Andre Ward vs Kelly Pavlik January 26th HBO....

Ward is the best in the division and indeed one of the best in boxing. Moreover I expect him to win the fight.

Nonetheless I suspect that Kelly will be more competitive than some realize.

 

Why is this even going down ? What has Pavlik done to get a crack at the man at super middle ? Well Pavlik will be taking another step backwards !

 

You know he beat Rubio, right?

 

Ward has looked okay, good, and really good in most of his fights, but he has never looked unbeatable. In certain portions of some of his fights I saw a guy that would get brutally Pavlikated.

Ward's two biggest problems are his dodgy chin and his questionable stamina. If he gets hurt like he did against Boone and Froch, Pavlik will finish him. Think about that for a moment. Darnell Boone and Carl Froch put Ward into serious trouble, and yet, virtually no one in the boxing world believes Pavlik can present problems for Ward. Really?

In recent weeks I reviewed all of Ward's fights from Boone to Dawson. Anyone who looks at Ward with any kind of objectivity has to conclude that he has a relatively small gas tank. Anytime Andre Ward has to work hard in a fight, he's visibly tired after 8 rounds, and exhausted after 10 rounds.

I've seen all of Pavlik's fights from his debut to Rosinsky, and I've watched many of them multiple times. Kelly tends to get stronger as the fight wears on. Give Carl Froch Pavlik's power, stamina, and left hook, and Andre gets knocked out.

Way back when I was a little kid I picked Clay over Liston. Sonny Liston was suppose to stop Ali in the first 2 or 3 rounds. Didn't happen that way.

The first Ali/Chuvalo fight was suppose to be a joke that would rob boxing of all credibility. Ask Ali if that fight was "a joke!"

Arguello's crew planned a 2 round fight with Ray Mancini. Didn't happen that way.

Douglas was suppose to be a soft touch for Tyson, and -- well -- you know . . .

All the guys I worked with literally laughed at me when I picked Holyfield over Tyson. I had the last laugh.

I have been a boxing fan for fifty years. The historical record speaks for itself. Upsets are usually not all that surprising, and "joke fights" regularly turn out to be epic battles. The unpredictability of boxing is a huge part of what makes it the greatest sport in the world.

Kelly Pavlik is a 30 year old former world champion, and one of only 5 men in history who won the linear middleweight crown while still undefeated. He is a veteran of 42 fights. He is also a multimillionaire. Starting very early in his career Kelly claimed he would retire at age 30. It's time for Kelly to go big, or go home, and I am looking forward to this fight.

 

Yeah and who's he beat since then ?

 

Yes but who has he beat since then ? Journey men after journey men ..

 

I am interested in which shape Kelly is if he is in good shape he will make this a good fight. BUT I think Ward is just too much too versatile for Kelly here..

I would love to see Pavlik landing one, just one of his missile of a right hands to Ward chin and I think we all know Ward would be in serious trouble.

 

Ward was due a gimme fight after the opposition he's faced the past few years.

 

HBO obviously want to turn Ward into a PPV fighter. He's American, he's smart, he's eloquent, he's God fearing - and he's good. I bet they're seeing $$$$$.

Pavlik will raise his profile some more if nothing else.

 

To be fair, he hasnt exactly done much wrong in the ring.

His last loss was to Martinez who is right up these on the p4p stakes and who he gave trouble to,along with K.O.ing him.

His only other loss was to a guy who was 2 divisions above him at the time.

In the ring Pavlik hasnt dont much wrong to be considered a bum or anything of the sort. Hes pretty much as good as most guys in then division,not named "Ward".

 

And NEWWWW!!!!!

 

Ward's already the champ, though.

 

Lol at booradley saying Ward has a dodgy chin.

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Pavliks best win since JT is ****ing Rubio whos claim to fame is losing every round to a hype job Lemeuix, than knocking out a fighter who gassed himself out going for the Ko. Couldnt even beat ****ing Chave jr. OMG Rubios such a beast:rofl


This fights a joke and wont even be close. Pavlik got dominated by an old Hopkins and busted up by a Martinez. Gtfo anyone who thinks Pavlik had a chance.


"Oh Pavlik can maybe sorta land a lucky shot"

Lol **** off!

 

The boxing media, and so called "hardcore" boxing fans, have rarely been realistic about Pavlik. If I felt like taking the time, I could drag up at least two articles that claimed he would have his hands full with Bronco McKart. The Pavlik/Miranda fight was a set up that was suppose to turn Miranda into the next middleweight superstar. Vegas odds on Pavlik/Taylor I were 8:5 in favor of JT.

When KP detroys his opponents and ruins their post Pavlik careers like he did Zertuche, Miranda, and Taylor, "he's just a crude slugger who fought soft opposition."

When he fights a smart, patient fight like Taylor II, Rubio, and Rosinsky, "he's not the fighter he used to be."

He scored a knock down or a knock out in 3 of his last 4 fights, but "he has no power at '68."

When a half drunk and weight drained Pavlik loses a hard fought 7-5 decision to a top 5 pound for pound fighter, "he got destroyed and humiliated."

And on and on it goes. In Hermit's public poll I picked Ward by close decision, and I'll stick with that. Many of the rest of you would do well to remember that the chances of Ward fighting a sick and injured Pavlik like BHop did, or a half drunk and weight drained Pavlik like Martinez did, are very slim. Furthermore, in spite of all the hoopla, Andre Ward does not pose the same kind of stylistic problems that Bernard and Sergio did. At the end of the day, most of the predictions and comments I read are somewhere between ridiculous and preposterous. Don't be surprised if this turns into the toughest fight of Ward's career.

 

Agreed. HBO even had Ward on the broadcast for Cotto/Mayweather, before Ward had even fought on HBO. They are going big on him.