Pavlik silences detractors with 7th-round KO of Taylor

New WBC champion Kelly Pavlik will likely grant a rematch to Jermain Taylor or wait to fight Joe Calzaghe or Mikkel Kessler. Al Bello/Getty Images

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. -- There is a belief in this world that boxing is dead. There is a belief the sport is plagued by dull fights and managed by corrupt promoters -- whose only interest is keeping an alphabet soup of title belts around the waists of their fighters. There is a belief that when the icons of the sport (Floyd Mayweather, Oscar de la Hoya, Bernard Hopkins) walk away, the sport will be left with scores of average fighters who possess a fraction of the skills of their predecessors.

One can only hope those critics made it down to Atlantic City Saturday night.

Showing an immense heart and a destructive right hand, 25-year old Kelly Pavlik (32-0) dethroned Jermain Taylor (27-1-1) to become the undisputed middleweight champion in front of 10,127 partisan fans -- 5,000 of which made the 430-mile trek from Youngstown, Ohio -- in Boardwalk Hall. Pavlik survived a second-round, 15-punch onslaught from Taylor that sent him careening to the canvas to recover and pummel Taylor with a series of devastating right hands in the seventh that left the former champion crippled on the canvas. Referee Steve Smoger stopped the fight at the 2:14 mark. "I thought I had him in the second," a battered Taylor said afterward. "But I threw too many punches. Kelly fought a great fight."

It was a conversation with his corner following the ugly second round that turned the fight in Pavlik's direction. Trainer Jack Loew asked Pavlik if he could continue; Pavlik said he could. At that point, Loew ordered Pavlik to focus on the game plan, which included peppering Taylor with double jabs. Pavlik's team had studied tapes of Taylor before the fight and felt Taylor, who is prone to fight with his hands down, was susceptible to the jab. "I was hurt," admitted Pavlik. "But I wasn't done."

It was a rewarding victory for Pavlik, who came into the fight a heavy underdog despite an unblemished record and ridiculous knockout ratio. Even the normally mild-mannered Emmanuel Steward, Taylor's trainer, couldn't resist taking a few shots at Pavlik's pedigree, saying Pavlik wouldn't be prepared for the pressure of a big-time title fight and predicting Pavlik wouldn't last more than a couple of rounds.

Instead, it was Taylor who faded in the face of Pavlik's persistent right, a weapon Taylor hadn't seen much of in his previous ballroom dancing lessons with Cory Spinks and Winky Wright. Perhaps Taylor looked past Pavlik: Speculation about a possible multi-million-dollar super middleweight matchup with Joe Calzaghe was rampant in the days leading up to the fight. Whatever the case, it is Taylor who is now faced with the prospect of rehabilitating his career.

For Pavlik, the options in the middleweight division are limited. There is a clause in the fight contract that calls for an immediate rematch with Taylor, which could be enticing, at least financially. WBA champion Felix Sturm and IBF champ Arthur Abraham are out there; but if the option presents itself, Pavlik should take a page out of Taylor's playbook and push promoters for a rich fight against the winner of Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler.

Come on, fellas. Give a future star in boxing another spotlight to shine in.

ANOTHER RISING STAR

Andre Berto, your ship hath come in. The undercard on Saturday night featured one of the most explosive fighters in boxing today: The 24-year old Berto, who dismantled David Estrada in a 11th-round knockout to win the NABF welterweight title. It was unquestionably the most difficult fight in Berto's young career, as the seasoned Estrada came in having gamely fought elite welterweights Kermit Cintron and Shane Mosley. Berto showcased uncanny power (he won his 17th fight by KO) and a very Mosley-esque ability to land combinations. "[Estrada] came out pressing," says Berto. "He was tough as hell and he took a lot of hard shots. But when I finally caught him, it was over."