12.09.07 – By Craig Mastendri: As the days dwindle towards September 29, 2007, the boxing card at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, is shaping up to be one of the best buys of the year. The promoters of this event, Dibella Entertainment, in association with Top Rank Inc., deserve credit for putting forth a solid show, which will likely deliver a good bang for the buck. The fans in attendance will be treated to a very nice under card, enroot to what promises to be a middleweight explosion, in the main event of Jermain Taylor vs Kelly Pavlik.
A Welterweight sub plot has formed with Andre Berto vs David Estrada, a 12 round bout for the NABF Welterweight title, and Carlos Quintana is making his Welterweight return vs Christopher Henry in a 10 round fight.
If, Berto and Quintana come out victorious? There is speculation that those two will square off against one another, getting a step closer to a world title event. Also scheduled on the card, are Ronald Hearns vs Robert Kamya in an 8 round middleweight bout, and Omar Sheika vs Tiwon Taylor in an 8 round Super Middleweight fight. Chazz Witherspoon and Terry Smith are two heavyweights listed to appear, but are without scheduled opponents at this point.
I’ll breakdown the Taylor vs Pavlik and Berto vs Estrada match ups, as we close in on the official kickoff to the fourth quarter extravaganza, which has boxing fans salivating in anticipation.
We’ll start with the Tale of the Tape for the fight we all want to see, Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor 27-0-1 17KO’s, he’s 29 years old, stands 6’1” tall, with a 27” arm length, putting his WBC, WBO, and Ring Middleweight titles on the line vs Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik 31-0 28 KO’s, who is 25 years old, stands 6’2”, with a 24 and 1/2 “ arm length.
The essence of Taylor’s style is his jab and straight right hand combo. An orthodox jab tends to be less effective versus southpaws, and that contributed to some of his less than stellar performances. The success of Taylor’s jab will likely prove to be the key issue of this fight. It’s an obstacle, which seems easier said than done, to overcome. Of Taylor’s last four opponents, the only orthodox foe was former middleweight champ Bernard Hopkins. Bernard was held at bay and had his offensive output limited by Taylor’s pumping 1,2 combo, which ultimately cost him both encounters on points. Taylor and Pavlik are both orthodox fighters and Jermain will enjoy a reach advantage of two and a half inches, even though he’s one inch shorter than Pavlik. This bodes well for Taylor’s ability to use his most effective weapon.
Despite all the criticism, Taylor has walked the path of a true champion in facing the best opponents available. The experience and confidence gained from facing the better opposition, an excellent and secluded training camp, and what he feels is a strength advantage based off of his amateur win over Pavlik, are elements seemingly in his favor.
The centerpiece of Kelly Pavlik’s attack is his powerful right hand, which he’s ridden to a 90.32 KO percentage. His goal will be to find a way around Taylor’s jab while landing his money shot as often as possible. He’ll need to drive Taylor back, forcing him to fight off the ropes and at close quarters, if he’s to open up opportunities to land cleanly. There are times when Taylor gets off balance, and just as he did with Miranda, Pavlik must force him into those situations and unload. A high volume work rate, on balance footwork, and timing are essential pieces of a winning game plan. If, Pavlik allows Taylor the room to work, and doesn’t effectively cut the ring? He might come up short in the Championship moment he’s waited so long for.
Pavlik is seemingly the fan favorite in this match up and is currently even up, or nearly even, in the betting odds department on several wagering sites. That’s quite a statement, for a fighter who has a lower quality of opposition as a pro, and an amateur loss to Taylor. Fans tend to love the puncher, especially a young, hungry one, who doesn’t back up, and has shown no sign of intimidation. Pavlik’s determination and focus is what guarantees boxing fans a memorable evening regardless of the result.
My prediction? Taylor by decision! I see his strength, jab, and uppercuts posing a difficult proposition for Pavlik. In truth, my heart lies with Pavlik, but I’m having a difficult time believing he’ll be able to walk down Taylor and deliver a knockout that many fans in the boxing world would relish.
Tale of the Tape for Berto vs Estrada- Andre Berto, 19-0 16KO’s, 24 years old, Orthodox, 5’8 and ½” tall, with a 22” arm length vs David Estrada 21-3 12 KO’s, 28 years old, orthodox, 5’9” tall, with a 70” reach.
This fight represents Andre Berto’s first step above the journeyman level opponent. Berto is a fast-handed boxer puncher who puts straight shots together well. He’ll be looking to impose his will on Estrada with faster more accurate punches. His shot at the next-level begins here, and the fans can expect he’ll show his readiness for tests against higher caliber opponents.
David Estrada is an aggressive fighter who looks to get inside and out work and out will his opponents. His losses have come against Kermit Cintron, Shane Mosley, and Ishe Smith, so overall he’s faced the better opposition. The problem is his shots tend to be wider and more looped. This can allow his opponents to beat him to the punch and out box him by getting off and moving away before his return volley’s meet their target.
My prediction here is Berto UD. Estrada will be tough enough to hang on until the final bell, but the straight shots and faster hands of Berto will land more effectively and carry him to victory.
My final prediction is that fans in attendance wont regret the evening!! The sport of Boxing needs as many stacked cards like this as it can get.