pablogad
09-30-2007, 06:47 AM
One thing that boxing has shown me over the lifetime that I've followed it is that people have very different perspectives on how a fight has played out. For some of us this is a genuine difference of perspective - that is were're looking at and evaluating different aspects of the fight game more than others e.g. weight and volume of punches over ring generalship. Worst still there are a large number of us who would disparage a fighter's lifetime achievements and committment to the sport of boxing simply because he has lost a solitary fight in a hitherto distinguished career. This saddens me immensely.
What happened in the early hours of this morning or evening, depending on where you live, is that two unbeaten fighters locked horns and Taylor was knocked out in dramatic fashion. Prior to the knockout, Taylor was winning hands down due to his own endeavour and Pavlik's 10 seconds of macho bravado, which in round 2 incidentally nearly cost him the fight. He was out on his feet for the next round and a half, in my humble opinion, before his offensive regained its potency.
The fact that Pavlik eventually overpowered and knocked out Taylor is not surprising; his record and last win over Miranda speak for themselves. What is significant about this fight, for me, is that Taylor could not be bothered to answer his own personal questions about his own abilities and desire for this sport. Those of you who blame Manny Steward for this loss have no respect for a hall of fame trainer of boxing champions. His advice was spot on if Taylor was to have any chance of overcoming Pavlik.
In the preceding fight against Berto and Estrada, Berto stood toe to toe with Estrada and employed boxing smarts, grit and determination to temper Estrada's plan to overpower him. This allowed him to eventually impose his fight plan and secure the win.
Ironically this was the blueprint for Taylor, which he followed for all but two rounds; he could not close out the show primarily because of Pavlik's will to succeed, and sadly because of his own inability or desire to grit it out and get the job done. Without any disrespect to Pavlik, Taylor first and foremost lost to himself and has been doing so for quite sometime now. He definately has self-confidence issues and excudes an "I can't be bothered attitude." And please - I'm not knocking a man when he's down. I already covered this lack of desire in a pre fight post in this forum.
If there is any truth in the claim that there is a lack of synergy between Taylor and Manny, then I would guess that it centres on Taylor's unwillingness to utilise his natural gifts and draw upon his inner reserves. I sincerely hope that Taylor re-dedicates himself to at least one more fight and, win or lose, allows his hitherto unseen inner light to shine. And if he's going to change trainer - which is frankly unnecessary - all roads lead to the Mayweathers.
What happened in the early hours of this morning or evening, depending on where you live, is that two unbeaten fighters locked horns and Taylor was knocked out in dramatic fashion. Prior to the knockout, Taylor was winning hands down due to his own endeavour and Pavlik's 10 seconds of macho bravado, which in round 2 incidentally nearly cost him the fight. He was out on his feet for the next round and a half, in my humble opinion, before his offensive regained its potency.
The fact that Pavlik eventually overpowered and knocked out Taylor is not surprising; his record and last win over Miranda speak for themselves. What is significant about this fight, for me, is that Taylor could not be bothered to answer his own personal questions about his own abilities and desire for this sport. Those of you who blame Manny Steward for this loss have no respect for a hall of fame trainer of boxing champions. His advice was spot on if Taylor was to have any chance of overcoming Pavlik.
In the preceding fight against Berto and Estrada, Berto stood toe to toe with Estrada and employed boxing smarts, grit and determination to temper Estrada's plan to overpower him. This allowed him to eventually impose his fight plan and secure the win.
Ironically this was the blueprint for Taylor, which he followed for all but two rounds; he could not close out the show primarily because of Pavlik's will to succeed, and sadly because of his own inability or desire to grit it out and get the job done. Without any disrespect to Pavlik, Taylor first and foremost lost to himself and has been doing so for quite sometime now. He definately has self-confidence issues and excudes an "I can't be bothered attitude." And please - I'm not knocking a man when he's down. I already covered this lack of desire in a pre fight post in this forum.
If there is any truth in the claim that there is a lack of synergy between Taylor and Manny, then I would guess that it centres on Taylor's unwillingness to utilise his natural gifts and draw upon his inner reserves. I sincerely hope that Taylor re-dedicates himself to at least one more fight and, win or lose, allows his hitherto unseen inner light to shine. And if he's going to change trainer - which is frankly unnecessary - all roads lead to the Mayweathers.