Pavlik-Taylor I three months later

[2501]

I think Taylor is making a big mistake fighting this guy again.
After having Pavlik sleep-walking in the second round...if he can't whip him after that round,then Taylor just cannot beat him.
Pavlik wins the re-match much easier this time...

Taylor will need to use his boxing to not allow himself to be caught in the corners. He has the athleticism to make Kelly chase him around the ring and throw combinations at him while doing so. Kelly is not a great counter puncher so Taylor will need to take advantage of that. This, of course, can only happen if Taylor wills himself to do it.

[kayjay]

Taylor caught Kelly with some pretty good shots, but did you happen to notice the wicked elbow he hit him with just prior to the knockdown?

Yeah but there were a lot of good punches also in that exchange. That was a great moment for Taylor. But he didn't stay relaxed, didn't take his time to set up his punches when Pavlik got up.

I think Taylor is making a big mistake fighting this guy again.
After having Pavlik sleep-walking in the second round...if he can't whip him after that round,then Taylor just cannot beat him.
Pavlik wins the re-match much easier this time...

Yeah he could have waited and gotten his chance after two or three other fights

[oovavu]

round one was pretty even imo cn't really judge it either way, taylor can win the rematch but he looks awful trying to finish him and when pavlik just got back up and carried on walking forward he must have started thinking the worst. I think taylor needs to box his way to a decision as I can't see him Koing pavlik even though he dropped him.

[KLUGMAN]

What made the biggest impression on me was how composed Pavlik remained throughout. The knockdown seemed to have zero impact, mentally, on him. Even in victory he appeared fairly level-headed. Excited, of course, but no dramatics aside from initial celebratory outburst. You might have noticed that whenever he's interviewed Pavlik refers to himself as 'we.' I think this mind-set speak volumes as to the kind of fighter he is. Because of this--his mental fortitude--I think he takes the rematch one way or another. Not sure about another knockout. I suspect Taylor will be leery of trading with him next time around.

[-Antonio-]

The first time I saw it, I got the impression Taylor was winning before getting stopped. After watching it again I thought Pavlik was pulling ahead.

You can see right from the first round on when Pavlik lands a 3-2 that reels Taylor back to the ropes that Pavlik was going to win. Because it was the same **** by Taylor, backing up with his hands down. And against a big puncher, who knows how to set up punches, that's just suicide.

I think comparing knockouts, his was set up by boxing. Taylor kind of just landed a homerun punch when Pavlik was ****ing around. Some people see it as the opposite, I guess we'll see.

[withoutthee88]

I think Taylor stays away and decisions him. With HBO's scorecards, Taylor needs to just make it close in the end IMO. Plus, if he wins, I think he's got the better chance to knock off Calzaghe after Hopkins proves to be too old.

[kayjay]

The first time I saw it, I got the impression Taylor was winning before getting stopped. After watching it again I thought Pavlik was pulling ahead.

Yeah I felt the same way. On a second viewing Taylor didn't look as active. And it was clearer that Pavlik's punches were much cleaner.

To the guy who said the first round was even, please watch that again. Pavlik landed 43 punches in the round according to Compubox, and it looked to me that a good 30-5 were clean. Taylor landed 26 according to Compubox, but most of those were partial and fewer than 10 were clean. Pavlik's jab was faster and his defense was better.

[-Antonio-]

I think people underestimate Pavlik's boxing. It seems as some people on here think of him as a white Geaorge Foreman. He's very technically sound. He knows how to pick off punches, although he's not great at it. Like KayJay said, he still keeps his technique.

And most of all the guy knows how to punch. He knows how to pull punches to set other punches up. Something a lot of guys on here overlook. He mixes up punches at different angles as well, that's why once Taylor got rocked by that right hand he was done for.

[-Antonio-]

Yeah I felt the same way. On a second viewing Taylor didn't look as active. And it was clearer that Pavlik's punches were much cleaner.

To the guy who said the first round was even, please watch that again. Pavlik landed 43 punches in the round according to Compubox, and it looked to me that a good 30-5 were clean. Taylor landed 26 according to Compubox, but most of those were partial and fewer than 10 were clean. Pavlik's jab was faster and his defense was better.

Yeah the difference was the clean punching. I noticed Pavlik picking some of Taylor's punches off in the second viewing.

[bluemax]

All the pedictions that Taylor is now smarter and will outclass Pavlik in the next fight is absolute baloney!!! If Taylor was actually winning the first fight and got caught [ never mind the corrupt WWE judging] I'd agree with you but fact is Taylor was OUT BOXED when they boxed and OUT PUNCHED when they punched!!! To many people assume Taylor will be a better fighter the next time and Pavlik will some how be a deteriorated fighter. I predict that Pavlik will be the even more confident fighter next time and will actually have an easier fight because of this, now what remains to be seen as to just how honest the judging will be that's what I'm worried about. How anyone could have had Taylor leading on the score cards at the end of the first fight is not short of an outrage!!