By Rick Reeno

This Saturday night, Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs) from Little Rock, Arkansas will defend his WBC/WBO middleweight titles against mandatory challenger Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs) of Youngstown, Ohio.

Taylor has successfully defended his middleweight titles against the likes of Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma, and Cory Spinks. But now he must get past his strongest challenger to date. No fighter has been able to last the distance with Pavlik since 2004.

The staff of BoxingScene.com comes together to voice their opinions, strategies and predictions for the big fight.

Tim Smith - A tough fight for Jermain Taylor, but could be a repeat of Taylor-Hopkins I where Taylor squeaks past Kelly Pavlik. Taylor by split decision.

Dan Creighton - I've got Jermain Taylor in a decision.

Lem Satterfield - Jermain Taylor, either by late-round stoppage or unanimous decision.

His jab will set the pace throughout the fight and perhaps inflict significant facial damage to cause the fight to be stopped.

Michael Katz - At last, a fight. Who cares who picks whom. A fight. Kelly Pavlik by decision

"JC" Casarez - Pavlik by unanimous decision. I see Kelly using his size and better boxing skill to outwork the defending champion. With Taylor's decline in his last couple of fights I still see him as someone who is confused about what identity he wants take in the ring. Even under the watchful eye of Manny Steward, he will not be able to overcome the stronger punching Pavlik.

Jose Aguirre - In his last bout Kelly Pavlik turned out (Con) Edison Miranda's lights, possibly for not paying his bill. Some say that skills pay the bills and on this night Pavlik showed his along with heart & punching power.
 
On Jermain Taylor's last outing he couldn't even blow out the fuse of Cory Spinks, let alone dim his lights. Seemed like Jermain had an electrical short along his line of power.

Taking these two last fights into consideration, one has to wonder if we'll see the same fighters come Saturday night. In Pavlik's case I hope we do. For Taylor, we better not. I have to disagree with Bob Arum in regards to Kelly Pavlik being better than the future hall of famer Thomas "Hitman" Hearns but also with Lou Dibella that Kelly Pavlik is not on Taylor's level.

Kelly Pavlik will be the new middleweight champion by decision.

Bradley Yeh - I believe that you have to be careful when considering dismissing, the so called one-dimensional fighters; as Taylor has insisted of Pavlik.

After all sometimes it pays to keep things simple and non-complicated, particularly if delivering power is your game, rather than racking up the points. Think Julio Ceasar Chavez. No frills there, and that boy was called 1 dimensional more times than Greg Haugen probably cares to admit. That said, the fight this weekend between the Ghost and Bad Intentions is not without intrigue.

I've always thought Taylor was way more skilled than Pavlik, too much perhaps. But this is not the amateurs where all those skills almost always pay dividends in points when the final bell rings. Besides Pavlik appears to have substituted any loss of fluidity and seamless combination punching (which is my interpretation of Taylor’s 1 dimensional comment) with power  and determination – just ask Miranda.

Personally, I think Taylor was more concerned about Miranda than he would care to admit. And the fact that Taylor has the experience with better fighters than Pavlik, but that Pavlik seriously destroyed Miranda, adds to this fight’s interest and makes the prediction particularly challenging for me.

I don’t care how good you are, to fight Miranda the way Pavlik did, means Taylor had better make sure he gets respect early and doesn’t run out of steam late. And by Taylor’s account we should see him running rings around Pavlik now that they're both orthodox fighters.

I had originally favored Taylor in this fight when it was first announced. That has not changed. I'm picking Taylor to win, but if the fight is finished early my money is on Pavlik.
 
Bob Cannobio - I'm going with Jermain Taylor by split decision.

Cliff Rold - Pavlik by knockout in nine. This could easily go either way but for me the difference will be camp cohesion.  Team Taylor may look good on Countdown camera, but the type of strife aired in the corner for Taylor-Spinks doesn't go away easy.  Taylor has become increasingly easy to discourage since the first Hopkins fight and if Pavlik can take his right hand what is Taylor's Plan B?  I look for Pavlik to overcome his lack of experience with better mental resolve in this contest.

Amy Green - Kelly Pavlik will force Jermain to fight more than he ever has in his career, especially in his most recent outings: Hopkins, Wright, Ouma and Spinks. This will be a hard fought war, but Pavlik will earn the decision. He is an older wiser person than in the Olympics when he and Taylor first met and wants and deserves this victory more than Taylor. Pavlik doesn't spend his time telling people what he has in his arsenal to anybody that will listen- local media or HBO. He sends his message in the ring and and lets his hands do the talking. On the 29th Pavlik's message will  be loud and clear when he pounds out a victory over Jermain Taylor.

Alphonso Costello - Little boys with girly names grow up to become pulverizing punchers. And Kelly Pavlik is just that a tremendous pulverizing puncher. It's very easy to jump on the Pavlik bandwagon and pick him to defeat the stagnant middleweight champion Jermain Taylor. But I believe Taylor will prove his skeptics wrong and defeat Pavlik in a close and entertaining battle.

George M. Phillips - Pavlik will win with an 8th round knockout.  This will not be an easy fight for either man.  Both will taste the canvas at some point in the fight.  Pavlik will keep chasing Taylor similar to what he did with Miranda.  Taylor will test Pavlik's chin as he can throw faster combinations, but Pavlik will eventually wear down and frustrate Taylor on route to winning the Middleweight Championship of the world.

Dave Sholler - Without a doubt, the middleweight champion of the world holds the keys to this bout. As we rapidly approach fight night in Atlantic City, one must wonder which Jermain Taylor will show up. Will the hungry kid from Little Rock, Arkansas enter Boardwalk Hall with his patented jab and fight-ending right hand? Or, will the Atlantic City faithful be treated to a complacent champion who does just enough to eek out a victory?

For everyone yearning for a throwback-style fight, here’s to hoping Taylor brings his “A” game. Against Pavlik, he will not win with anything less. The 28-year-old Taylor must come prepared to trade punches, command the ring, and listen to his coveted trainer, Emanuel Steward. If the champ keeps the fight in the center of the ring and rediscovers his slick jab, he should cruise.

What Jermain should do and what Jermain will do is another story, though. In his recent bouts, he has looked uninspired and has refused to use the fundamental skills that gained him champion’s status. Even though he vows to listen to Steward on Sept. 29, where will he be mentally if he gets peppered with heavy shots early and is forced to respond? Will the starving, win-at-all costs fighter come out? Or, will he be backed into a corner and stick his head in his shell?

As you can see, Jermain Taylor has a lot of questions to answer in this fight. On the flip side, while the general public is just becoming familiar with Pavlik, they don’t have as many questions about him as one might expect. To many fans’ delight, all the answers are written across Pavlik’s face. For the general public, Pavlik’s desire to win is glaringly evident. He talks, runs, eats, sleeps, and fights hungry. With that said, don’t be too surprised if he is quickly embraced by the Boardwalk Hall fans. After all, this is a group that lived and died with another gritty fighter, Arturo Gatti. They like underdogs and blue-collar types and are eager to embrace a new star.

In the end, I’m sticking with the prediction I made when the fight was first announced. Even though I do believe Taylor is more focused, I can’t see him squeaking by Pavlik. I don’t think he beat Bernard Hopkins or Winky Wright and I don’t see him defeating Pavlik. Like the aforementioned bouts, though, this one could be called a toss up. Nevertheless, Pavlik’s goal should be to take the judges out of the equation with his nasty power.

Prediction: Pavlik stops Taylor in the 8th round.

Ronnie Nathanielsz - Kelly Pavlik is certainly one of the more exciting fighters to come along in recent years which is good for boxing. He doesn't back off which will suit Taylor who can counter-punch effectively. My feeling is that Pavlik may be a little too inexperienced at this point in his career to take on Taylor who is a smart fighter who moves well, has good hand speed and can punch.
 
Taylor needs to put on a good show and I think this is the time to do it and win back the fans.

TK Stewart - This is a fight where it's a case of one guy that is peaking, in Kelly Pavlik, and another that has likely already peaked or has not yet even found his peak, in Jermain Taylor.  I go by the adage that you're only as good as your last fight.  That being the case, Pavlik comes into this fight having had a career best performance against Edison Miranda, whereas Taylor comes into the fight having just scraped past Cory Spinks via split decision.  Taylor's last few fights have highlighted his many stylistic flaws.  While on the other hand, Pavlik's last few fights have shone a bright spotlight on his various strengths.  I see this fight being close in the early rounds and it will likely be even on the cards after the mid-point.  After that, however, I feel that Pavlik will begin to pull away from Taylor and his heavier, more accurate power punches will begin to sap away Taylor's energy.  Pavlik will demonstrate superior technique and conditioning, he'll execute a masterful gameplan and he will not be denied from winning, what I'm sure will the first of multiple titles for himself in his career.  My feeling is that a puffy-faced Jermain Taylor will quit or Manny Steward will have to step in to save him.  Look for it to happen somewhere after the tenth round.

James Blears - Kelly Pavlik is the hungrier of the two, and he's got to bring along his keenest appetite to win the titles. He must press the action and maintain a high tempo throughout to force Jermain Taylor to fight outside his comfort zone.

Kelly has the much harder punch power, but Jermain has the far greater experience at top level. However, I think that Jermain has already outgrown this division and as the fight wears on, the boiling down process to make the weight might tell on him, more than it ever has before. Kelly isn't going to outbox Jermain, so he'll have to outfight and outwork him.

Kelly will win a unanimous decision, but he'll have to concentrate and keep his wits about him, as any technical errors or shortfalls are likely to be pounced upon and punished. 

Brent Matteo Alderson - I've always thought very highly of Taylor and made significant wagers on his two bouts with Hopkins and wasn't too critical of his performances against Wright and Ouma because Winky is one of the best pure boxers in the world and Ouma is a punching machine with a granite chin, but I was completely turned off by his win over Spinks. I know Cory is a slick boxer, but he wasn't even a hard puncher at 147 pounds and Taylor showed him way too much respect and because of that I've arrived to the conlcusion that other observers came to a while ago that Taylor hasn't improved and that he may have degressed.  He is a big middleweight and he's approaching 30 so making weight may be taking it's toll.  Still even though Kelly has earned this fight and is an exciting pressure volume puncher with some pop, I'm still going with Taylor.  He's got the experience and has proven that he can take a punch.  I like Taylor by a ninth round TKO stoppage from swelling or cuts or by decision of the 116-112 variety.  I wish this fight was publicsized a little bit better because it's a good one, definitely one of the year's ten best, at least on paper.

John Hively - Tough call to make. Taylor is a real champion, not a pretender like Miranda. Jermain has a hand speed advantage over Pavlik, especially that right hand. Pavlik could wear him down, he's the harder puncher. Taylor can outbox Kelly, probably can't stop him. I see Taylor taking a lead, Pavlik coming on strong by the middle rounds. The fight could go either way. Taylor should be the favorite, but I'll go with Pavlik by a tight decision.

Jake Donovan - Taylor and the rest of the world will find out the hard way that there's more than power to Pavlik's game. No doubt the kid can crack - but the kid can also box. Don't be fooled by his "defense as a rumor" style of fighting; on the offensive front, there's very little Pavlik can't do. And even if opponents can hit his chin from a mile away, Kelly's taking it and giving right back. Taylor's coming into the ring with a huge chip on his shoulder, fed up with the talks that he's overrated and long overdue for one to go against him. Maybe that brings out the best JT we've seen to date, but I still don't believe it to be enough to survive and conquer the incoming - or even to see the final bell.

Sammy Rozenberg - Don't believe the hype, Jermain Taylor will box Kelly Pavlik's ears off.
 
Sergio Martinez - In Pavlik-Taylor the boxing world gets the chance to see two young, strong middleweights in their physical primes do battle for 160 pound supremacy.  “Bad Intentions’” questionable championship reign can be solidified this Saturday night if the Little Rock, Arkansas native is able to emphatically takeout Pavilk who is seen as the division’s legitimate top contender.  For Kelly Pavlik, a victory would be the crowning achievement in a career that has been marred with setbacks due to injuries and “The Ghost” would finally live up to his speculated “potential”.
 
It should be an interesting fight which will feature a lot of two-way action as both of these combatants are aggressive and very hungry for the victory.  I am going to go with Pavlik by late round stoppage as “The Ghost” is red-hot and has been properly groomed for this very moment by his promoting powerhouse: Top Rank.         

Ernest Gabion - Kelly Pavlik by knockout in nine.

Jaime Estrada - Kelly Pavlik by decision as a winner by decision.

Larry Tornambe - Pavlik surprises Taylor early with his power.  Pavlik has to chase Taylor for awhile and the champ catches Pavlik on the way in and has his moments in rounds 11 and 12. But it's too late and the decision goes to Kelly Pavlik.

Don Colgan - Jermain Taylor by knockout in eleven. Jermain Taylor down from a flash knockdown by the third. Brutal punchfest with Taylor assuming control by round 8 and the challenger cut badly.

Rick Reeno - Very tough fight to call. On one hand, Jermain Taylor has fought a level of competition that is heads and shoulders above anyone that Kelly Pavlik has faced in his career. On the other hand, Taylor's performances have been average to terrible in his last three outings.

Pavlik has been on a major roll in his career. The brutal knockout of Edison Miranda made him a household name among most boxing fans.

Other than Bernard Hopkins, I can't remember too many legit middleweights that Taylor has ever faced in his career. In the weeks leading up to his fight with Hopkins, he took a lot of heat from the boxing pubic for fighting blown-up junior middleweights. Ouma, who pressed Taylor hard, is ready to move down to 147-pounds and Cory Spinks was easily knocked hurt by an even smaller Zab Judah, also at 147. Taylor never came close to stopping Ouma or Spinks, and he let both of them control the tempo of the fight.

According to my scorecards, Taylor lost to Hopkins the first time around and to Spinks in his last ring appearance. Pavlik has a very weak defense, easy to hit, but his chin will be very hard for Taylor to crack.

Additionally, Taylor has been putting his body through hell to make 160-pounds. His team tried everything in their power to make the fight at 168-pounds, but failed. The rematch is already set for 168, if Pavlik wins. I expect Pavlik to stop Taylor inside of ten.