Post Fight Preview: Kelly Pavlik vs Jermain Taylor II

I was looking forward to this rematch from the moment Taylor crumpled in the corner in their first meeting.

Here is what I thought would happen:

"Gentleman, For anyone interested, the Kelly Pavlik – Jermain Taylor rematch on Saturday night could be a great fight. Their first fight was one of the best of last year, with Pavlik getting knocked down and almost out in the second round then coming back to knock Taylor out in the seventh. This fight will be replayed tonight on HBO2 and is definitely worth watching. Pavlik was able to survive Taylor’s attempts to put him away while Taylor seemed to punch himself out in the process. At the same time, Pavlik gained the mental edge by taking Taylor`s best shots and surviving. Kelly went on to follow his game plan of backing Taylor up with the double jab and looking for an opening for his right. It is this right hand that has given Pavlik the high knock out percentage that I mentioned in my prediction for their first encounter. As I said then, I have been a Taylor fan since the Olympics, but he has never lived up to what has been expected of him in the ring. He relies on his strength and athleticism and practices bad technique. When pressed, he reverts back to bad habits, such as turning his head away from Kelly’s jabs and opening himself up for the right. Kelly, meanwhile, has shown that he is cool under pressure and is willing and able to whether the storm in order to execute his game plan. Taylor has left his Hall of Fame trainer Emmanuel Steward for his original amateur trainer. While he insists this makes him more comfortable and has focused his training on conditioning, I think this will only reinforce his dangerous flaws. If Taylor is able to keep his head and wind while forcing the pace of the fight with his powerful jab, he could win a decision. When he was knocked out in their first fight, Taylor was winning on all the judges’ cards. However, I see Pavlik`s focus and determination being too much for Taylor. If he continues the strategy that served him the first fight and corrects the mistakes that led to his knock down (sticking out his chin in a showboating gesture), I see Kelly winning by late stoppage or decision."