Boxing this weekend

[Raji]

No NBA? No matter.

This is the best boxing weekend in recent memory. So sit back, grab a beer, and enjoy.

And maybe make a few bucks too.

Here's a quick rundown of what's happening this weekend in the world of legal mayhem.

Kelly Pavlik (32-0) vs. Jermain Taylor (27-1-1) - The Sequel

The problem with boxing in recent years is that the best fights have flown under the radar, while the heavily-promoted bouts have largely been disappointments. This fight might be a step in the right direction for the sport. Rather than trusting "names" to deliver a good fight, we are seeing some relative unknowns duke it out in a rematch of what was one of the best fights of 2007. I urge you to check out that video if you like tough boxing.

The first fight had it all and still ended with more questions than answers. Taylor floored Pavlik in the second round with an exquisite four-punch combo, but Pavlik gamely made it through the round. The next four rounds saw some great back-and-forth activity, but Taylor seemed to have a better fight plan, which is not surprising since he was trained by Emanuel Steward.

Taylor may have been moving backwards, but he was generally winning most of the encounters with strong counter-punching. By the seventh round he was well ahead on all cards. But that was when Pavlik unleashed a flurry which reminded everybody, especially Taylor, that Pavlik is one of the hardest punchers under 175 pounds. Taylor hit the canvas and the ref didn't let the fight continue.

In the four-plus months since that fight, things have become even more interesting.

Not only is Taylor returning in an unusually short amount of time since that devastating loss, but he's also switched trainers, dumping Steward in favor of his father-figure, Ozell Nelson. Taylor also triggered a clause in the original contract to allow the fighters to meet at a catch weight of 166, rather than the original fight's limit of 160 pounds.

All of these decisions raise questions about Taylor. The one thing he had going for him in the last fight was a great trainer and fight plan. In recent fights he's been leaning towards a lackluster work ethic in training and it seems unlikely that a member of his entourage will be able to snap him out of that funk.

Finally, you really have to question the decision to fight at 166. Granted, Taylor has been struggling to stay under 160, but so has Pavlik. Pavlik has already proven he can take the best Taylor can throw - it would be hard to beat some of the punches Taylor landed in the first fight - and a couple of pounds won't make too much difference. Allowing Pavlik the chance to add another half-dozen pounds of meat to his frame after he dummied you only 140 days ago is questionable at best. Doing it while dumping the best boxing mind in the game in favor of a inexperienced trainer is, frankly, stupid.

Current odds
Pavlik -181
Taylor +171

Cristian Mijares (33-3-2) vs. Jose Navarro (26-3) - WBC super flyweight title

This is one of the undercards for Pavlik-Taylor but it won't be nearly as entertaining a fight from a power perspective. This fight is a reason why these lower weight classes should still have 15-round fights, because these southpaws could go forever.

That being said, Cristian Mijares is the far better fighter. He is only 26, but he is building an impressive resume going 22-0-1 since his last loss in 2002.

Navarro is also only 26, but his career is heading in the other direction. I'm not sure how this guy can have a title fight given his record is only 5-3 since 2004. That is the state of the sport.

Current odds
Mijares -361
Navarro +331

Fernando Montiel (35-2-1) vs. Martin Castillo (33-2) - WBO Super Flyweight Title

Note the subtle difference in titles between this fight and the Mijares/Navarro fight. Apparently this means something to some people. This is another one of the undercards for Pavlik-Taylor and should be an entertaining fight.

Both of these guys are typical flyweights who seemingly have endless tanks of gas. Montiel is especially fun to watch as he actually has a little pop in his punches and has been involved in a couple of boxing matches that turned into street fights. I didn't see his last fight with Luis Melendez, and I can't find any video, but apparently it was a lot of fun to watch with both fighters spending time on the canvas.

Castillo has been re-tuning with a string of nobodies after losing the WBA title a couple of years ago to Nobuo Nashiro in Japan after being stopped in the 10th with a messy cut. Had the fight gone the distance, I think Castillo would have pulled out a win. At 31, this might be Castillo's last shot at a title. The Ring actually ranks Castillo higher than Montiel, but I'll believe that when I see it.

Current odds
Montiel -137
Castillo +127

Nikolay Valuev (47-1) vs. Sergei Lyakhovich (23-2)

This fight is happening somewhere in Germany and is notable to me because I simply love watching Valuev fight. If you haven't seen him before you won't know what I mean, but let me describe it this way: Imagine what it would look like of Shaq was a boxer and had a head the size of a pumpkin. Valuev is seven feet tall and regularly outweighs his opponents by 100 pounds. Not joking - this guy looks like Bald Bull from Mike Tyson's Punch Out.

He's on the comeback trail after somehow losing last year to Ruslan Chagaev. I didn't see the fight, but apparently it was a majority decision loss with Valuev, not surprisingly, tiring in the second half of the fight. And that's the book on Valuev, if you can last more than five or six rounds there is a real loss of steam - and his punches start loading up slower than Bald Bull himself.

Valuev still owns something called the NABA Heavyweight Title, which I think was presented to him when he was the one millionth person to order the Great Bloomin' Onion at Outback Steakhouse.

Luckily for Valuev, he's fighting a guy who is coming back from his own loss, and an interesting one at that. Only 104 days ago, Lyakhovich got knocked out of the ring by Shannon Briggs with one second left in the fight. If you follow boxing, then you have no doubt seen it on YouTube. Yeah, he's that guy. All he had to do was stay in the ring and he would have won, or at least salvaged a draw. But he fell out of the ring. You've got to think it's hard to come back from that - especially when you find yourself facing somebody that's, oh, maybe 55 pounds bigger than Briggs.

Take a look at that YouTube link again and ask yourself what would happen if that guy was facing a 7-foot, 325 pound monster in that same situation.

Current odds
Valuev -297
Lyakhovich +267


Raji

[Raji]

Although you wouldn't know it from Kelly Pavlik's history of dynamite knockouts, patience is among the middleweight champion's greatest virtues.

Pavlik waited seven years for his first title shot against Jermain Taylor last year, and didn't waste it. In the rematch Saturday night, Pavlik persisted until the late rounds, when he finally landed the big punches that kept him perfect.

With a strong finish to a bout with more tactics than theatrics, the pride of Youngstown, Ohio, beat Taylor on Saturday night for the second time in 4 1/2 months, winning a unanimous decision.

Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) failed to knock out his opponent for the first time in his last 10 fights, but he threw far more punches and landed more memorable exchanges. Taylor (27-2-1) came up just short on all three judges' scorecards despite a markedly improved performance after getting his first career loss in their initial bout.

The fight could have gone either way until the 10th round, with both fighters using canny strategy to minimize their opponents' strengths. Pavlik finished tremendously, staggering Taylor in the 11th with the power that makes him a knockout artist - but also the skill that could keep him on top for years to come.

''He was better tonight than the first fight, (but) I was better, too,'' Pavlik said. ''It was a more tactical fight. ... From rounds 10 through 12, I was finally landing body shots,'' Pavlik said. ''He was tired. I could hear him exhaling.''

Pavlik stunned Taylor with a seventh-round knockout victory in Atlantic City last year, claiming Taylor's WBC title in one of the most scintillating bouts in recent middleweight history. Pavlik's belt wasn't at stake this time, with both fighters agreeing to a rematch at a catch weight of 166 pounds - 6 pounds above the middleweight limit.

''We both did a better job tonight than the first fight,'' Pavlik said. ''The key was inside pressure. My fight strategy was to put the pressure on him, back him up. My jab and punches landed more this time. Nothing will top the first victory over Jermain, but it was a great win tonight.''

Judge Dave Moretti favored Pavlik 117-111 in the rematch, while Patricia Morse Jarman had it 115-113 and Glenn Trowbridge scored it 116-112. The Associated Press also scored it narrowly for Pavlik, 115-113.

Pavlik dominated the punch stats, throwing 845 total blows to Taylor's 456, with both landing a roughly equal percentage. Pavlik's jab was the difference, with 484 of them keeping Taylor at bay despite the Arkansas native's edge in power punches.

''I thought he was doing a pretty good job,'' Taylor said, after repeating ''I lost, I lost,'' several times when well-wishers consoled him in the ring.

''I knew it was a close fight, but I guess he won the last couple of rounds,'' Taylor added. ''He's a strong fighter, and I give him a lot of credit.''

In their first meeting, Taylor knocked down Pavlik in the second round and was leading on all scorecards before Pavlik caught him with the first of several devastating right hands, eventually leaving Taylor defenseless against the corner ropes.

Both fought more deliberately in the rematch, staying away from the sensational exchanges near the ropes that made their first meeting so exciting. Taylor kept the early rounds in the middle of the ring, using his jab to prevent Pavlik from backing him into a corner and trading power shots.

Pavlik needed a few rounds to figure out how to counter Taylor's discipline, which hasn't always been Taylor's strongest attribute.

Though Pavlik was more active in nearly every round, Taylor conserved his energy and only got in trouble in the 11th. Taylor wrapped Pavlik in clinches until the round ended, snuffing either fighter's best chance at a knockout, but Pavlik won the 12th round on all three judges' scorecards to clinch the victory.

Taylor and Pavlik probably won't fight again at middleweight. Taylor plans to pursue a career at super middleweight while Pavlik defends his belt this summer against anyone from John Duddy or IBF champ Arthur Abraham to Felix Trinidad.

Fans of both fighters packed into the casino arena, with Pavlik's Ohio supporters roundly outnumbering Taylor's faithful from Arkansas, whose chants of ''Whoo, pig! Sooie!'' were drowned out by Pavlik cheers.

Pavlik's impressive back-to-back wins over Edison Miranda and Taylor made him a rising star and a hero in his native Youngstown. Fans embraced him as the heir to an outstanding boxing tradition including Ray ''Boom Boom'' Mancini, who attended Pavlik's fight in support.

Pavlik made dozens of public appearances culminating in a pregame pep talk to the Ohio State football team before its game against Michigan, but he cut off the victory tour eight weeks ago - about two weeks earlier than expected for his trainer, Jack Loew.

Though Pavlik was the 2-1 favorite in the rematch, he retained the humble habits that endear him to fans almost as much as his punishing punches. Pavlik slept on the couch in his palatial suite at the MGM Grand, and he joined his fans in the buffet line one night.


Raji