Yeah. You saw it coming. Last night at Ceasars Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey, Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) gave boxing fans what they wanted and what Jermain Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) said he wanted: a conventional fighter who comes straight forward and fights. Unfortunately for Taylor, Pavlik kept coming. And coming. And coming.
In a thrillng fight, Taylor knocked Pavlik to the canvas in round two when he caught the challenger standing in front of him and talking smack. Taylor smacked back with his fists, then followed up with a barrage that sent Pavlik down. Pavlik held on, literally, for the rest of the round.
In the third round, Pavlik had already cleared his head as he backed Taylor up with jabs and long, hard rights. A right hand in the seventh rocked the champion who reeled back into the corner where an uppercut and left hook finished the night -- and Taylor's days as a champion.
A Little Too Much PR.
Taylor's career is a case study in what happens when the business side of the sport trumps the athletic side. As an amateur blessed with size, speed, and power, Taylor won a bronze medal in the 2000 Olympic Games, all of which made him marketable, and marketed he was. Once signed with HBO, Taylor's star was polished and put on display before every fight. The cable giant all but guaranteed Taylor's eventual reign as the middleweight king.
But if one looked past the hype, the flaws that were sure to be exposed by strong, "A" level middleweights never went away: a lazy left jab, poor lateral movement, and the lack of a natural fighter's disposition. He won fights, even knocked out his opponents, but only because the outcome seemed predetermined. It is telling that in his six fight reign, the three fights that ended controversially in Taylor's favor were against Bernard Hopkins, twice, and Winky Wright -- fighters who were just as strong physically, and tougher, mentally. It will be said that Kelly Pavlik isn't the first fighter to beat Taylor, just the first to knock him out.
He Gave Up the Title, But May Have Saved His Reputation.
As was predicted, Taylor looked better in losing than he had in his five previous fights: four decision victories and a draw. Taylor came into the ring intending to defend his reputation as much as his title and, while his reputation may be intact and his fighting heart was proven, The 25-year-old Pavlik exposed the soft underbelly in Taylor's skill set. He cannot fight backing up.
At 29-years-old, there is no way Taylor can change that. Every future opponent will attempt to exploit this weakness. Unless his opponents are hand-picked for their lack of aggressiveness, Taylor's day in the sun has come and gone. When he looks back on how his management handled his career, he may feel more than a little burned.
Statistics: BoxRec.com
