Taylor-Pavlik Predictions

[Karas]

pavlik will knock his bald head out just like last time, and i like jermain

[CFH]

I'm picking Taylor too, but I hope I'm wrong. I think he'll scrape out a close UD/SD because he's going box/run most of the fight this time IMO.
Despite the 2nd round of the 1st fight, I had Pavlik ahead by a couple rounds at the time of the stoppage, so I am surprised to see so many pick Taylor.

[Galaxy]

I'm going with Pavlik by KO but I think it's gonna be a tough fight. Taylor almost finished things in the 1st fight & I believe theres ever possibility he could end it this time around.

[zupg]

I am going with Pavlik TKO/KO in the mid rounds. I think it will be another good fight, but Kelly will come out on top after pressuring JT every round. And JT will win a couple rounds before going to sleep again. Kelly will use his jab and straight right better in the earlier rounds this fight and hopefully won't get caught like he did in the second round. He took some brutial shots in the 2nd, but luckly weathered the onslot.

[ACEA]

Im going to go with JT by UD. Taylor was winning the fight IMO up untill he got KOed. I think last time he fought Pavlik he underestimated him a bit as well as wanting to prove he can be an exciting fighter after the critisism he was getting and he got too excited when he had Kelly hurt and wasted far too much energy. Im glad he has got rid of Manny Stewart out of his corner because i dont think he had the ablity to make JT fully apply himself in training and Taylor clearly wasnt listening to him in the corner during the fight.

This time around i see Taylor fighting a cautious fight pick his spots and keeping his gaurd up at all times. I dont think it will be an entertaining fight more like a tactical chess match as Taylor will be reluctant to mix it up after what happened last time. I wouldnt be suprised if we get a 12 round snore fest just my 2 cents tho

[SweetPea]

When one guy wins by KO, and there's an immediate rematch, it's very hard to go against the guy who won the first fight.

Pavlik enters this fight knowing he can take Taylor's best shots and get back off the canvas, while Taylor's last memory in the ring is of getting knocked nearly unconscious in the corner by Pavlik. It's asking a lot for Taylor to get over that mental hump in only a few months.

Vazquez was able to come back after a TKO loss and beat Marquez in the second fight, but he was never knocked out in the first fight, he just had to quit because of the broken nose.

Pavlik by mid-round TKO again.

[RP33]

Im going to go with JT by UD. Taylor was winning the fight IMO up untill he got KOed. I think last time he fought Pavlik he underestimated him a bit as well as wanting to prove he can be an exciting fighter after the critisism he was getting and he got too excited when he had Kelly hurt and wasted far too much energy. Im glad he has got rid of Manny Stewart out of his corner because i dont think he had the ablity to make JT fully apply himself in training and Taylor clearly wasnt listening to him in the corner during the fight.

This time around i see Taylor fighting a cautious fight pick his spots and keeping his gaurd up at all times. I dont think it will be an entertaining fight more like a tactical chess match as Taylor will be reluctant to mix it up after what happened last time. I wouldnt be suprised if we get a 12 round snore fest just my 2 cents tho

Just curious, when have you seen Taylor fight an "on your toes" defensive fight? And also, when has Pavlik ever been involved in a snore fest?

never and never..

Taylor was getting hit with Pavlik's shots in ROUND ONE of the last fight.. watch past the first half of the round.. Taylor did come out a bit eager, but that was not why Pavlik was connecting.. He was connecting because Taylor just really isn't that great defensively.. He has to add more head movement, and move laterally more, but he will still get caught with Pavlik's shots.. Remember, Pavlik isn't really considered slow either.. clearly much slower than JT but not too slow to connect on an average defense of Taylors.. NO WAY will this be a snore fest, and no way do i see Taylor avoiding Pavlik for 12 rounds.

How would you feel if you almost KO'd the guy you're about to get into the ring with (knowing that you blew it).. would you go in there and try to last 12 rounds with him cause he KO'd you? Or would you go in there and finish him this time? Taylor is going in there to fight, not to be tactical.. he'll be a bit more composed, but he will be firing on all cylinders.. guaranteed

[Mad_Dog]

I think Taylor wins by decision this time. It was a close fight last time with both fighters hurt. I got a feeling.

[p4pking]

Tough call imo... Mainly because it's hard to know what to make of the immediate rematch.. Sweetpea has a good point that it's hard to pick against a guy who just won by KO, however I get the feel that Taylor wouldn't have taken the rematch if he didn't know he could do some things better. Also I think the notion that Pavlik can take Taylor's best shots is a silly point of reason. Neither of these guys can take too many hard shots from the other. Perhaps Taylor can't knock Pavlik clean out, but Kelly isn't tough to hit and Taylor had him on queer street big time the first fight, and early too. If that situation does arise again where he hurts him, it would only take some fine tuning in training camp in order for Jermain to capitalize on it and put him away this time. If he'd mixed up his shots a little, went to the body and head, he probably would have finished Kelly in that second round. Maybe it is just his mentality to throw the gameplan out the window in that case though. We know he has trouble sticking to a gameplan in general, but he may very well be able to work on his ability to finish an opponent.. We haven't seen him need to do so other than the Pavlik fight, just due to the guy's he's been in with. I guess it is a bit of a stretch to expect Taylor to come out and make the proper adjustements, but he did do better in the rematch with Hopkins, which is the only rematch either man has been in. Hopkins is also the smarter fighter and Taylor was still able to bring a better gameplan than the first rather than Hopkins figuring him out. I think that does have a lot to do with Hopkins age and the fact he made 160 for so long and had to fight like that. Who knows, guess I'll pick Pavlik by a late stoppage, but I wouldn't be at all surprised to see Taylor stop him at any point in the fight. Should be a good one.

[piye]

Pavlik round 10! I really want taylor to win though! he gets such a hard time considering he's one of few elite fighters who'll fight anyone!

[ElTerribleMorales]

i dunno i have a feeling that Taylor is gonna be all business tomorrow, and that he'll get Pavlik out of there, but i still figure Pavlik will have his moments. The thing is, don't get me wrong Kelly Pavlik is a hell of a fighter, but like always all the writers and most fans are already blowing him up to be something he's not, i mean Arum was referring to him as "The Greatest Middleweight Champion Ever", plz, Pavlik is a good fighter, but Marvin Hagler would have raped his ass in the ring lol

[Bomp]

Just curious, when have you seen Taylor fight an "on your toes" defensive fight? And also, when has Pavlik ever been involved in a snore fest?

never and never..

Taylor was getting hit with Pavlik's shots in ROUND ONE of the last fight.. watch past the first half of the round.. Taylor did come out a bit eager, but that was not why Pavlik was connecting.. He was connecting because Taylor just really isn't that great defensively.. He has to add more head movement, and move laterally more, but he will still get caught with Pavlik's shots.. Remember, Pavlik isn't really considered slow either.. clearly much slower than JT but not too slow to connect on an average defense of Taylors.. NO WAY will this be a snore fest, and no way do i see Taylor avoiding Pavlik for 12 rounds.

How would you feel if you almost KO'd the guy you're about to get into the ring with (knowing that you blew it).. would you go in there and try to last 12 rounds with him cause he KO'd you? Or would you go in there and finish him this time? Taylor is going in there to fight, not to be tactical.. he'll be a bit more composed, but he will be firing on all cylinders.. guaranteed

I have to agree. Taylor's big chance will be early again. He's never had the defence and stamina to withstand Pavlik's barrage for a full 12 rounds. Taylor got tired fighting Hopkins when neither fighter was fighting at a decent pace, he needs to go after Pavlik and try and get him on the back foot, which seems a very difficult task in itself.