was charged with attempted manslaughter but would plead guilty to a lesser charge because he didn’t fire the gun. He would be placed on house arrest for 18 months. He was also locked up for two months.
Taylor, the B side, entered into this matchup having previously fought former world champion Kermit Cintron to a no-contest back in February of 2018.
A SLOPPY START!
Both men opened the fight by coming forward behind their jabs, trying to set the distance for their right hand. As round one progressed, both fighters started to open up, with both landing some nice body shots. However, in the process, they both displayed a lack of discipline, wildly swinging and missing their punches.
As the fight wore on, we continued to see Taylor slowly take control of the fight. While Kroll kept the pressure up, landing some very solid body punches, much of his offensive attack was nullified. In the process, he was still throwing wild, swinging punches that often connected with air.
As for Taylor, he continued to build momentum with perfectly timed counterpunches to the head and body of Kroll. In round six, Taylor would land a nice left hook that appeared to temporarily buzz Kroll. It was clear that the work-rate and effective body punching of the Texas native were playing in his favor.
Heading into the eighth and final round, it was clear that Kroll needed to do something big to pull out the victory! As the finale started, it was Kroll, now a desperate fighter, who came forward in hopes of landing something big. However, Taylor was able to offset the aggression with his jab and good movement.
At the end of eight rounds, a disappointing split draw would be announced. It was clear that Taylor had been robbed in this fight. The scores were 80-72 for Taylor, 77-75 for Kroll and 76-76 even.
If Kroll wants to become a serious contender, he’s going to have to make some major changes. He was overconfident and fought like it, which resulted in him abandoning his game plan. Let’s hope Kroll gives Taylor a rematch because this result warrants it.
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By: Jerrell Fletcher
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