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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Pavlik’s biggest assets are his toughness and his punching power. Taylor is no slouch himself, and Pavlik said after the first fight that “Jermain hits like a mule”. Taylor has one weapon that Pavlik does not, however, and that is speed. When I was ringside for the first bout, Taylor’s speed advantage was obvious, and he was well ahead on the scorecards.

Taylor got caught largely because Manny Steward erroneously told him he was losing the fight, and Taylor stood toe to toe with Pavlik more than he should have in the seventh round. Taylor has since rid himself of Steward, and he has returned to basics with longtime advisor Ozell Nelson. If Taylor is training as hard as he says he is, then he should look even better tomorrow night then he did in the first half of the first fight.

Pavlik is undoubtedly out to prove that the seventh round of the first meeting was not a fluke. Pavlik will also have a strong group of supporters willing him on. However, Pavlik does not have as much at stake as Taylor does. Pavlik’s title is not on the line, and win or lose, Pavlik will have a lucrative title defense in June. Taylor, on the other hand, is fighting for his legacy, and I think he knows that. Taylor can only redeem himself by putting on his best performance. Pavlik has to be cautious he does not fall into the trap of complacency.

I think the first Pavlik/Taylor bout was the fight of the year, and tomorrow night’s fight will measure up nicely to the first edition. I am predicting a great show in Las Vegas, and I am once again predicting a Taylor win. After all, I had him up 5-1 in the first bout, before he went to sleep.