Pavlik might not be ready for the big stage, but Cotto is ready to embrace it...
Raymond Zheng
08/09/07
Remember when you were a kid just before one of your birthdays? You’re jittery and anxious, unsure of what kind of presents you would get. Maybe you would get that video game you’ve been drooling over or maybe you would get a pair of wool socks from your aunt, but you were always confident that your birthday was going to be a great time. Now you can relive that feeling through the sweet science because the next 4 months will feel like one big birthday bash for boxing fans.
To kick things off, Jermain Taylor will defend his middleweight championship against the legitimate number one contender in Kelly Pavlik. People have been criticizing Taylor for his last two defenses against so-called blown up junior middleweights, but I’ve always been a defender of Taylor and will continue to defend him. When you take on Hopkins back-to-back and then follow that up with Winky Wright, I think a fighter deserves a couple of easy defenses. But Ouma and Spinks aren’t even easy opponents by any stretch of the imagination. Even at middleweight, both fighters would be live underdogs against any middleweight. But now Taylor is taking on the rising Kelly Pavlik. To tell you the truth, I’ve never been impressed with Pavlik. That’s strange because he has a crowd-pleasing style, is a fundamentally solid fighter, and appears to be a great guy outside the ring. But I just think he might have his hands full with a proven champion like Taylor. When I take a quick look at Pavlik’s record, I see that none of his previous 5 opponents can box remotely as well as Taylor. The only exception might be Bronco McKart, who was in his mid 30’s at the time of their fight and was clearly not the same fighter as the one from a decade ago.
If I had to pick a winner, I’d venture to say that Taylor steps up his game (like he usually does with a big fight), and boxes brilliantly en route to a decision victory. The keys to this fight will be Taylor’s jab and how well he can use it to deter Pavlik and Pavlik’s monster right hand and how consistently he can land it against Taylor’s low left hand guard.
Six weeks following that, boxing showcases my favorite matchup of the year when Miguel Cotto defends his WBA welterweight title against Shane Mosley. Both individuals are perceived to be two of boxing’s elite fighters, but both have detractors who would beg to differ. This upcoming fight will cement one fighter’s position amongst the elite while the other fighter will be on his way out of the pound-for-pound picture. But forget legacy, their styles is what makes this matchup a potential fight of the year. Cotto is tailor-made for Shane’s counterpunching as Cotto's biggest weakness is his habit of leaving himself wide open for counter shots as he's throwing his punches. Shane is tailor-made for Cotto’s habit of throwing punches while advancing because Mosley tends to drop his hands while stepping back out of punching range. Cotto has the ability to close in quickly and expose Mosley’s poor defense. Does Mosley have the power to hurt Cotto? I don't think so. But I believe that Cotto's pressure and Mosley's style of standing and trading will mean bad things for Shane. I like Cotto by a late stoppage.
Also, I would like to note that sandwiched between Taylor/Pavlik and Cotto/Mosley is the much anticipated rematch between Manny Pacquiao and Marco Antonio Barrera. Barrera has the ability to outbox Pacquiao, similarly to what Marquez did. But the key to the fight is whether or not Barrera can do it for 36 minutes. I think Pacquiao will be too strong and quick for the aging Barrera, and I like Pacquiao by stoppage.
Previous Articles By Raymond Zheng
08/09/07 - Slow Week For Boxing? Not Exactly ...
15/09/07 Pavlik might not be ready for the big stage, but Cotto is ready to embrace it...