Pavlik....New Ring Middleweight Champ!!

cant wait to give MSTR his new avatar! Pavlik really looked the goods, those straight right hands are dead set brutal. He did well to clear his head after getting belted and came back to get a massive win.

 

Dunno if Taylor will take that fight - i think he should avoid it though. Pavlik would have an even bigger advantage at 168 IMO - he would probably feel really comfortable with the extra 8 pounds to play with. I think Taylor will eventually move up but will want to fight Kessler or Calzaghe rather than a rematch with Pavlik

 

Taylor has the tools to win a rematch, but tbh, a rematch could play out very similar to how this one did.
Taylor hasn't looked that great in his last 3 fights now, and he certainly hasn't taken the steps forward everyone thought he would after he beat Hopkins.

I tipped Taylor to win, but was not confident at all.

 

check the vcash bitches :deal

 

I picked Pavlik but without a massive amount of confidence either, I knew that as a boxer Kelly was limited but at the same time I questioned Taylors chin, defence, ability under pressure and lack of improvement/developement.

However Taylors' chin proved atleast average imo, he fought well off the ropes despite being pushed to them, defence was leaky but he had good head movement at times... he showed improvement imo, and fought a lot less tentatively. I didn't think the world of him before the fight, but his stock actually went up a bit for me, I think he has potential, atleast greater potential than Pavlik.

In Pavlik i see a good pressure fighter, but I think he's being overrated on the whole. As a puncher/offensive fighter some flaws exist, are a solid long jab, but it's inconsistent at times and can be countered (occasionally pushed, and his jab often drops straight down to the waist then comes up), so it's good offensively but hardly a perfect jab. Punching form isn't terribly tight at times, often telegraphs power shots, occasionally arm punches, hand speed is decent not great. His defence is obviously leaky due to some of his bad offensive habits combined with slower hands (than say Taylor, who might get away with a few more things due to quicker, hands, legs and reflexes).

On the plus side like I said the jab is good offensively, when he hurts somebody he picks his punches and finishes well, has a good variety of punches, has a good workrate, is a strong puncher when using proper form. Also has a big heart as we saw.

I hope he fights Abraham so I can dish out a few avatars, Abraham I feel has the right qualities to beat Pavlik. He'll get Pavlik to open right up, as Kelly pushes into middle range and wails away on his arms (Kelly like to push into his opponent and pressure, he won't exploit his size/reach to the maximum against Abraham because of that, not amazing mover anyway... though Abraham is often pretty stationary if someone's comming to him, but it works for him). There's a danger of Arthur being outworked to a decision, but his power combined with solid counterpuncing, toughness and Kellys' bad defensive habits on the attack will get him a stoppage win I feel.

That said, Abraham isn't amazing either, to me the middles aren't as impressive as the super-middles. Though that Irish fighter Manny has in his stable looks very promising, could be the real future of middleweight.

 

what a great fight and the berto fight before it was a corker too.pavlik is the man the way he come back after the 2nd.

 

Killa win for Pavlik.
It was one of this years great matches.
So much excitement with both boxers hurt at different times.

 

I cant beleive how partial those commentators where. To me Pavlik won the first round and the third. They never mentioned the power jabs he was landing cleanly. Even in that final round. They were ignoring the clean shots until Taylor was in the corner getting violated. They ought to be thrown out with the trash.

 

Taylor was winning at time of stoppage in my opinion. He was easily the more skilled of the two and landing great combos. Pavlik isnt that great a fighter but he does a few things in the ring well that serves him good.

Taylor can win the rematch but i want him to get KO'd again

 

If you watch the 2nd round closely at the closing stages it was Taylor hanging onto Pavlik, Smoger had to physically remove Taylor grip on Pavlik as he refused to listen to Smogers direction to break the clinch. Taylor was exhausted after such a high power punch output. He mentioned this in the post fight press conference that he was exhausted.

I think Taylor's stocks rose. He had a red hot dig, did is best fought a good fight and because he got tired and lazy was starting to get hit by Pavlik and Pavlik has such power that thats a one way ticket to doom and that happened in the 7th. He is a far superior boxer than Pavlik but Pavliks power and chin and consistent strategy overwhelmed him.

I chose Taylor on points because I though his speed would rack up ronds and he would stay out of trouble. Alas not but more power to Pavlik and I hope he convincingly beats Abraham and the fight is in the US and not Germany