Pavlik looked like he meant business in the 1st round, almost immediately landing a big left hook that sent a surprised Jaco flying into the ropes. That was a huge shot and Jaco survived well. However, looked really afraid after that shot and constantly moved around the ring throwing practically no punches to speak of. It was a textbook version of a fighter in the survival mode just trying to last as long as possible. Pavlik mostly jabbed Jaco hard to the head while trying to line him up for a big shot. He finally got the opportunity when he caught Jaco by the ropes and landed a quick left hook that sent Jaco down to one knee. Pavlik really didn’t put everything he had in the shot but it was so fast that Jaco was hurt by it. He got back to his feet and immediately ate another hard hook to the head. Pavlik didn’t really go after him with any urgency and instead let him make it out of the round..
Early in the 2nd round, Pavlik hit Jaco with a left uppercut followed by a left hook moments later that knocked Jaco flat on his backside. He staggered on his way to his feet and the fight was halted after a brief discussion between Jaco and the referee.
This was the first fight for Pavlik since last May when he defeated Alfono Lopez by a 10 round majority decision. Pavlik reportedly wants to fight three more times in 2012 before looking to get a title shot against fellow Top Rank fighter WBC middleweight champion Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. in 2013. Pavlik will likely continue to be matched against 2nd tier opposition in the same class as Jaco until he gets the title shot against Chavez Jr.