Written by Scott Swerbinsky

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What a fight!!!! What a fight! Kelly Pavlik was absolutely dead to rights in the second round, rocked by a ferocious combo from Jermain Taylor, knocked down and then needing to hang on to the former champ just to stay on his feet. Kelly slowly and improbably got back into the fight, and then turned the tables on Taylor in a very memorable seventh round. I'm still euphoric. My cuz recaps the fight of the year. Kelly Pavlik is the new Middleweight Champion of the World!

What a great performance and a true show of heart and desire. Kelly Pavlik simply wanted it more than Jermain Taylor and it showed last night in a huge way in Atlantic City.

“The Ghost”, who is the pride and joy of Youngstown, wanted to put his city back on the map, and boy did he ever. Pavlik showed the toughness the city has grown to love. One thing that you can’t measure is heart and the new champ of the world has more than you can imagine.

The fight started of at a blistering pace. Jermain Taylor came out looking to slug and show he had knockout power. Both fighters landed solid shots in the opening round. I thought the idea of Taylor turning it into a brawl was something he should want no part of.

Then came the second and the most memorable round. Taylor landed a three punch combo that rocked Pavlik. He added a few more shots that sent Pavlik down to the mat. The challenger seemed goofy but made it to his feet and wanted to keep fighting. His withstood an assault by Taylor, who with 20 seconds left knew he couldn’t finish Pavlik. He then seemed to get tired and also frustated by the will of Kelly. Pavlik stumbled to his corner and looked to be in bad shape.

Little did anyone know, Pavlik was just getting started. He knocked away the cobwebs and starting fighting his way back into the quest for the title. He was beating the boxer at his own game and landed his jab at will. Taylor was still landing decent shots but he was out of steam. Rounds 3 thru 6 were all very close and I had the fight even after 6 rounds.

Then came the 7th and what turned out to be the final round. Pavlik’s determination seems second to none. You could see the killer instinct in his eyes. He knew Taylor was wearing down and decided to go for broke. He landed a great combination that clearly rocked the champion. Pavlik was able to back Jermain into the corner and proceeded to turn his lights out.

Ladies and gentlemen, we have a new undefeated Middleweight king and his name is Kelly Pavlik from Youngstown, Ohio.

The fight ended in a 7th round KO. I have no idea how all three judges had Taylor ahead by a wide margain. Too bad it didn’t matter as Pavlik took the decision into his own hands, his powerful right and left hands.

What a show of heart. That was the biggest difference in the fight that seemed almost too close to call on paper. Pavlik was willing to do whatever it took to bring the belt back to Ohio. When Taylor was hurt, he folded and made no attempt to get off the canvas.

After the fight Taylor basically ran out of the ring. I would have too if I showed myself as a quitter. He was beaten down by the better man but showed no desire in wanting to keep going. I have been a huge supporter of Jermain Taylor since his 2000 Olympic days and I lost a lot of respect for him last night. He went on to say that he ran out of gas in the 2nd round going for the kill. Taylor lost more than the title to Pavlik who also took his will.

What a great night for Kelly Pavlik. He showed he is cleary the best Middleweight in the world and that he will stop at nothing to win. That kind of desire is something special and you don’t see it everyday. The State of Ohio needs a champion like Pavlik and someone to rally around.

In a fight that lived up to the hype, it looks like we are going to have a champion that we can all cheer for. If Pavlik shows that hunger like we know he can, he should be champion for a long long time.

Congratulations to Kelly Pavlik, the new Middleweight Champion of the world. Sep 29, 2007 7:00 PM