Pavlik-Taylor will be a real fight for fans
by JAKE DONOVAN, BoxingScene.com
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This weekend is a remarkable exception as Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment come closer than any other show in recent years to actually giving fans their money's worth from beginning to end as Kelly Pavlik squares off against Jermain Taylor this weekend in Las Vegas.
The irony is that the main event is good enough to sell on its own.
The moment recently dethroned middleweight champion Jermain Taylor elected to exercise his rematch clause against Kelly Pavlik, we knew the bout was heading for pay per view — and deservedly so. After all, their September brawl was universally regarded as the year's best fight.
Not even the fact that it will be fought at a catchweight, which has also become an ugly recent trend in PPV headliners, and that the middleweight crown will not be at stake detracts from the entertainment value many figure the rematch to produce. Of course, it's difficult to not leave entertained after watching any bout featuring Pavlik. The pride of Youngstown doesn't have it in him to disappoint as evidenced in all three of his bouts in 2007, all airing on HBO.
In this day and age, seeing a highly ranked contender make three appearances in one year is a treat in of itself. That all three fights not only result in victory, but entertain throughout and produce highlight reel endings, is the stuff that stars are made of. Add to that, his climb off of the canvas to come back and brutally knock out the reigning linear middleweight champion and you're next bout is must-see TV no matter whom against.
Pavlik's rise to superstardom was the exact opposite of the progress — or lack thereof — in the career of Jermain Taylor heading into their September bout. Despite being the undefeated middleweight champion of the world whose reign began with an upset of future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins, Taylor's reign had been met with far more criticism than just about any linear champion in boxing history. It didn't help that each of his four title defenses ended either in controversy or absolute boredom.
All of that changed last September when Taylor was finally presented with an opponent who had no interest in running or even playing defense. Not that Pavlik would willingly stick out his chin and dare Taylor to hit him — or would he? It happened in the second round when Pavlik, earlier caught with an inadvertent elbow, dropped his hands. It wasn't long enough to get the attention of referee Steve Smoger, but just enough time for Taylor to catch Kelly on the chin enough times to send him stumbling to the canvas.
Pavlik spent the rest of the round trying to regain his legs, while Taylor spent his time punching himself out, overzealous to get rid of his murderous punching challenger. The plan failed miserably as Pavlik boxed and brawled his way back into the fight before closing the show in the seventh, sending Taylor crashing to the canvas. It was Taylor's first knockdown suffered as a pro. It resulted in his first loss and the end of the most disputed undisputed title reign in recent boxing history.
Given their styles, it's nearly impossible to picture the rematch failing to produce the same level as excitement as their first fight. While the bout itself is close to a pick-'em — Pavlik is a slight favorite — the safest bet of the night is that Pavlik doesn't pick this occasion to go the "win tonight, look good the next time" route. Rare is the occasion when the winner of such a violent knockout win elects to just box the second time around or resist the temptation to eventually check that chin.
It might be in Taylor's best interests to make the bout as dull as possible. But despite his Olympic pedigree and underrated achievements as a pro, Taylor doesn't not possess the pure boxing skills necessary to shut down Pavlik's attack, or even keep the heat off of him for very long. And while the knockout from five months ago must still remain fresh in his mind, there's no question that he wouldn't have exercised his rematch clause if he didn't believe he could right some serious wrongs from their first fight. He had him down last time and is firmly convinced that he's finishing him off this time.
It's why he wanted the rematch and why it comes at six pounds over the middleweight limit. He's not interested in regaining his crown or ever again competing as a middleweight. All he wants is to avenge his lone defeat. All Pavlik wants to do is repeat his performance from last September, save for another visit to the canvas.
The only thing boxing fans want is to get their money's worth, whether attending the show at the MGM Grand, or watching from the confines of their living room.
But in the slim chance that Pavlik-Taylor II fails to entertain, promoters brought in reinforcements in the undercard.
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| While the Pavlik-Taylor fight tops the card Saturday, Cristian Mijares is out to prove that even the undercard will be worth watching. (Ronaldo Schemidt/AFP / Getty Images) |
For those who don't order every PPV, many will get their first look at Cristian Mijares, who has shown as much improvement over the past 18 months as any fighter in the game today. The 26-year-old Mexican southpaw doesn't boast the glossiest of resumes (33-3-2, 14KO), but enters this weekend's fight with 2000 Olympian Jose Navarro riding a 5-year, 23-fight unbeaten streak.
Most have come in from his native Mexico, but his biggest win came last April in the chief support to Manny Pacquiao's PPV headliner against Jorge Solis. Mijares upset the odds in serving up an embarrassing boxing lesson to Jorge Arce, one of the few bankable stars in the lower weight classes. Mijares not only boxed Arce's ears off, but never let up, going for the knockout in the final round even though there was no doubt he already had the fight won on the cards.
The Arce win was preceded by a pair of impressive showings against Katsushige Kawashima in Japan, where and against whom Jose Navarro fell short in a highly controversial decision in 2005. Coming up short has unfortunately become Navarro's calling card in recent years, also dropping a road decision against Masamori Tokuyama in 2006 and most recently against Dimitry Kilirov in Russia last October.
This weekend's bout is perceived as Navarro's last crack at a run toward the top of the junior bantamweight division, which is arguably the most loaded weight class besides welterweight. In fact, it's so loaded that two more of its top entrants appear on this very card with Mexican rivals Fernando Montiel and Martin Castillo squaring off in a PPV preliminary bout.
Castillo (33-2, 17KO) was once upon a time regarded as the best junior bantamweight on the planet, largely on the strength of his dominant December 2004 points win over previously unbeaten Alexander Munoz. The win put Castillo on the map as one of boxing's best though very few were lining up to face him.
The 1996 Olympian further impressed with a thorough boxing lesson against former flyweight titlist Eric Morel in March 2005, though he still managed to struggle with stateside TV time. Twice in a span of three fights, Castillo was forced to travel to Japan with the bouts bookending a blazing rematch with Munoz in January 2006. His second trip to the Far East resulted in Castillo's first loss in four years when he suffered a cuts-induced 10th round stoppage in a huge upset by novice Nobuo Nashiro.
He's since won three straight and was rumored to face Jorge Arce sometime in 2008, but gladly accepted assignment against Montiel the moment the fight was offered to him.
Montiel (35-2-1, 26KO) has been something of a Jekyll-and-Hyde since emerging on the title scene seven years ago. At his best, he is an incredibly talented boxer-puncher, as evidenced in wins over the likes of Isidro Garcia, Ivan "Choko" Hernandez and most recently against Luis Melendez. Other times, he shows up lethargic and uninspired, as was the case in his two career losses against Mark "Too Sharp" Johnson and Jhonny Gonzalez, and even in wins, such as his 2005 decision over Evert Briceno.
It goes without saying that Montiel needs to not only be at his best when facing Castillo this weekend, but to put together the type of performance that creates demand for big money fights against the few big names capable of creating such ends. The same is true in reverse, as Castillo can no longer afford to just win.
At stake for Castillo is a potential summer showdown with Arce, a lucrative opportunity in and of itself. Of course, it'd be nice to turn a good payday into a great one, which he'll be able to demand with the type of bargaining chip that would come with a big win over Montiel. That, in turn, should serve as all of the motivation Montiel needs to bring his A-game and produce a career-best effort in scoring the biggest win of his career.
If all six aforementioned participants of this weekend's card live up to the win-or-find-a-new-job demand that surrounds their fights, a card already designed to give you your money's worth will leave you calling for an encore. The way pay-per-view used to be.
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