Sergio Martinez would school Kelly Pavlik

On the face of it, Martinez presents quite a tricky stylistic conundrum for KP, who can be a bit of a plodder and isn’t particularly fast (either in terms of handspeed or in terms of movement/reactions). Martinez moves quickly, slips punches fluently, delivers quick pot-shots or combinations and then gets to the inside where his opponents can’t hit him. Pavlik looked very vulnerable to that kind of package against Hopkins.

But one of the most under-rated aspects of Hopkins' game that he employed in Hopkins/Pavlik was his strength. Hopkins is not a particularly big Light Heavyweight, but against a guy who should have been fighting at 160, his size advantage was noteworthy. He was heavier, more comfortable at the weight and much less sluggish that the bloated Pavlik. Crucially, this allowed Hopkins to get Pavlik's respect. There was a reason why, when he dived in with a left hook or straight right, Pavlik didn't just shake it off and throw something back over the top. When Pavlik tried to reply, it was too late; Hopkins had hit him hard, out-muscled him and then tied him up.

This strength is something that Martinez lacks. He's not even that big a puncher at 154; he's not going to hurt one of the biggest Middleweights in the last few decades.

That brings up a problem. If Martinez can’t get Pavlik’s respect, what’s to stop him just catching everything and throwing it back? Without significant physical strength (not to mention lopsided height disadvantages), what’s to stop Pavlik simply shoving Martinez off of him and unloading?

There are other problems, too. Martinez is very slick, and stopped Paul Williams landing for significant parts of the fight. That’s no mean feat: Williams is quick, and throws from all different angles, mixing up his combinations. Admittedly, Pavlik doesn’t do that; nor does he have the fleetness of foot that Williams did to close the distance. But his ability to avoid a beating deteriorates pretty rapidly as fights wear on. Even after just Round 5 against Pdub, he was panting like he’d run the Boston marathon, and then been forced through about 15 assault courses. His legs were pretty much gone, and he had to resort to walking backwards rather than giving varied lateral movement. (It happened even earlier against Margarito, and that was when he was in his athletic prime.) When that happens, your defence goes to rack and ruin. You can’t switch from outside to inside quickly enough, and you end up hanging around in the pocket.

Now, Pavlik is able to apply as much pressure as Williams and Margarito did. He has thrown in excess of 90 punches a round against tougher, stronger guys than Martinez. And when you get tired and stuck against Kelly Pavlik, you’re in deep ****. If you stand in front of him without moving, you’ll catch a jab, and the right hand is inevitably the next present. If you go inside, you’ll take a serious beating to the body. (Most of Pavlik’s opponents don’t get that far, so we don’t see him punching to the body that often; but when clinching does become an issue, such as in KP/JT II, he’ll dig hard.) If you go to the ropes (which Martinez did against Margarito), you’ll get an absolute working over to the body and head.

I don’t think Martinez can just outbox Pavlik for 12 rounds. It’s not impossible: as I mentioned above, Pavlik isn’t as fast as Williams, and might not be able to apply pressure in the same way. But KP’s power and consistent work rate, and Martinez’s lack of sufficient physical strength to slow the pace are the main reasons why I see an eventual stoppage in this one. In the first few rounds, Martinez will probably be beating KP to the punch. Eventually, Pavlik will start to catch him on the inside. Martinez will be feeling both the heat of Pavlik’s fists and the pace of the fight by about half-way, and his ability to avoid confrontation with both his head and his legs will quickly disappear. Pavlik has knocked out much more durable guys than Martinez with one punch, and so I think a stoppage will become inevitable after the early goings.

 

Yes, giant Middleweight. How many legitimate champions at 160 have been over 6' 2", or have boiled down from the weight he does?

 

He will crack Pavlik. that motha****a got some pop.


What is it with you people who think Pav is like the ****in Terminator and ****. You guys always claim he's gonna walk through someone's punches just because he outlasted the notoriously feather-fisted Jermain Taylor.


He ain't walkin through

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when Martinez catches him with a hook from nowhere

 

Oh, thanks for your wisdom, Mystic Meg.

If you're not going to bother answering my points, then you might as well just **** off out of that internet cafe and climb back into your hole.

Is Martinez stronger than Hopkins?

 

I answered your point, and I did so without trying to get personal.


You know, the thing you said about KP walking through martinez shots? That is a huge part of why you think Kp wins this fight. And I'm saying, if you, like many other KP fans think he is going to walk through martinez like he's the ****in Terminator, then you are in for a surprise.

 

Paul Williams took Martinez's best shot all night and kept coming forward. You think Paul Williams has a better chin than Kelly Pavlik, a natural middleweight that took flush punches from Hopkins at 170?

I think YOU'RE the one that's going to be in for a big surprise if the two ever fight.

 

This was supposed to be an easy fight for Williams. Same game plan they had for Kelly. Walk in and brutalize him early. Since this was a close and somewhat debatable decision win, he has to believe Martinez is a brute at 160 to believe what he wants about Williams. I brought up Cintron a couple of times before this fight happened but I don't think Martinez is really big enough to do well at MW. I don't think Pdub is either. Does Martinez hit as hard as Miranda? I don't think so.

 

I agree, or atleast give Martinez a better shot against Pavlik than Williams.

 

Martinez is a much more polished boxer than Miranda. And if you think the game plan for Martinez and Pavlik are the same, then you're definitely smoking something.


They are two completely diferent fighters, but of course, you in your infinite ESB wisdom is the only person who could figure this out George Peterson sure can't. :roll:

 

Tell me they didn't state the same game plan for both? Pdub was supposed to walk in and just polish off Pavlik quick and easy? No? Isn't that what he said? You've seen the quotes, no? Listen to the fight again. The announcers were saying that Peterson had said the same thing about Martinez before the fight. Certainly you don't think I'm smart enough to make this stuff up do you? I'm not in law school like you. :emma

 

Such was the beating that Hopkins put on Pavlik that people now say things like this, hyperbole or not.

 

Excellent post!



Sheer excellence!

 

Again, you ignore what I say and go off an your misdirection tangent I see. Some things never change. :-(

 

The announcers?


What the **** do they really know? I don't care how highly or lowly you may think of George Peterson, but even you can admit that he isn't stupid enough to just assume the same fight plan for two fighters who couldn't have more different attributes.


My god! Sometimes you just say **** and have no idea what the **** you are typing.