And Still Undefeated; Pavlik Picks Taylor Apart

By: Phil Santos

 

In a controlled early going Jermain Taylor found success with his jab in between the busier Kelly Pavlik’s attack.  Taylor carried the speed advantage with him to 166 lbs but it was Pavlik with more consistent pressure and a rock solid approach.  Pavlik fought nearly an identical fight to his first meeting with Taylor and although the knockout didn’t come, his game plan prevailed.  He kept Taylor moving backwards and applied the type of smothering pressure that made it difficult for Taylor to mount a suitable offense. Read the rest of this entry »


Jermain Taylor deserves more respect than he gets

By: Phil Santos – Overhandright.com

No chance. Essentially that is what former Middleweight champion Jermain Taylor has been given in his rematch against current top dog Kelly Pavlik. Since besting future Hall of Famer Bernard Hopkins twice and fighting Winky Wright to a draw Taylor has seen his stock plummet. Fairly or not Taylor has faced plenty of criticism. He defended his crown against blown up Welterweights in Cory Spinks and Kassim Ouma and to make matters worse he was less than impressive in doing so. Read the rest of this entry »


Jermain Taylor:

You’re OK not fighting for a belt this time?

“When I win, I’ll be walking out of there with everything he took from me. I’m walking out of there with my pride.”

Is it working out better without Emanuel?

“It feels great. It’s just like the old days. When we started out it was just me and Ozell. I’m working hard every day. I’m doing a lot more sparring. Emanuel Steward is a great guy, a Hall of Fame trainer and a friend of mine. I love him to death. But he isn’t coaching me now.”
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By: Phil Santos – Overhandright.com

Edison Miranda – “I watched the last Lacy fight and was not impressed at all. I also watched the Contender and my feeling was the same about Bika. These guys are simply not at my level.”

I caught up with the punishing power puncher Edison Miranda following his sensational knockout of David Banks on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. As always Miranda pulled no punches, so to speak, as he gave me his take on a second fight with Pavlik, his thoughts on Jeff Lacy and Sakio Bika and what a typical day of training entails.

The once top rated Middleweight contender now inhabits the Super Middleweight division. And make no mistake about it he wants to fight the best the division has to offer. Here is what Pantera had to say, enjoy.

PS: Firstly congratulations on an outstanding, sensational win over David Banks. Read the rest of this entry »


Jermain Taylor Wants To Beat Kelly Pavlik

LAS VEGAS – During every New Years celebration, the saying goes, “Out with the old, in with the new,” as well as “The more things change, the more they stay the same.” Neither could be more true concerning the mindset of  Jermain Taylor as he starts the New Year with training camp in Las Vegas for his rematch with Kelly Pavlik, billed as
“The Epic Battle Continues.”

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World super flyweight champions FERNANDO MONTIEL and CRISTIAN MIJARES will be defending their titles in separate 12-round bouts and junior middleweight contender RONALD HEARNS will be risking his undefeated record on the pay-per-view extravaganza headlined by the 12-round rematch rumble between world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and former world champion Jermain Taylor in one of boxing’s fiercest rivalries.  Promoted by Top Rank and DiBella Entertainment, the Pavlik-Taylor II event takes place Saturday, February 16, at MGM Grand and will be produced and distributed live by HBO Pay-Per-View, beginning at 9 p.m. EST / 6 p.m. PST.

Montiel will be defending his World Boxing Organization (WBO) title against former world champion Martin Castillo. World Boxing Council (WBC) champion Mijares will be defending his title against three-time world title challenger Jose Navarro.  Hearns will go toe-to-toe against Juan Astorga in an eight-round junior middleweight bout.  Their combined record is an impressive 155-11-4 (87 KOs) – a winning percentage exceeding 91% with over half their victories coming by knockout.

Remaining tickets, priced at $600, $400, $300, $200, and $100, are on sale at the MGM Grand Garden Arena box office. Tickets are also being sold at all Las Vegas Ticketmaster locations (select Smith’s Food and Drug Centers, Macy’s West at the Fashion Show Mall, and Ritmo Latino).  Ticket sales are limited to eight (8) per person. To charge by phone with a major credit card, call Ticketmaster at (702) 474-4000 or MGM Grand at (800) 929-1111.  Tickets are also available for purchase at www.mgmgrand.com or www.ticketmaster.com Read the rest of this entry »