HBO boxing 4/17: Kelly Pavlik vs Sergio Martinez

• ts1227

  

  115-111, 116-111, 116-112
  
  Martinez
• iclfan2

  

  I WAS a huge Pavlik fan. He shouldn't have fought Bhop, and iddn't do crap in tonight's fight. Terrible showing. By the way, people always asking for links to stuff, look up myp2p forums, find what you want to watch, and download stream torrent or sopcast. This works for any sporting event you want to watch.
• I Wear Pants

  Pavlik was being a pussy.
• SQ_Crazies

  

  Pavlik is a douche bag. Used to be a fan, until he decided he was going to start being a douche bag.
• killer_ewok

  

  
  
  DEFEND........YOURSELF!
• Ytowngirlinfla

  

  Man he really got his ass beat. I think he's just too slow for the Middleweight division. Maybe this is a wake up call. I know he'll go for the rematch but I didn't even think he'd win this fight let alone a rematch. Oh and he needs to get rid of Jack Loew if he plans on being a champ again. He needs a big name trainer who will teach him to defend.
• Hulk Smash

  So much for my prediction that Martinez would not be the same fighter after that war with Williams.
  At 35 his decline will come soon though...
  Great performance for Sergio, he couldn't get the best juniour middleweights to fight him so he moves up to 160 and dethrones the reigning champion.
  Cintron, Williams, Pavlik, have to give him credit for taking tough fights one after another too.
  
  Totally agree on getting rid of Loew and not enforcing that rematch clause right away, if ever.
  Staying away from boxers who move side-to-side a lot might not be a bad idea either.
  
  I hope the networks are done with Miranda now, if he can't land a lottery punch he can't win.
• Non

  

  I stopped at a hotel in South Carolina Saturday, driving up from Florida, and was able to catch both fights.
  
  I'm sick of Miranda being put in big fights. Hopefully that was the last one.
  
  Too bad Bute isn't in the tournament. Would love to see him face Ward, Froch, Direll sooner rather than later.
  
  As far as Pavlik, I'm not sure where he goes from here. A rematch would produce the same fight. Martinez would have the edge in handspeed, again, and Pavlik would get cut again, but it was pretty much tied with four rounds left. I'm thinking he may want to give it another shot, even knowing that it would be extremely difficult. What's the point of going up to another weight and running when that was the title you worked so hard to get in the first place? I just think that's kind of lame. It's not like he's trying to stay unbeaten now or avoid too many losses so just go for what means the most.
• sherm03

  

  I disagree about Pavlik dumping Loew. If you listened in between rounds, Jack had the game plan right. The first three or four rounds it looked like Kelly was just trying to get his ring legs back and adjust to Martinez's speed. And once he got back into rhythm, he started to turn it around. When it started to go south, Jack was yelling at Kelly to quit going for Martinez's head and aim right for his chest. Kelly kept swinging for the head, and would miss and get hit with a quick shot. If Kelly had listened to Jack...he may not have lost that fight.
• september63

  

  36 stitches to close cuts around both eyes. Pavlik got whipped.
• september63

  

  sherm03 wrote: I disagree about Pavlik dumping Loew. If you listened in between rounds, Jack had the game plan right. The first three or four rounds it looked like Kelly was just trying to get his ring legs back and adjust to Martinez's speed. And once he got back into rhythm, he started to turn it around. When it started to go south, Jack was yelling at Kelly to quit going for Martinez's head and aim right for his chest. Kelly kept swinging for the head, and would miss and get hit with a quick shot. If Kelly had listened to Jack...he may not have lost that fight.

  Sherm, you just made the arguement easy. If Kelly isnt listening to his corner. Its time to make a change. Whether there are trust issues or respect issues. He needs someone in his corner that has the authority annd advice he will follow!!
• Hulk Smash

  Pavlik was 178 on fight night according to HBO. I'm pretty sure that is a few pounds more than he was for Hopkins when the contract weight was 170 the day before.
  It appears that his first opponent is the scale not the guy in the other corner, it might be time for Kelly to move to 168.
  Moving up would not be running, if making 160 is a problem nothing will change that and it's never going to get easier. 168 is a tougher division too. How could moving into a deeper division be running?
  If he enforces the rematch clause I hope Martinez makes it clear that Kelly makes 160 or the fight does not happen. I don't want to see another boxer get away with not even coming close to making weight and still get the fight because the other guy needs the payday.
  I wouldn't mind seeing Martinez snub Williams either. PW wanted no part of a rematch with Martinez before he got the fight with Pavlik.
  Now that Martinez is THE middleweight champion of the world, make PW accept a lop-sided split in Sergio's favor or tell him to hit the road.
• Non

  

  I'm not going to deny Pavlik got messed up pretty good with cuts over the last four rounds but it seems like the cut under his right eye early in the 9th drastically changed the fight and Pavlik was bothered by that one to the point where he couldn't see the other punches coming after that. Martinez deserves the credit for stepping up and being more aggressive and after he got that cut he exploited that problem for Pavlik the rest of the way.
  
  But I would say the fight overall was decent. You had some clear shifts of momentum from the first four rounds to the middle rounds to the last four rounds. Pavlik could've packed it in early but he did a nice job adjusting when it seemed like that would even be difficult to do. Then Martinez became aggressive after it looked like he was sitting back allowing Pavlik to force the fight. That was all pretty interesting. You could do a lot worse for a middleweight title bout. Sometimes there is blood in this sport. It's not dance.
  
  Like I said, though, I'm not sure what Pavlik should do next. That 168 division is crowded already. Lucian Bute is a possibility I suppose. Pavlik didn't show that much power at 168 when he moved up before so he'll have a different challenge in facing a heavy hitter like that.
  
  Pavlik, Williams and Martinez are a solid threesome at 160 if they all go at it a few more times. Maybe Williams beats Martinez and Pavlik fights Williams or something like that. But I still think he should consider the rematch. When he was coming up at 160 and staying unbeaten he was eager for somebody to give him that shot at the middleweight title. Now that he's had that title and lost it, he still has that opportunity with the rematch. It's the same opportunity he was after five years ago when he was on more of a roll and driven. I don't think he'd win but maybe he should try with a different trainer, Freddie Roach, Manny Steward, etc.
• Hulk Smash

  I thought it was a darn good fight too and wouldn't be upset if they do it again.................as long as Kelly makes weight.