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LIKE IT IS : Any way you look at it, judges robbed Taylor
LAS VEGAS - Forget HBO.
Jermain Taylor was robbed of his victory Saturday night by three judges who should have their eyes checked and then be banned from boxing.
Almost to a man on press row, the boxers had Taylor winning eight of the 12 rounds at least.
Taylor landed 39 percent of his punches and broke the nose of Kelly Pavlik, who landed only 32 percent of his total punches and 34 percent of his power punches (Taylor landed 46 percent ).
When the announcement was made that Pavlik had won a unanimous decision, there was a momentary hush before the Ohio contingent realized what they had been handed.
It was the type of judging that has hurt the sport of boxing's popularity because of the trust issue.
It was almost like amateurs were judging and giving a point when there was no effect.
No one could have asked for a stronger start as Taylor and Pavlik landed power punches that rocked the other's head.
To the excitement of the pro-Pavlik crowd, he did land 24 power punches to 10 by Taylor, who scored more with his jab, but that only happened one other round.
Taylor won the second round, and this time - which may have been fortunate - did not knock Pavlik down.
In Pavlik's last two fights he got wounded in the second and won by knockouts in the seventh. He gave it his best shot for another knockout and couldn't do it.
Taylor dominated the third, even though Pavlik was trying to feed off the crowd. A combination popped his head back like 100 mph whiplash, and Taylor came out of the round landing 41 percent of his punches to 31 for Pavlik.
Taylor's jabs and counterpunches seemed to confuse Pavlik, who had little defense, leaving himself open after throwing what he hoped would be a knockout punch.
By the end of the fifth round, everyone in the MGM Garden knew they were viewing two outstanding fighters with vastly different styles.
Taylor was the better athlete and boxer, but Pavlik is a great puncher with a rock-hard head.
Pavlik was taking shot after shot to the head and just kept coming, but a couple of body shots in the sixth seemed to surprise him, and both finished the round strong.
It was obvious Pavlik came into the seventh thinking knockout as he fired combinations, most of which Taylor picked off, but it brought the "Kelly ! Kelly !"chants again.
Taylor finished the round with a flurry of body punches, and both were still firing hot and heavy.
After the eighth it was becoming obvious that Taylor was not going to let Pavlik cut the ring off and trap him on the ropes like he did in their last fight, and Pavlik came out of the round mouth-breathing with blood coming out of his swelling nose.
At that point Taylor was landing 56 percent of his power punches to only 33 percent for Pavlik.
Taylor gave him an oldfashioned, country whupping in the ninth round and sent the fight to someplace Pavlik had never been - the 10 th round.
The longest fight in his career had been nine rounds, and that was more than two years ago.
By the end of the 10 th, Taylor seemed to be the stronger fighter and dominated the round, picking off Pavlik's overhand rights and scoring with the left jab.
It seemed obvious to those with good or at least corrected vision that it was Taylor's fight to lose and that he just needed to survive. Apparently Pavlik thought so, too, as he came out swinging from the heels, which got him a hard hook to the gut twice.
Taylor landed several more body blows, but late in the round Pavlik scored with a power combination and Taylor wisely clinched his way out of the round and into the final three minutes.
The crowd came to its feet, and the fighters came out toe to toe. Taylor was not taking the high road. He wanted to win convincingly, and when it looked like he might be in trouble he did what he did when he beat Bernard Hopkins twice. He went on the offense, which is his best defense.
Instead, he was robbed of his victory.
LAS VEGAS - Forget HBO.
Jermain Taylor was robbed of his victory Saturday night by three judges who should have their eyes checked and then be banned from boxing.
Almost to a man on press row, the boxers had Taylor winning eight of the 12 rounds at least.
Taylor landed 39 percent of his punches and broke the nose of Kelly Pavlik, who landed only 32 percent of his total punches and 34 percent of his power punches (Taylor landed 46 percent ).
When the announcement was made that Pavlik had won a unanimous decision, there was a momentary hush before the Ohio contingent realized what they had been handed.
It was the type of judging that has hurt the sport of boxing's popularity because of the trust issue.
It was almost like amateurs were judging and giving a point when there was no effect.
No one could have asked for a stronger start as Taylor and Pavlik landed power punches that rocked the other's head.
To the excitement of the pro-Pavlik crowd, he did land 24 power punches to 10 by Taylor, who scored more with his jab, but that only happened one other round.
Taylor won the second round, and this time - which may have been fortunate - did not knock Pavlik down.
In Pavlik's last two fights he got wounded in the second and won by knockouts in the seventh. He gave it his best shot for another knockout and couldn't do it.
Taylor dominated the third, even though Pavlik was trying to feed off the crowd. A combination popped his head back like 100 mph whiplash, and Taylor came out of the round landing 41 percent of his punches to 31 for Pavlik.
Taylor's jabs and counterpunches seemed to confuse Pavlik, who had little defense, leaving himself open after throwing what he hoped would be a knockout punch.
By the end of the fifth round, everyone in the MGM Garden knew they were viewing two outstanding fighters with vastly different styles.
Taylor was the better athlete and boxer, but Pavlik is a great puncher with a rock-hard head.
Pavlik was taking shot after shot to the head and just kept coming, but a couple of body shots in the sixth seemed to surprise him, and both finished the round strong.
It was obvious Pavlik came into the seventh thinking knockout as he fired combinations, most of which Taylor picked off, but it brought the "Kelly ! Kelly !"chants again.
Taylor finished the round with a flurry of body punches, and both were still firing hot and heavy.
After the eighth it was becoming obvious that Taylor was not going to let Pavlik cut the ring off and trap him on the ropes like he did in their last fight, and Pavlik came out of the round mouth-breathing with blood coming out of his swelling nose.
At that point Taylor was landing 56 percent of his power punches to only 33 percent for Pavlik.
Taylor gave him an oldfashioned, country whupping in the ninth round and sent the fight to someplace Pavlik had never been - the 10 th round.
The longest fight in his career had been nine rounds, and that was more than two years ago.
By the end of the 10 th, Taylor seemed to be the stronger fighter and dominated the round, picking off Pavlik's overhand rights and scoring with the left jab.
It seemed obvious to those with good or at least corrected vision that it was Taylor's fight to lose and that he just needed to survive. Apparently Pavlik thought so, too, as he came out swinging from the heels, which got him a hard hook to the gut twice.
Taylor landed several more body blows, but late in the round Pavlik scored with a power combination and Taylor wisely clinched his way out of the round and into the final three minutes.
The crowd came to its feet, and the fighters came out toe to toe. Taylor was not taking the high road. He wanted to win convincingly, and when it looked like he might be in trouble he did what he did when he beat Bernard Hopkins twice. He went on the offense, which is his best defense.
Instead, he was robbed of his victory.
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