One of the best fights of 2007 was the Kelly Pavlik-Jermain TaylorWBO and WBC belts.
Taylor had ruled the division for nearly two years, successfully defending his title four times, all against former world champions, including Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright, Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks.
Yet along came this relative unknown from Youngstown, Ohio, who stood up to Taylor in a bout full of plenty of toe-to-toe action.
And Taylor again plans plenty of pressure in Saturday night's rematch in Las Vegas.
"I'm not looking to go in there with a strategy," said Taylor, the +140 underdog at WagerWeb.com. "It's going to be a fight, all 12 rounds. I'm going straight to him, all 12 rounds. He gets knocked out, I get knocked out, it don't matter. I'm going straight at him."
Though Pavlik's title is not at risk, because they are fighting at the non-title weight of 166, the stakes for each man are high. For the 25-year-old Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs), a second victory over Taylor would solidify his status as one of the sport's most dynamic and marketable new figures - especially because he is white. For the 29-year-old Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs), a win would mean redemption as well as a springboard toward big money fights against the best at 168 and perhaps 175.
Pavlik, -180 at WagerWeb.com, says the memories of the first bout will haunt his rival in the rematch.
"He says he's going to come out and slug, but I think that could all change after one big right hand," he said. "I don't know how he's going to react from that knockout. It was a pretty wicked knockout, and neurologically I don't know how he's going to respond. I don't know mentally if he's going to be hesitant, if he's going to come out firing."The contract for last September's fight stipulated that Taylor, from Little Rock, Ark., could demand an immediate rematch if he lost his title. The emphatic nature of his defeat, however, led many to expect him to waive that right and take some warm-up bouts to rebuild his confidence before facing his conqueror.
But Taylor told a news conference this week: "I don't need a tune-up fight. I believe you fight the guy who beat you."
Pavlik certainly isn't resting on his first victory. He insisted on beginning his serious training eight weeks out rather than the usual six or seven.
"I've never seen him this enthusiastic about starting early," says Pavlik's trainer, Jack Loew says. "I was excited. I was ready to go. We jumped right on it."
Conditioning will undoubtedly be one of the keys to Saturday's outcome. Taylor blamed lack of fitness for his only defeat. He insists he rededicated himself after hiring Ozell Nelson to be his lead trainer in place of Hall of Famer Emanuel Steward.
"If they want to come out there and bang, that's an opportunity for a straight right," Pavlik said.
This will be Taylor's first fight beyond the 160-pound limit since pre-title days, which included 12 wins and 10 knockouts at weights ranging from 160 1/2 to 164 ½.
And win, lose or draw on Saturday, Taylor said he'll not be returning to middleweight.
"I don't want to get ahead of myself about who I will be fighting next. My focus is on Kelly Pavlik," he said. "However, I can say that I will be moving up to 168 pounds after this fight. I have fought at 160 pounds my entire career and it's time to move up."
Pavlik thinks the higher weight is to his advantage.
"I'm taller than he is, and it's hard for me to make 160," Pavlik said. "Now I can sit there and work out like I do and even harder, and eat and refuel my body. I'll have my balance. I'll have my snap. Everything will be there. I won't be drained.
"It took me seven years to finally get to this point," he says. "I'm not going to give up everything now."
Bet on boxing at WagerWeb.com middleweight title fight, when Pavlik, who had been knocked down and almost out in the second round and was trailing on all three scorecards, rallied to knock out the unbeaten Taylor in the seventh round to win the
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