Moohead Radio

One fighter was prepared. The other was not.

One fighter overcame adversity. One did not.

Both fighters were in good physical condition, but only one was in great physical condition.

You would think from the way HBO kisses Emanuel Steward’s ass, that Jermain Taylor would have had the perfect fight plan going into this fight. Truth be told, it was the absolute wrong strategy. I bet serious Bovine dollars that Jack Loew’s face lit up like an Atlantic City slot machine when he saw Taylor come out to slug. And I bet he started sizing the belt for Kelly after Kelly made it through Taylor’s 4 round power zone.

The thing I can’t figure is this. How can a Hall of Fame trainer tell his guy to stand in front of a freight train? The damn judges were doing their jobs…they all had Taylor 3 rounds ahead at the time of the KO. All Taylor had to do was run. After 3 rounds, Mr Hall of Fame trainer says to Taylor: “Keep making him fight. he’s not used to this pace.”

Who was Steward seeing on the other side? Pavlik’s Dad? Pavlik was just warming up. If any of you saw Pavlik’s training regimen, you’d know why he got up in the 2nd round, and why his head and legs cleared in 2 minutes. And you’d think that Mr Press Conference Steward would have watched film on Pavlik. He doesn’t wear out in the later rounds. Taylor does.

By the time Steward kept telling Taylor “your conditioning is good” between every round, I knew it was a case of sheer denial. Denial that his fighter was losing strength. Denial that his fighter was less strong than Kelly. Denial that some kid from Y-town was good enough to beat a gold medalist.

In the meantime, Loew is cooly dispensing solid advice. “double up that jab, and follow with a straight right.” Loew KNEW his fighter was in great shape because he saw to it. All Jack needed to see was Kelly getting up in the second and finishing the round. After that, Loew’s cool composure set the stage for a great KO.

Why does Jermain Taylor suffer from poor late round energy? Ask Tommy Hearns and the scores of other Steward fighters who have been mistrained by him. Ask Mr 7 rounds himself…Lenox Lewis, who used Steward and proved how a heavyweight can hold a title without endurance in the ring.

Today all the talk will be about Kelly, and rightfully so. But last night’s other fight ended in a KO. The one between Manny Steward and Jack Loew. Congratulations, Jack.

I know. 70% of the national guys are picking Taylor. He’s got a pedigree. He’s got big mouth Manny Steward. He’s fought bigger names.

The New York press conference told me something. When a fighter AND his trainer try to provoke an opponent, they feel their work is unfinished. They feel the need to superimpose emotion into the fight. They picked the wrong guy.

Taylor and his overrated trainer Emanuel Steward (yup, the same guy who never figured out how to train the lower half of Tommy Hearns’ body…the same guy who actually quit on one of his fighters in the corner in the middle of a fight) wanted to infuriate Kelly so he’ll come out mad  like a bull rusher. A rushing bull is easier to side step and counter. A rushing fighter can be caught coming in.

Unfortunately for Taylor, Pavlik walked away non plussed. The only guy who seemed to be pissed off was Jack Lowe, Kelly’s trainer, who has been a huge constant in Pavlik’s corner. Lowe may have been pissed about the presser, but his training regimen is always endurance based, and assumes long, tough fights. Pavlik will not punch himself out.

Taylor has 3 round power, and 10 round endurance. Pavlik has a strong chin and a churning accumulating style. Pavlik will not knock you out with one shot. He’ll get you round after round. Cumulative power. And he carries his power late into fights.

Taylor is faster, but has shown endurance problems. Kelly’s ticket is to make Jermain work EARLY. Do NOT give up early rounds. Hit Taylor on his arms, body, anywhere it hurts. Cut the ring off, and pound him in the corners. Do not let him hold.

Once the fight goes past 5, Taylor wants a decision. Early work and letting his hands go, will give Pavlik an edge after 5. As Taylor’s body and legs fade, Pavlik must continue his assault along the ropes. By the 10th, Taylor will be unable to ward off the stronger man.

Taylor hopes for a dance, with a points decision. America is hoping for a good entertaining fight. Kelly’s hoping for a belt. And I’m hoping that Emanuel Steward is exposed as the overrated guy who made his fame on the shoulders of the undertrained Tommy Hearns.

If I was Jermain Taylor, I’d figure Pavlik gets off to slower starts. He’s not a “flash” knockout puncher, and is an accumulation power fighter. Also Jermain Taylor cannot stand in front of pavlik for very long. If he doesn’t catch Kelly cold early, the odds are minimal he can catch him late. What does this mean?

Simple. Taylor’s only 2 chances are to slug in the first 2-3 rounds, and run the next 9 or 10. Or just run from opening bell to end.

Taylor has not proven to have a huge heart or a huge punch. He looks frail in the late stages of fights at 160. He cannot match Kelly’s physical strength. Pavlik trains like a bull, utilizing old school methods more reminiscent of fighters in the 40’s and 50’s. That’s why his endurance is so good.

The name of this article is the only question I have. The powers that be may allow Taylor to run for 12 rounds, and win a sissy decision. In a fair fight, if Taylor can’t get him out early, Pavlik will catch up to him between rounds 9 and 12. And when he does, there will be nowhere for Taylor to run.

The past couple of months have been difficult. Starting with my father’s quadruple bypass, my own knee surgery, my father’s staph infection, and finally, my Mother’s passing 2 weeks ago. There are very few commentaries I can come up with in the face of these realities.

But I realize that life goes on in the midst of the setbacks, so a Cow has returned with a summary of what he has missed:

Barry Bonds will set a record by cheating, and the commissioner WILL watch it.

The same stuff that helps Bonds, helped Chris Benoit murder his family.

The NFL can turn “man’s best friend” into the same mess that they have made of players from the 60’s and 70’s.

The NBA games I keep complaining about may have really been fixed. The grassy knoll theory.

Kelly Pavlik is going to fight Jermain Taylor and win. If Taylor doesn’t run like a girl and rely on fixed judges.

LeCharles Bentley’s gonna give it a go on doctor’s advice. But who will he be protecting besides his knee?

The Indians and Eric Wedge are in the thick of a pennant race. Not THIS again.

I look forward to writing more often, now that Moohead Radio has it’s own radio network, is on the TPS Radio Network, AND is shown on Ustream.tv VIDEO!!! I’ll explain all of it tomorrow!

I wasn’t one of the millions who got suckered into paying $54.95 to watch Oscar De La Hoya and Pretty Boy Floyd do the rhumba on “Dancing with the Stars”. I vomited when I read that these 2 bozos were going to bring boxing back to full luster. The big mouth money grabber, and the pretend Mexican coward. For 12 rounds they juked and jived their way to the bank, and screamed “rematch” 10 minutes later.

This morning, Edwin Miranda isn’t saying rematch. He isn’t saying anything. His face is too swollen. His heart is too ravaged. Edison Miranda will never be the same. He took a beating that few fighters recover from. From Davey Moore to the late Diego Corrales, the heart never dies. The body finally does. And it can happen in 30 minutes.

While TV heralds false prophets like De La Hoya, the REAL boxers are guys like Kelly Pavlik. In a world of safety first fighters, Pavlik grabbed his opportunity to win a title, and fought THE fight he needed to. And he did it the other guy’s way. Like Marvin Hagler before him, Kelly waded through a first round barrage, and backed Miranda down. Systematically, he pushed him back, never letting his opponent breathe. For his part, Miranda could not fight in reverse gear. He landed many fierce shots, but Pavlik was determined to outlast him.

Today, the media is talking about Pavlik’s superior technique, or that Miranda was overrated. That’s not the story. The real story lies in 2 men who did what they said they would do. Two guys who fought like it was their last fight. Two guys who REALLY brought luster back to a dying sport.

Of course the sad part of this remarkable victory, is that Pavlik remains one fight from the title. And from the looks of things, Jermain Taylor doesn’t want to be in the same state as Pavlik, let alone the same ring. And if Pavlik goes up in weight to fight Calzhage? He’ll be forced to do it on foreign soil, or worse yet, forced to run after the elusive Champion while he runs around the ring. Weight advantage or not, no one’s gonna stand in front of Pavlik now.

The final word? The history of boxing tells us the rags to riches story of determined men. From Marciano to Duran. From Arguello to Marvin Hagler. International men of iron will. Now you can add Kelly Pavlik to a list that Oscar and Floyd will never be on. A list of men who pursued their brutal dreams with singular purpose. Who had faith in their skill and gameplan. Who never wavered in the face of danger.

Even Edwin Miranda, swollen beyond recognition, can take solace in the fact that he played a vital part in what used to be the greatest sport on the planet. His name will be etched beside the likes of Billy Conn, Mickey Ward, Frank “the Animal” Fletcher, and all the others who lost with valor and integrity.

Youngstown has a real champion. And boxing had one day of shining resonance.

~Antonio