25.09.07 – By Francisco Lobo: There is no question as far as the immense collective wisdom is concerned of the Saturday night’s middleweight championship fight significance. Youngstown’s undefeated 160-pounder Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik (25) wheeled himself into contendership position and thus, challenges Arkansas equally undefeated Jermain “Bad Intentions” Taylor (28) for the WBC and the WBO middleweight titles, in that front seat Taylor knew himself to be when he dethroned the former long time, undisputed middleweight champion Bernard “The Executioner” Hopkins, three years ago, in what can be called a perfect closing of the circle..
Whereas in fact, Hopkins orchestrated the scenario of his 21st middleweight title defence towards reborn animosity with his former promoter Lou DiBella and towards the belittlement of DiBella’s new middleweight promise on purpose, in so heightened an emotional condition, he could not stomach the post facto rationalisation that he might have overlooked his real opponent in the 25 year older Taylor and has failed to give him the little deserved nod of recognition ever since. In spite of all his former adversary’s guilt of elitism and wrong-doing, Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 Kos) promptly acknowledged Kelly Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs) and provided his window of opportunity now as having been his own before, but the intricate sub-plot notion between the above-mentioned principals and the former champ Bernard Hopkins hardly ends just about there.
Despite Taylor has proven more of an adversary than anticipated one more time in what was appropriately billed as the “No Respect” rematch in the year after, in 2005, Hopkins, showing to be an excellent sharp shooter and a brilliant strategist after his first defeat in more than a decade, helped bringing into being the assumption that the young man’s future would be eclipsed by the former champion’s past achievement. Seldom did Jermain prove to be a threat to Bernard, that also based on their two fights punch stats, hard liners and bitter enders started following Hopkins lines to Taylor’s many technical flaws.
To make matters worse, Jermain Taylor was stripped of the IBF and the WBA middleweight title versions and the middleweight championship, once unified by Hopkins, was split once again even prior to Taylor’s second WBC/WBO middleweight titles defence against former unified light middleweight champion Ronald Wright. Masterful defensive southpaw boxer Winky Wright would be halfway successful to technically shut down Taylor with a spirited, unusual aggressive performance that earned him and provided Taylor a first career draw verdict and rose even more questions to Taylor’s steady standing as the best 160-pounder in the world.
More than just once against Wright, smaller men such as former IBF junior middleweight titlist, Kassim Ouma, would drive Taylor into corners and would make what was supposed to be an easy fight look hard but still Lou DiBella and his protégé Jermain Taylor opted to fight a third consecutive smaller southpaw boxer in the IBF present light middleweight Champ Cory Spinks in the same spot Taylor fought Winky and Ouma, in the FedEx Forum, Memphis, Tennessee, in what resulted to be a dreadful affair and a largely unheralded split decision victory for Taylor. Whereupon, the already top middleweight contender Kelly Pavlik seized the opportunity of fighting in the undercard fight the number two WBC contender, the eye catching Colombian and punching sensation, Edison “Pantera” Miranda, and with the iron will, the necessary skill and the capacity of sacrifice, gave a bravura performance that judging by the mesmerized audience, stole the show on May 19, 2007.
Since it was the outspoken Miranda who very much trashed Taylor all the way to the fight presser and to the point of being told as deserving the “passing of the torch” by Hopkins himself, Pavlik’s frontal onslaught and dismantling of Miranda makes this fight with Taylor at the Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, New Jersey, the worthy biggest middleweight fight since the two Hopkins-Taylor bouts, the Hopkins-De La Hoya showdown in 2004 and the Hopkins-Trinidad middleweight series final and unification fight in 2001.
Notwithstanding Taylor’s superior experience in top level 160-pound fights, it is easy to picture how the 6’2’’ tall Kelly Pavlik, broad in shoulders, narrow in the hip, can do what 5’9’’ tall Kassim Ouma and 5’10 ½’’ tall Winky Wright could – lead a full frontal assault, strike out at the flanks, cutting off escapes, encircling and cornering Jermain Taylor – and if Ouma could have tagged him, one wonders what would be the effect of Pavlik running smack into Taylor, popping and shooting off locks and bolts of Taylor’s blast shield… Even though Taylor is himself a strong, broad-shouldered 6’1’’ tall middleweight with one thick upper torso, strong cheek bones, a sturdy chin and supposing that he won’t get throttled like Miranda was, the likeliest result would be that he would cornered, progressively less dangerous, get his face pretty much bruised and his eyes swollen as the torrent of blows would rain down on him and that would have direct reflection on the judges scorecards. But this plan has the great disadvantage of being the obvious one that could certainly be anticipated.
On the other hand, it’s hard to believe both Emanuel Steward and Jermain Taylor sense an omen of some imminent fall and since they don’t have the unrelaxed look of the fortress preparing for the inevitable assault, it’s fair to say that they don’t expect to be shoved just like that… All the while, Steward is expected to tailor Jermain’s behaviour in the ring in a more attractive way since both Taylor and DiBella seem to have grown bitter and greedy in terms of the potential wealth the boxing business may bring them and that is not what the boxing public expected when there was a changing in the guard.
In the first place, the champion has a reach advantage of 27’’ in arm length to the challenger’s 24 ½’’ and he is not too disadvantaged in terms of height like Miranda was so he’ll probably try to make use of his solid and consistent jab to keep the stalker off him. Then, Taylor’s camp may allege that this is not a case of facing something utterly beyond their experience or getting caught by anything sudden and unexpected such as from experienced technicians Wright or Hopkins who could subtly alter the tempo of the fight through speed-ups, slow downs and changeovers.
Due weight given pro and contra, Pavlik lacks the necessary refinement to succeed bringing the worst in Taylor and Taylor has produced no evidence whatsoever of being able to unleash some withheld potential, something like set up Pavlik to a trap to catch him out, make him lead to some point of ambush, countering subtly his countermove, that is highly unlikely to believe.
Taylor’s former trainer Pat Burns has advised him about getting flat-footed in the Hopkins fights and in Steward’s first fight in Taylor’s corner, wrong feet position was having him constantly out of balance against Winky. But the worst in Taylor is probably what Hopkins first pointed out – Jermain is so muscular that he tends to stand straight up, almost doesn’t move his trunk, tends to keep his hands down and pulls his right arm back as he throws the left like a “bowing arrow” – this last feature was far too evident against Cory since he couldn’t hit him with a second punch, only with single jabs and right crosses but seldom with a combination of both…
Kelly Pavlik also has poor footwork as he seems to walk dragging a steel ball and chain across the floor, stretching his arms languorously at times but he is clear sighted, has clockwork like discipline and his technically sound, rangy, loose muscled punching make it up for him. Nothing provides evidence that there will be a change in patterns and this could turn out to be a waltzing session, a match of wits or some sort of chess game – these are two solid boxer-punchers with a genuine knockout right hand punch and will plan in advance their methodical attacks in order to impress the judges, to err on the side of caution and to drain the strength from each other like water from a burst hose or air from a popped balloon. They may find themselves drawn into open fire exchanges and catapulted into faster action at moments but just to realise that fast that potential risk outweighs potential gain and the public may find some things oddly consistent about their performances…
Unbeknownst to Taylor, this may be a more crucial moment for him than for Pavlik because the latter may have more opportunities to succeed and the former is still somehow under test since capturing the middleweight title from Bernard Hopkins with contested decisions. Even if DiBella only sees Taylor as the goose that lands the golden eggs, how can they cash in on their fame if Taylor already announced that he cannot make the 160 pounds limit any more and will move up in weight. He would like to make much more money in other weight classes but that will depend on this last middleweight title fight, people still want to know if the Real Taylor will stand up or just the Taylor we have seen lately. Such is the abyss between that which we are and that which we seek to become and after all, on his back weights the legacy of “The Executioner” and that is a heavy burden he doesn’t want to carry any more…