Brick City Boxing

By: Christopher Roche

Kelly Pavlik has momentum. His performance last September against Jermain Taylor was nothing short of incredible. Pavlik took everything Taylor had, and he rose off the canvas to knock Taylor silly.

Many people think that tomorrow night’s rematch will mirror what happened in the seventh round of the first fight, and we could be in store for an early blowout in favor of Pavlik.

One of the main reasons why many are picking Pavlik to win early is that conventional wisdom dictates Taylor is mentally shattered after the devastating loss he suffered four months ago. Teddy Atlas talks about the mental aspect of boxing every Friday night on ESPN. In the ring, there is no place to blend in and hide like there might be in team sports, where the participant can take a play off here and there. Boxing requires intense mental and emotional focus at all times during the match. An unsure fighter will not perform well and could get hurt.

Based on my observations of Jermain Taylor over the years, I believe Taylor’s mental focus will be in tact, and he will perform well. Taylor is a world-class athlete who defended one of the most prestigious titles in the world, against some very difficult opponents. Taylor was often criticized for being a boring fighter, especially because of stinkers against Cory Spinks and Kassim Ouma, but I do not attribute all of the blame to Taylor. When Taylor is in against someone who wants to fight, Taylor fights, and he fights well. Rounds 1 through 6 of the first edition of Pavlik/Taylor proved that.

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Thursday, Feb. 14, 2007

Israel Vazquez and Rafael Marquez I and II produced the most exciting, bloody, give-and-take slugfests of 2007, and inevitably have led to one of the most highly anticipated rubber matches in boxing history. Now, they battle for the World Boxing Council (WBC) 122-pound title, The Ring Magazine 122-pound crown and super bantamweight supremacy in the third and final chapter of boxing’s best rivalry in recent memory. Vazquez-Marquez III “Final Confrontation” will take place on Saturday, March 1, 2008, from The Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif.

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On the day of their tenth anniversary event, CELEBRATION, set for Friday, February 15th at Cicero Stadium, Chicago’s 8 Count Productions is receiving praises from many of professional boxing’s leaders.

Said Oscar De La Hoya, President of Golden Boy Promotions, “Golden Boy Promotions congratulates Dominic Pesoli and 8 Count Productions on their 10th anniversary. It’s always a pleasure doing business with them and we look forward to co-promoting outstanding events with them in the future. “

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Mike Alvarado, 142 vs. Jesus Rodriguez, 139, ten rounds
Francisco Rodriguez, 117.5 vs. Andre Wilson, 117.5, eight rounds
Andrzej Fonfara, 160 vs. Jorge Gonzalez, 159, six rounds
Freddie Cuevas, 160 vs. Luis Hodge, 162.5, six rounds
Ivan Popoca, 143 vs. Guadalupe Diaz, 142.5, four rounds
Alejandro Lopez, 125 vs. Torrence Ray, 129, six rounds,