Anyone have a feeling about Taylor causing an upset.

If you are taking Taylor, absolutely get on the +400 decision odds. If he couldn't get Pavlik out of there at 160, he's not going to at 166.

 

he was a wisker away from stopping him in the second round.

Im picking Taylor to win tomorrow, setting up the rubbermatch.

 

Pavlik's sparring partner picked up on a different JT at the beginning of the 6th round. JT has confirmed lately he was out of gas after 5. But, this explains why some people scored the fight so differently. Some could tell that KP's blows were better and more effective and taking their toll on JT. Some couldn't. If you favor Olympic style scoring, two touches of the glove are twice as good as one heavy shot. JT might have been winning the boxing match, KP was winning the fight.

 

I thought that Larry said that the fourth, fifth and sixth rounds were slower-paced, boxing rounds and JT was doing well. But if JT confirmed he was running out of steam, then what can I say?... I know JT can't pace himself well and burns too much energy early - you don't have to see a Pavlik round 2 to get that, just see how he was coming at Hopkins in round 2 - and that problem of his can be related with not being longsighted to a degree. Still, Manny was giving the opposite instructions to JT against Spinks and Kelly - to pound hard and fast on them early... So who's the main game plan fault, Manny's or JT's? If JT wins the boxing match all the way until the final bell, how come KP can be building a win in the mean time? I know KP's game plan has a lot to do with JT not being able to keep up the pace into the later stages...

 

Pavlik will probaly come into the ring at 175, and he's physically stronger than Taylor to begin with, more power, stamina, and KO'D him before, a BIG PCYCHOLOGICAL ADVANTAGE:deal
No way in hell JT wins this fight..

 

Let me put it another way. You get into a street fight. Do you want to be the guy having the crowd go OH & AH with impressive looking flurries or do you want to be the guy doing damage? If there is no decisive outcome, the cops come and break up the fight, the guy who impressed the crowd will be percieved to be the winner. He will know he lost the fight though. KP and JT were both shocked when they heard the judges scoring. People say JT thought he was losing because he was told that by Steward. I don't buy it. KP was landing the more telling shots overall and JT knew it. That as much as anything was wearing JT out. Do you really believe he went to the Steward Pocono training camp and 'half assed' it? Away from his family and all distractions? He has to tell himself that now. But lets face it, after the fact we all believe we could have done better or trained harder or whatever. I wonder if anyone ever asked Smoger how he would have called it?

 

Also, see this link: [url]http://www.hbo.com/boxing/events/2008/0216_pavlik_taylor/columns/compubox_pre.html[/url]

 

Iv backed Taylor to win the rematch the day I saw him get knocked out.

I know JT can box smarter than he did before, there were encouraging signs from the first fight, Taylor def had Pavlik going. I think if he uses the first four round to pick up point then let go with the right hands he cand ef beat KP. he cant get drawn into a battle straight away, that just gives Kelly his best shot to win.

My guess would be Taylor on pts but wouldnt be surprised by a late TKO win either. Its def a good fight.

 

Who said everyone? Not at all. Anyone can have an off night, especially with added distractions. Not everyone is from a small town and gets the type of attention & pressure of carrying the whole town on their back. In addition, Kelly, like everyone posting how Jermain simply cannot win, seems a bit too over confident. Kelly prior to previous fight seemed to respect JT more than this time around, which is an indication he feels he has it in the bag simply because he brutally ko'd JT before. He needs to understand this is a new fight and anything can happen, and do his business as usual.

 

Just to interject - I also had Taylor ahead in the cards, he was giving KP a boxing lesson in precise clean punches. I was actually shocked the ref didn't stop it when KP started doing the wet noodle leg dance.

 

Well, the outcome shows it would have been totaly wrong to stop the fight because KP wasn't stopped. I can't believe this keeps coming up. Smoger was PROVEN CORRECT. Period.

 

I'm not saying he wasn't. But if he had stopped the fight NO-ONE in their right mind could have blamed him. Infact I was pretty much just waiting for JT to land that next solid shot to end the fight, it just never happened. By the time the next clean effective shot landed, KP was out of the daze and his feet were back underneath him.