Here’s the deal: if Taylor can beat Pavlik (particularly in decisive fashion) and prove his many critics wrong, most boxing observers will forgive him for his poor showing vs. Spinks and last December’s underwhelming title defense against another 154 pounder, Kassim Ouma.

If Pavlik, who is the mandatory contender for the WBC middleweight title that Taylor holds, can live up to his expectations and beat the champ, the boxing world will be his oyster.

Here’s the catch: Even if this attractive middleweight showdown does occur, it’s doubtful that the winner will remain in the 160-pound division. Pavlik has to starve himself for two to three weeks in order to boil his 6-foot-3 frame down to the middleweight limit. It’s no secret that Taylor has struggled to make 160 pounds since BEFORE he won the title from Hopkins. So in the off-chance that the middleweight division gets the defining fight it sorely needs, the chances are good that the winner of that bout will be gone by the start of ’08.