Some of the quotes from the Arkansas papers over the past few days makes me wonder if any of these guys know ANYTHING about boxing...here are a few snippets... Pavlik, who continuously throws punches and constantly moves forward, was primed to be knocked out. That almost happened in the second round when Taylor pummeled him to the canvas and then jacked his jaw four more times. But if Pavlik has any glass in that jaw it is 4 inches thick and bulletproof. When he got off the mat, his legs trembled, his hands grabbed Taylor and he held on for dear life. Little did anyone know that long minutes later the very thing boxing needs most would be born — a real rivalry. Pavlik recovered some in the third round, but by the sixth round he was telegraphing his punches, and Taylor seemed poised to knock out the undefeated challenger. Taylor’s jabs were scoring and his 1-2 combination was sending Pavlik stumbling backward. In the seventh round, it was obvious Pavlik had been told the only way he wins is by knockout. For more than half of that round Taylor toyed with his opponent, slipping punches and ducking under wild, powerfully thrown hooks. But his left was down and in an instant, Pavlik tagged Taylor with a straight left. It didn’t look that hard, and it seemed to surprise Taylor more than hurt him, but he backpedaled into the enemy’s corner, with his hands down. ======================================================= Until that first left and the combination, Taylor had been in control, looking good in all aspects. Probably almost as good as he did in his first fight with Bernard Hopkins but still not the finely tuned machine of the rematch when he clearly defeated the longtime former champ. ====================================================== And different writer saw things from a different perspective... Throwing that many punches expended too much energy, and Steward said when Pavlik answered the bell to start the third round the momentum had shifted squarely to the Youngstown, Ohio, fighter’s corner. By the seventh round, despite being in control of the fight on the scorecards, Taylor was not moving as well in the ring. He was no longer avoiding punches and abandoned his jab. It was only a matter of time before a powerful Pavlik punch connected. =====================================================
The 1st Account of the Fight is RIDICULOUS... "However", REED is GLAD to See that the Arkansas Press is still BIASED TOWARDS Taylor... He's a GOOD Dude @ the Core & Took Part in a MEMORABLE Fight...RICH Beyond his Wildest Dreams & THE Champion of the World for a COUPLE Years... He has NATHAN to Hang his Head about... REED
What's funny is that switching the names in the first article is more accurate than how it's written.
I agree that the straight that started it all didn't look hard at all, I guess that's the effect of accumulation.
Jermain was buzzed after the first 1-2 Pavlik landed at center ring. Pavlik landed the shots and stepped back, not realizing he'd stunned Jermain. Jermain stood his ground, but as soon as Pavlik stepped to him again he retreated. Pavlik's jab blinded Jermain and when the right hand came right behind it, Jermain never saw the shot...THAT'S why it hurt him.
This was a fight where I liked both guys and didn't really want to see either of them lose. I felt kind of bad for Taylor when they were talking about how he was losing favor with Arkansas. I hope he gets support from his fans and his home state, and it was a great fight and Taylor didn't disgrace himself one bit.
Yup...and having just watched it, there is a straight right and a quick right uppercut even before the sequence above that stun Taylor, just a bit....starts to freeze up and move back slightly. I actually think that happened a few times throughout the fight.
That's who he reminds me of...not necessarily in terms of level of power, but the fact that they are both so relaxed and seem to literally just "toss" their punches out there, almost lethargic....and boom.
Look at the right hand on the replay, it looks like it crushes jermain's face and his head changes shape. It was hard alright.
