Rubio did take some wicked shots well. He did a good high guard. He rolled well and used motion to shock absorb shots well. Used the ropes well to try and lure Kelly into range and get careless. The one thing Kelly did was leave some openings for counters that he CANNOT do against Abraham. But the way Kelly used his range can mitigate that even if he doesn't close down that opening. He will have more of that against AA than he did against Rubio. This fight was a nice tuneup for Pavlik/Abraham. Rubio did Pavlik a big favor.
Hermit and Boo, please don't compare Rubio with Abraham. Pav has this reach advantage you're talking about and yes, he may have been more patient, but AA is a totally different foe. AA won't run away all the time. He will do his ropeadope thing and he will use his tight guard, but he will also bang. Rubio wasn't able to hurt Pav, AA is and we don't know what happens then.
Regarding Rubio's game plan: Even if his game plan looked somewhat similiar to Arthur's, you shouldn't jump to a conclusion, because it's not the game plan which is the decisive factor, it's the person who executes it.
Read all of my posts. Kelly left some opportunities to counter. Rubio couldn't pull the trigger. AA will. HOWEVER, reach is still key in this scenario. Kelly was able to work Rubio's guard "at range". This is even more pronounced with AA. Rubio did very well from a defensive standpoint. He did many things well. This is EXACTLY what Kelly needed. Rubio did Kelly an unexpected favor.
Isn't it fair to say that Rubio is a better fighter than when he fought Kofi and he fought Kelly differently than he normally fights, more conservatively?
Fair. On ESB? :huh Weight drained at 154 makes a difference. It takes days to properly rehydrate. KO more likely if too severe. He had a different game plan. Would have worked better 1 fight ago. Team Pavlik has moved on.
Rubio would be one of AA's best wins if they ever fought. But everyone is so critical of Pavlik's performance tonight. No one is ever this critical of AA's wins. Outside of miranda he hasnt done jack ****.
Can't argue with that one :conf He did okay, but I really don't think it was a great comeback statement like Cotto's was... But to Pavlik's defense...Rubio I think had far more heart than Jennings did. Not to knock on Jennings because I was impressed that he came out after the 4th to try and recover from the KDs...but he was TKO'd nonetheless. Rubio on the other hand looked like he was on the verge of being KO'd and actually fought back at times...being defiant till the bitter end. This could be because of Pavlik's predictability, but he WAS getting nailed with the same if not MORE devastating shots than Jennings...
I thought Kelly was workman like in his victory. His jab was good but to be honest he didnt have alot to worry about as Rubio went straight into survival mode. And in defense of Pavlik it is hard to knockout a guy who is in this kind of mode. As for Kelly mixing his work up, he did, but he wasnt anything special, i think he has been overated since the first Jermain Taylor fight, and im not being wise after the event but i called the Hopkins fight, because Pavlik is one paced and i dont think he changed all that much in the Rubio fight. Pavliks punching power is overated i think, i would say he is more heavy handed as for a natural one punch hitter. On that performance it makes you wonder whether he is the number 1 in the division.
Pavlik obviously could have stopped him sooner but he was just working on a few things. Not a bad idea. I saw improvement tonight. I was glad to see him work on boxing rather then just blow Rubio out in a few rounds which he could have.