Yahoo poll....Pavlik vs Calzaghe

On the money.

Slightly harder than Lacy but still an exhibition by Calzaghe.

 

yawnatsch

 

For me it is difficult to compare Kelly Pavlik to other middleweights. He reminds me a bit of of a couple top guys at much lighter weights. Like Arguello he fights tall, has mediocre hand speed and slow feet, but he makes up for the lack of hand speed and footwork with very good timing. Like Danny Lopez he has an almost insane workrate, his defense is leaky, and if ya knock him down, he's gonna get up and kill ya. Like Arguello and Lopez both he will probably always have trouble with really slick, technically sound boxers.

Joe Calzaghe is not technically sound. He is often wide open for left hooks, uppercuts, and lead rights. Joe may be able to diminsh Pavlik's jab, but he will not completely nullify it. Moreover, any one who believes that Pavlik cannot capatilize on Joe's weaknesses with left hooks, uppercuts, and lead rights, especially to the body, simply has not seen enough of Pavlik's career. Kelly has not been in the ring with anyone like Joe, but his resume says pretty clearly that everytime he steps up to the next level he walks away with a win.

 

Calzaghe vs Pavlik makes no sense whatsoever.

 

Pavlik is not some great counterpuncher to capatalize on these mistakes Joe makes. Hopkins is the worst style out there for Calzaghe but he was still able to adjust and come out with a W, whereas Pavlik is at a HUGE disadvantage as far as styles go.

 

I have never claimed that Pavlik was a "good" counter puncher let alone a "great" one. Nor have I ever drawn any conclusions about Pavlik/Calzaghe based on the Hopkins fight. Based on a head to head analysis, and using analytical skills that come from amatuer boxing and 40 plus years of following the sport, my prediction is Pavlik KO10 Calzaghe. That has been my prediction since the Kessler fight, and until Joe proves me wrong I won't change it.

Joe is not some super-boxer. He's a pressure fighter with a crazy work rate, great stamina, and a decent chin. He is so fundamentally flawed that his style reminds me of an epileptic ****** on crack. The myth of Joe being so good at "adjusting" to his opponent is just that: A myth. What he really does is just pick up the pace and increase the pressure.

The MAIN reason he beat Kessler was that Joe seemed more than willing to leave everything in the ring. Kessler was not willing to let it all hang out.

Kelly will go in knowing that he is in the fight of his life, and trust me, that boy can't even spell quit. You don't need to be a great counter puncher to land on Joe. What you have to do is HIT HIM BACK, unlike Hopkins and Kessler. People seem to be under this illusion that all Pavlik has in his arsenal is a jab and a straight right. The facts are quite different from the illusion. The boy has ended fights with left hooks to both the head and the body, uppercuts, and lead rights to both the head and the body. He has also put guys on their ass with a single jab! In addition he has turned the tide of a couple fights with body shots. Other than the jab these are all punches that Joe is wide open to much of the time, and you don't have to be Salvador Sanchez to catch him with them!

Pavlik/Calzaghe is one of those fights that just has to happen. I personally will be sorely disappointed if it doesn't.

 

I think Joe takes a UD or late stopage win

 

Two guys close in weight and neither has a loss yet. You are going to have to elaborate on this one friend.