by The Prophet, ProphetFighting
We’ll focus on boxing in this edition of The Prophet’s Tuesday Tapout….the biggest news of the past week was Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik’s stunning 7th round KO of Jermain Taylor to win the WBA/WBO middleweight title. Pavlik looks nothing like the prototypical boxing champion–he’s white, ugly, skinny and lanky but has hellacious power. I was going to post a picture of Pavlik, but I decided to post a picture of a hot chick lounging provocatively in a boxing ring instead. So just imagine an ugly, skinny white guy that looks like the diametric opposite of the hottie in the picture and you’ll get a good idea of what Pavlik looks like.
THE GHOST SHOCKS MIDDLEWEIGHT CHAMPION JERMAIN TAYLOR
Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik has been pegged as the “next big thing” for awhile now, but had left a lot of unanswered questions heading into last Saturday’s matchup against middleweight champ Jermain Taylor. No one doubted Pavilk’s power, which had produced 28 KO’s in 31 bouts (all wins) but there were serious questions about his penchant for in-ring brain lock. His lack of focus manifested itself most often in lazy defense which sometimes made his fights against overmatched opponents earlier in his career much tougher than they needed to be. He’d looked better against his recent opposition, dispatching talented journeymen Bronco McKart and Lenord Pierre with ease. He overwhelmed contenders Jose Luis Zertuche and Edison Miranda on the way to his title shot, but many doubted his ability to dominate the champion in the same way. Taylor, after all, was a much better technical boxer than anyone Pavlik had faced and had been in with some top notch opponents including Bernard Hopkins twice along with Winky Wright and Cory Spinks.
At the outset it appeared that those who suggested a class difference between Pavlik and Taylor were correct. After an inconclusive first round Taylor unleashed what was perhaps the best offensive display of his career sending Pavlik to the canvas after unsuccessfully trying to grab Taylor for support. He demonstrated his toughness by surviving the next :90 seconds on the round, and quickly regained his “legs” in the third. Though trailing on all three scorecards at the time of the stoppage, it became evident as the fight wore on that Pavlik’s power was taking a serious toll on the champion. “The Ghost” took the matter out of the judges hands at 2:14 of the 7th when he sealed the deal with an overhand right, catching Taylor with an uppercut on the way down for good measure.
Pavlik, who’s revered like a god in his hometown of Youngstown, OH (a community with a rich boxing tradition producing, among others, Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini) isn’t a slick fighter by any means. He’s a tough as nails dude with some serious pop in both hands. Since he’s a guy who’ll gladly take punishment to give it, he’s a fun fighter to watch and his championship defenses should produce some memorable bouts. If you missed the HBO telecast of the Pavlik/Taylor fight try to catch it on their “InDemand” service since it was a very entertaining prizefight with plenty of action.
PRETTY BOY SHOWS HIS SKILLS AS A DANCER, CHARMS HOUSEWIVES IN MIDDLE AMERICA
The fact that pound for pound best in the world “Pretty Boy” Floyd Mayweather is a pretty impressive dancer shouldn’t be much of a surprise. In the brief history of the show athletes have always fared well, with Emmitt Smith winning last year and Jerry Rice taking 2nd the year before. My guess is that they’re used to serious training, comfortable with being coached and hyper competitive. Based on the performance of *retired* athletes in the past there was no reason to think that a professional boxer in his prime–and particularly one as incredibly well conditioned as Mayweather–wouldn’t perform well. Mayweather, furthermore, has always exhibited amazing balance and impressive footwork in the ring and his ungodly handspeed made me think that there was some similar quickness in his feet.
Mayweather’s first dance was a credible effort, with the judges praising it overall but suggesting a) that he be less rough with his partner (since Mayweather has had some domestic violence issues in the past you can insert your own joke here) and b) that he stand more upright since it appeared that he was instinctively burying his head in his shoulder apropos of the defensive technique that father Floyd Sr. and uncle Roger had taught him so well.
In his second dance, Mayweather simply nailed it. It was technically flawless, and Floyd’s intangibles had improved allowing him to flash his “million dollar smile” throughout. Since there’s clearly no one in the competition as well conditioned physically, the fact that Mayweather is picking up dance techniques so quickly bodes well for his promise to win the DWTS title.
My mom is a big fan of “Dancing With the Stars” and in talking with her it became apparent that win or lose, Floyd is going to come out of his reality TV experience smelling like a rose. My mom kept talking about how “cute” “sweet” and “charming” Mayweather was. I questioned her about this, trying to determine if this could actually be the same petulant, arrogant, wanna-be thug/rapper that boxing fans love to hate. She was surprised to learn that, while “Pretty Boy” is considered by serious boxing fans as one of the most ungodly talented fighters of his generation, he has the reputation of a serious jerk. I then watched some of his “DWTS” footage and was amazed at what I witnessed–Mayweather is either a changed man or, more likely, is pulling a huge “snow job” on middle America. I’m of the opinion that he witnessed the box office appeal of the likable Oscar De La Hoya and figured that if he could clean up *his* image somewhat it would do wonders for his ATM balance. Based on his “Dancing With The Stars” performance so far, its working.
MIRKO CRO COP HAS NOSE SURGERY AS HIS CAMP REMAINS IN FULL SPIN MODE
In the wake of his lackluster performance against Chieck Kongo at UFC 74, Mirko Cro Cop and his camp was in full spin mode. The suggestion was that the Croatian striking machine suffered a broken rib early in the first round which seriously impacted his breathing during the rest of the fight. Shortly thereafter, the Cro Cop camp revealed that their fighter had a deviated septum which also hampered his breathing and couldn’t be operated on since one good punch to the face would make Mirko’s grill a serious mess. Additionally, said the Mirko management team, their training and conditioning for the fight was “all wrong” though they declined to elaborate.
Last week, however, the Croatian sports media reported that Cro Cop had gone ahead with surgery to correct a deviated septum after all. His surgeon suggested that contrary to the previous suggestion that he’d be able to resume his fighting career and that his breathing should improve significantly. Cro Cop himself sounded enthusiastic about continuing his MMA career, though he’s equivocated on that in the past. There’s no word about how long he’ll have to recover from his surgery, and his future commitment to the fight game remains to be seen, but in any case we’ve most likely not seen the last of Mirko Cro Cop in a UFC right. You can read a more in-depth analysis by yours truly of Cro Cop’s surgery and what it means for his future as a fighter here. And remember to visit ProphetFighting.com for everything you need to know and then some about boxing and mixed martial arts.
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