Taylor/Pavlik II this weekend!!!!

[Soulrise]

FOUR MORE DAYS!!! I love it when big fights are coming up for the weekend and all week I keep getting more and more excited as the anticipation builds!!

I think Pavlik will win by KO simply b/c I believe from interviews that he and Taylor have given that Pavlik's just in a better mind state right now. I believe Jermain has all the tools to beat Kelly and that he should've won their first fight but mentally I don't know if he has that confidence. I believe that Kelly does have that confidence and I think that will be the difference.

With that said I actually hope I'm wrong. Jermain has had a very tough road during his reign as champ and it's true that he looked pretty bad in some of those fights (I personally thought he lost to Winky). But at the same time he's got great athletic talent and is generally a good ambassador to the sport. I also give him huge props for his warrior spirit. C'mon, it's hard enough to beat Bernard Hopkins twice in a row. But to then go on to fight Winky, Ouma, Spinks, and Pavlik? One thing you can never say about Jermain is that he ducks fighters. Even the fact that we're talking about his rematch with Pavlik so soon demonstrates his warrior spirit. He didn't take a tune up fight and is going straight for the rematch. Boxing needs more fighters like this.

[( o Y o )]

sadly, I don't even remember the last time a boxing match got me seriously excited. I loved it as a kid too, so I am not sure what the hell happened.

[Soulrise]

sadly, I don't even remember the last time a boxing match got me seriously excited. I loved it as a kid too, so I am not sure what the hell happened.

You and a whole bunch of folks. Promoters got greedy and top fighters got comfortable ducking serious competition and collecting paychecks. But boxing's turning it around (thanks in no small part to the percieved threat of MMA's emergence in the American market) and with fights like will only help.

If you don't have any plans this weekend oYo I highly recommend you watch this rematch. The first fight was an instant classic and there's a good chance the second will be great as well.

[flem1]

I'm picking Pavlik again by TKO in the mid rounds. But if Taylor comes in focused, I'd say the bout would be more even.

[flem1]

Hey Soulrise, who's your pick for the Sergei Lyakovic/Nikolai Valuev HW matchup (WBA eliminator)? It's also this weekend.

[Lord Gaul]

I just love combat sports and this is a big time combat event. Everyone in the world is picking Pavlik and picking him to stop Taylor early. But I am going to go out on a lim and be the lone man in the world to take Taylor. A lot of people think he i sgetting back in there so soon, because his pride was hurt. I think it is because he really loves the being the best and he worked hard to get to the top. But so many people were disapointed in how he got the title and defended it that they were glad he lost. He has something to prove in this fight so I am going to say that there is a fire in him that is going to make him competitive and make him a winner.

If he losses by KO like everybody says, then that was what is supposed to happen and there is no fun in picking what is supposed to happen.

[Lord Gaul]

sadly, I don't even remember the last time a boxing match got me seriously excited. I loved it as a kid too, so I am not sure what the hell happened.

Man you could youtube or dailymotion the first fight. It is worth it and a great fight. I am telling you watching this fight will remind you of your youthfull joy of the sport.

[timmothy84]

Pavlik baby, he only lives a few hours away from my town! The first fight was fantastic. If your a boxing fan this is the match to see. I can't take anything from Taylor either he is a warrior. I can't wait to see this fight. Plus we can watch the KIMBO slice and tank fight for free lol. Great weekend ahead.

[Lord Gaul]

^^Thats pretty cool that you live so close to Pavlik. I think another one of my favorite things about the fight is how well recieved the guys are in there hometowns. Both communities really get behind there guys.

[Soulrise]

Hey Soulrise, who's your pick for the Sergei Lyakovic/Nikolai Valuev HW matchup (WBA eliminator)? It's also this weekend.

To be totally honest I haven't paid any attention to the heavyweight division for over a year now so any pick I made would strictly be a guess.

I just love combat sports and this is a big time combat event. Everyone in the world is picking Pavlik and picking him to stop Taylor early. But I am going to go out on a lim and be the lone man in the world to take Taylor. A lot of people think he i sgetting back in there so soon, because his pride was hurt. I think it is because he really loves the being the best and he worked hard to get to the top. But so many people were disapointed in how he got the title and defended it that they were glad he lost. He has something to prove in this fight so I am going to say that there is a fire in him that is going to make him competitive and make him a winner.

If he losses by KO like everybody says, then that was what is supposed to happen and there is no fun in picking what is supposed to happen.

Damn Gaul you're givin me HOPE!! I wanna believe that Jermain can overcome the "ghosts" of their last fight (bad pun intended) but I just don't see it happening. Like I said I will be very happy if I'm wrong about Jermain. And you're right, it's a beautiful thing that both fighters are so rooted in their communities. Did you see the HBO Countdown to Taylor/Pavlik II? The portion that showed how Jermain's fans rallied around him after his loss was some moving stuff.

[Lord Gaul]

Yeah Soulrise I watched it last night. I love how different it was from the first one when people were like Kelly is going to end him and he has got to get that killer instinct back. Then they changed to he is hungry again and we are behind him. It is good that they support him because I believe he has no fans that are boxing writers and they all expect and want him to lose by KO early. If the fight goes teh distance that is a accomplishment in itself. But if he can somehow get the victory it would be more important then if he were to KO B-hop. Even if he losses the third fight after I wouldn't care. I want him to win this fight.

[Global Honored]

This fight means nothing!

[Soulrise]

This fight means nothing!

Why's that?

[slash]

Why's that?

It's only a super fight.
Not a title fight, it's fought at catch weight, doesn't have any real meanng to rankings.

[Soulrise]

It's only a super fight.
Not a title fight, it's fought at catch weight, doesn't have any real meanng to rankings.

Hmm, the catch weight part I can see but it's so close to super middle that I could see this fight being applied to that division. As far as not being for a title boxing titles have been a joke as the alphabet soup organizations have been crap for years. But I guess I can see how some people could think of it that way. But above all that I think this will be an extremely entertaining rematch between two gifted fighters. That means more to me than any ranking anyway.

[Toffa]

Should be good, I love it when I completely forget about a fight and then see it is only in a few days lol. Gotta go with Pavlik again, he can take what Taylor can dish out, but Taylor can't take Pavlik's.

Am I the only one thinking that it is ridiculously early for Andy Lee to be even thinking about challenging the winner of Duddy/Pavlik?

[Paul T]

Disclaimer: I have been a fan of Taylor.

Despite his inconsistency and flaws, he is an asset to today's boxing scene.

For whatever reasons, he and Manny were not a good combination.

I think he will fight better, i think the fight may even go the distance.
I do not think he will win though. Even though i think he will be more focused, in better shape and all, for all its worth i think Pavlik has his number.

Taylor can move up to Super middle and take a couple 'easier' fights, restore a winning streak and start to dominate a new division eventually.

[Lord Gaul]

Should be good, I love it when I completely forget about a fight and then see it is only in a few days lol. Gotta go with Pavlik again, he can take what Taylor can dish out, but Taylor can't take Pavlik's.

Am I the only one thinking that it is ridiculously early for Andy Lee to be even thinking about challenging the winner of Duddy/Pavlik?

I did not know that he said that. He is a super talent, but he is not ready for Pavlik. He is ready for Duddy though, because Duddy is not that good. He has looked bad against journey men. So best believe that Kelly will end him and I wouldn't put it past Andy either.

As for Taylor moving up to super middleweight. I can only see him boxing again if he wins. If he losses, then he will call it a career and it was a damn good career at that.

[Paul T]

To be totally honest I haven't paid any attention to the heavyweight division for over a year now so any pick I made would strictly be a guess.


Valuev likely to win a long boring fight
:-(
Hopefully i am mistaken. we will know in a few hours

[Soulrise]

Of all the expectations I had for this fight, the one expectation that I DIDN'T have was for it to be underwhelming. But that's exactly what it was. And it's not just because I want to see non-stop slugging, I can always appreciate a technical fight. But after such a dramatic first fight this one just wasn't that compelling.

I don't think it was a robbery or anything but for what it's worth I actually had Jermain winning the fight. He defended most of Pavlik's shots well and hurt him more. But I can see how the judges scored it the way they did so oh well.

[Lord Gaul]

I had it for Pavlik 115-113. I thought it was a good fight and more then anything I really wanted Taylor to at least get it to the cards. I thought his game plan was perfect. Pavlik's corner was telling him over and over that Taylor would fade in a few rounds, because they could see that he was frustrated that he couldn't back Taylor up. Taylor kept turning him and circling. Its funny how people like to reward the person who landed the bigger shots, but no one said that in this fight. Taylor landed all the crowd pleasers in this one and it was telling. After the crowd started the fight chanting Kelly, by the middle rounds they were chanting Taylor. He got all the critics off his back with this fight. Kelly just did more consistent work for me and he took the last two rounds. It was a good fight for me.

[Global Honored]

I might watch it again and try to figure out a score, but I seriously doubt it. That was sluggish and boring. Noone deserved a victory. Now hopefully both men can move on and Pavlik takes on someone that can garner fight hype and excitement for the division.

[Soulrise]

I might watch it again and try to figure out a score, but I seriously doubt it. That was sluggish and boring. Noone deserved a victory. Now hopefully both men can move on and Pavlik takes on someone that can garner fight hype and excitement for the division.

Yeah I don't see myself re-watching this fight either. I don't think the fight was boring per se, it was just a big let down to me after such a thrilling first fight. It was pretty much the same fight all 12 rounds as opposed to the first one that was a dramatic back and forth affair.

And I agree Lord Gaul, I was glad to see Jermain come back and execute so well. I always felt like he should reunite with Ozell as the partnership with Steward just never worked for whatever reason. I think Jermain actually regressed under Steward and his game plan was great. Like I said, I actually had Taylor winning the fight since I think he defended Pavlik's pressure well and landed the harder cleaner shots. But I'm not gonna cry robbery or anything, Kelly worked his ass off (especially the last two rounds) and was rewarded by the judges. This really was a fight that coulda gone either way in my book.

[Paul T]

Who next for Pavlik?

Rumors about Tito, but that makes little sense to me.

Any chance he could make a run at Unification?

[Global Honored]

Winky?

[Lord Gaul]

They for sure want to do a fight with John Duddy in Madison Square Garden on the Puerto Rican day Parade weekend. They are going to load up the undercard with Puerto Rican fighters and try to sell the event out for the fourth year in a row.

[( o Y o )]

I have not read a single comment in here...but have a question.

Was this fight worth watching? I have it recorded but if it was boring I have far better things to do with the little time I have.

Simple yes or no answer as I don't want to know the result thanks.

[Lord Gaul]

I would only say yes if you seen the first. If not NO

[( o Y o )]

I haven't seen the first....

[Soulrise]

oYo don't bother watching it, if you want a more in depth explanation about why I say that you can refer to my earlier post reacting to the fight:

Of all the expectations I had for this fight, the one expectation that I DIDN'T have was for it to be underwhelming. But that's exactly what it was. And it's not just because I want to see non-stop slugging, I can always appreciate a technical fight. But after such a dramatic first fight this one just wasn't that compelling.

I don't think it was a robbery or anything but for what it's worth I actually had Jermain winning the fight. He defended most of Pavlik's shots well and hurt him more. But I can see how the judges scored it the way they did so oh well.

[( o Y o )]

cheers...I think I might delete it and save some harddrive space

[Paul T]

They for sure want to do a fight with John Duddy in Madison Square Garden on the Puerto Rican day Parade weekend. They are going to load up the undercard with Puerto Rican fighters and try to sell the event out for the fourth year in a row.

Is Duddy even in anyone's top ten?
Pavlik should blow him out.

[Lord Gaul]

Is Duddy even in anyone's top ten?
Pavlik should blow him out.
Duddy just entered teh Ring Magazine top 10. He hasn't beaten anyone and he had the fight of his life against Yory Boy Campus. So if he can't even destroy an over the hill fighter like Campus then he is going to get murdered by a ligit 160 pound killer like Pavlik.

[Soulrise]

Duddy just entered teh Ring Magazine top 10.

Are you serious???

[Lord Gaul]

Are you serious???

Serious. I saw it two days ago.

[Paul T]

hugh, looks like if Duddy wins this weekend it will go forward:
http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3257886