The
rematch between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor
Saturday at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas wasn’t
as explosive as their original encounter last September,
but the result was largely the same as "The
Buckeye Banger" banged out a unanimous decision
in their 12-round catch-weight bout.
Before
the fight Taylor and his new lead trainer Ozell
Nelson promised changes, and, for the most part,
they delivered – at least in a strategic sense.
Taylor stayed away from the ropes and his punches
were more eye-catching and explosive than Pavlik’s.
The result was a decision defeat that was disputed
by some members of the press, and his improved performance
in comparison to the first fight didn’t significantly
harm his standing as an attraction.
Unfortunately
for Taylor, his numbers simply weren’t large
enough to overcome Pavlik’s steady work. In
the first fight, Taylor was 182 of 369 (49 percent)
overall, landing 37 percent of his jabs (77 of 207)
and connecting on an impressive 65 percent of his
power punches (105 of 162). In the rematch, Taylor
was 10 percent less accurate overall (178 of 456,
39 percent), and he landed fewer power punches in
12 rounds, (76), than he did in six-plus rounds
in the first fight (105). At 35 percent (102 of
292), Taylor’s jab accuracy was down two points
from the first fight and his 38 punches per round
were 15 less than in last September’s bout.
Taylor never reached double digits in terms of power
connects while Pavlik surpassed that threshold seven
times.
While
Pavlik’s punches at 164 didn’t carry
the same snap and power, his numbers were a mixed
bag when compared to the first match. Last September,
Pavlik was 180 of 460 (39 percent) overall, connecting
on 100 of his 210 power punches (48 percent) and
80 of his 250 jabs (32 percent). This time, Pavlik
was more active (70 punches per round as opposed
to 66 in the first fight) but less accurate. His
jab was two percentage points down (32 percent)
and his power numbers was 14 percent lower (34 percent).
This can be attributed to Taylor’s increased
mobility, which made it more difficult for Pavlik
to draw a bead and tee off. Still, he was by far
the more active fighter and he landed enough significant
blows to persuade the judges to award him the rounds.
One
change in Pavlik’s approach was how his punches
were distributed. In the first bout there was a
55-45 split between jabs and power punches, but
in the rematch it shifted slightly upward to 57-43,
which is reflective of Pavlik’s more measured
approach in terms of style. Still, Pavlik’s
significantly higher work rate paid statistical
dividends: He out-landed Taylor in 10 of the 12
rounds, with the third round even at 17 connects
and Taylor winning only the 10th round with a 15-13
edge. Pavlik’s best round came in the eighth
when he landed 35 of 71 (49 percent), including
21 of 39 jabs (54 percent) and 14 of 32 power shots
(44 percent), all highs for the fight. Pavlik out-jabbed
Taylor in 10 of 12 rounds and in eight of 12 in
power punches.
For the record, Taylor’s
best statistical round was the fifth, which saw
him land 20 of 43 overall (47 percent), including
14 of 27 jabs (52 percent) but only 6 of 16 power
shots. His best power shot round was the sixth,
which saw him land 8 of 10 (80 percent).
Most observers agree that Pavlik was by far the
stronger and fresher fighter in the final two rounds
and the numbers bear them out. Pavlik out-landed
Taylor 44-21 in the 11th and 12th, including a telling
30-11 advantage in power punches. Pavlik bolstered
that advantage by nearly doubling Taylor’s
overall output (141-74) and more than doubling his
power punch volume (75-36).
For Pavlik, the equation
was a simple one: Activity + Effectiveness = Victory.
