Pavlik/Abraham: A Closer Look.

Abraham may be the most durable middleweight Pavlik will ever face. However, the legend of Arthur's chin revolves almost entirely around the first Miranda fight. Edison Miranda has almost zero finishing skills.

If you look a bit deeper into Arthur's resume', a radically different picture emerges.

Marquez has a respectable KO ratio around 67%, but he is an old light middle who has NEVER stopped a middleweight. If you go back as far as Ikeke, and work your way forward, you will see that Arthur's previous opponents average KO ratio was around 40%.

Arthur got his face mangled by the only big puncher he has ever faced. It takes a hell of a man to continue fighting the way he did, but a better finisher would have stopped him.

Pavlik is one of the best finishers in the business, and he does not have to hit an opponent in the chin to finish him. Zuniga and McKart, while not on the same level with Arthur, are certainly VERY durable. Kelly stopped Zuniga on cuts around the eyes. He starched McKart with a body shot. In other words, there's more than one way to finish a man. There are 7 or 8 guys on Pav's record who had never been stopped before.

He'll stop Arthur in about 8 rounds, and then Rico Spadafora will start a thread about Arthur's glass jaw:hey

 

I've actually been thinking about posting a formal thank you, so I guess I will.

Gentleman, thanks for a great conversation. Lots of valid points and open minded discusion of facts an opinions by some damn fine posters.

Special Thanks Too:

Golden Child
Hermit
Pipe Wrenched
Tom Tocca
Ocelet
Body Snatcher
Montero
Chuchulain

Now let's just hope that the promoters and santioning bodies don't **** this up with bad ideas, and/or meaningless mandatories. I'm convinced that if it were up to just Kelly and Arthur they'd settle this thing right quick.

 

Miranda pretty much relies on one shot power. Like with Banks, ****, I had him losing those first few rounds, and BANG -- he knocks Banks clear through the ropes. Edisin has tremendous one shot power, but I certainly would not classify him as a great finisher.

Pavlik is a different animal. If he so much as buzzes you, he's probably gonna close the show. McKart made what I think is the definitive statement on KP as a finisher: "It's not that he hits ya that hard. It's just that everything he lands has somethin' on it."

Abraham finished Miranda with a series of shots AFTER he landed that freaking bazooka he nailed Edison with. Arthur got a little sloppy, but he stayed on him and got the job done.

Miranda, as a finisher, is nowhere near either guy.

At a little lower level, watch Zuniga put Oganov away. Oganov probably would have survived Miranda.

But, yes, saying "Zero finishing skills", is pure hyperbole.

 

We'd have the added drama that so far both men are batting a thousand in rematches.