WHITE NOISE said:
Kelly Pavlik will destroy Taylor period. I do not think that we will get to see this fight because the smoke and mirror management of Taylor will dodge Kelly.
If Taylor doesn't fight either Pavlik or Calzaghe, his reputation will take another huge hit. Even if he fights Calzaghe, people will say that he's ducking Pavlik for a lighter puncher, even though he would be moving up in weight. He's in a difficult position. Or he might just say "screw it" and fight for the most money, regardless of who the opponent is.
Incidently, Calzage will wipe the floor with Taylor. He will outbox him, out punch him and out hustle him and ultimatley, knock him out.
If Taylor has problems with speed, a fight with Calzaghe will be quite compelling. Not only does Calzaghe have hand speed and defense, he's also bigger and stronger than these puffed up junior-middles and welterweights. I don't know if Calzaghe can KO him at this point in his career, but I could see him winning a decision. His biggest problem may not be Taylor's hands, but his own. He may have to fight several rounds with a broken hand. I'm sure he could tough it out, but he's a high volume puncher, and he has to always maintain his work rate, no matter how much pain he's in. He did it for three rounds against Manfredo, but he better be prepared to go the distance with Taylor.
But if Calzaghe wants Taylor, it better happen soon. Taylor's stock is plummeting, and if he waits too long, beating Taylor may not do much for his legacy. It may already be too late. People might say, "Taylor struggled with little guys, so who cares if Calzaghe beat him?" The winner of Hopkins/ Wright may be more of a "career-defining fight" at this point. We'll see what happens. If only Calzaghe could've fought Taylor right after he fought Hopkins or Wright.
Do you guys think that there's any possibility that Taylor could beat Pavlik by back-pedaling, landing the occasional jab, and win a decision in a boring fight? Seeing how much difficulties Taylor had with a quick fighter, Calzaghe may be the better match up (or worse match up, from his perspective.) Then again, he's never fought a big puncher either. It'll be interesting to see what kind of chin he has.
Bottom line, Pavlik/ Taylor or Calzaghe/ Taylor! Bring it on!
P.S. I do give Taylor some credit for complimenting Pavlik's performance. That was classy.
Edited by: JD074