I may be a bit late on this, but I didnt see anything on the first few pages on the forums so...... ESPN reporting that they have finally closed the deal on the fight. Sept 29th....all signed and ready to go!!!! One thing I did see is that if Pavlik wins there will be a rematch clause at SMW.... http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=2940614
Indeed. Pavlik is gonna destroy HBO hype-job Taylor. :nod They won't be able to get him a gift decision this time....... :-( :happy
I want to see Taylor loses in emphatic fashion after his gift draw versus Winky. Pavlik's just a brawler but he may well get the job done in this fight.
Thats what I am saying. These guys seem like angry Taylor haters (we KNOW zakman hates the guy). Say what ya want about the guy...but he definately dont duck nobody....always takes on the toughest fight there are to make (I mean, who else fights Ouma as a tuneup???). And seems willing to fight the best he can at any given night. And this gift draw vs Winky thing is ******ed. Why are people still hung up on that? It was a close fight that couldve went either way (I actually scored it a draw). A gift draw is what Chavez got vs Whitaker. This fight couldve went either way. Get over it....
There is nothing I would like more than for Pavlik to lay Taylor out. The guy doesn't even respect his own title. BUT, this is a MASSIVE step up in competition for Pavlik.
Nice to see that this fight is going to happen after all. Another big fight for Taylor, like someone said Ouma as a tune-up type fight speaks volumes about him. This is a tough fight to call. Pavlik is one of the hottest guys in boxing and Taylor is unfairly one of the colder ones. So it's easy to just give a knee-jerk reaction type answer and say Pavlik. I'm not positive on that. I think I'd have to favor Pavlik because I think he matches up well with Taylor. I like his size, power, and attitude to be too much for Taylor. I think he ends up winning a decision over the champ. Taylor will make it very rough and the fight should be a good one. Credit to everyone involved in making this one happen on regular HBO and not Ppv.
It's not just his gift draw against WInky, it's also his two gift decisions against Hopkins before that, and the fact that he's taken on nothing but light-hitters moving up from the lower weights since!! atsch Face it, Taylor's a FRAUD. :yep Pavlik is gonna show it emphatically by knocking this hype job OUT.
I won't have to - Pavlik is gonna annihilate him early. Taylor couldn't even knock out shaky-chinned Cory Spinks - he sure as hell won't knock out a real MW. However, since the only real MW he ever fought at the world class level wobbled him, things don't look so good for him remaining verticle against a heavy-hitter like Pavlik.:-( Pavlik by early KO - and I'm REAL confident about this one, too!!:yep
I like Pavlik and HOPE he lays out Taylor, but I honestly think that is a dream. I don't see him knocking Taylor out and so then it goes to the cards where Taylor will obviously have the advantage. I see it going to Taylor by decision but hope it doesn't end up that way.