Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor

 

The left jab. If used correctly, it is still the most effective punch in boxing. Larry Holmes career was built off of it. Lennox Lewis protected his weak chin with it. Ali made Frazier eat 5-10 of them as the price of admission to throw his left hook. And it was the left jab that middleweight Kelly Pavlik rode to victory in his 12 round decision against Jermaine Taylor.

Kelly Pavlik is for Real. Not because he knocked out Taylor in his first fight, but because he didn’t in his second fight. We already knew that he had punching power. But this time he was forced to rely on boxing acumen against a skilled fighter. Enter Pavlik’s methodical left jab. Taylor — a solid champion in his own right — fought a much more disciplined fight the second time around and controlled the early going. For the first time in his career Pavlik heard the sound "Round 11" or "Round 12". But the fight went Pavlik’s way because it was Taylor, and not Pavlik who was fading in the last few rounds. In the end the fight was closer than the scorecards indicated. Even still, Pavlik showed that the first fight was no fluke. 

Kelly Pavlik is Not for Real: Beware the new champion who wins his first two championship fights against the same opponent. Vernon Forrest owns Sugar Shane, but Mosely is still the better fighter. Ricardo Mayorga owns Forrest, but can’t beat any other top opponent (please, Fernando Vargas was washed up). Andrew Golota burst on the scene with a double-domination/disqualification against Riddick Bowe, but it has been downhill since. We all know that "styles make fights" and that some fighters simply have another fighter’s number. Is this the case with Pavlik-Taylor? If I have to choose, I would guess that Pavlik is for real supported by his impressive win over Edison Miranda. How Pavlik might do against more polished and "scientific" veterans like Winky Wright, Bernard Hopkins, or Joe Calzaghe remains to be seen — but the opportunity has been earned. And you can bet others will be negotiating with Pavlik. And you can bet that you know why.

Great White Hope? Will Pavlik help boxing? Well, on some degree I resent that I am even asking the question because the middleweight and lower divisions have been incredible the last few years. Great/solid middleweights and welterweights have included Hopkins, Wright, Taylor, Floyd Mayweather, Miguel Cotto, Paul Williams, De La Hoya, Sugar Shane, Antonio Margarito, Ricky Hatton, Kermit Cintron, and more. Career ending acts by Felix Trinidad, Vargas, Mayorga, and Arturo Gatti have also added excitement even if their skills were lacking or eroded. I’m not even including the lightweights as Manny Pacquiao might be my favorite fighter to watch and I’d pay to see Morales-Barrera 36 in a old-folks home if they set that fight up.

But Pavlik brings something new to the party that those fighters don’t. He is a white American boxer. And we need to be plain and just tell it like it is. I’ve read one too many articles about Pavlik’s "humble beginnings" and "blue collar roots" from Youngstown, Ohio. (note: Taylor is from Little Rock, Arkansas)  It is time these writers just come out and say it: Pavlik is a white American boxer. And Pavlik is good. And there are few things more marketable than a good white American boxer. Sure, part of it is the novelty factor, but I suspect that more of it goes beyond mere novelty. So how will I feel if Pavlik raises interest in a sport that shouldn’t need him to raise interest. I don’t know. I’m still working through that one… but I’m inclined to take the trade-off. Besides the heavyweights, boxing is healthy across the other divisions and if Pavlik gets other fighters more attention (and more money), then I guess that I am for it. He has also earned a pay day or two for himself.