Notebook

NOTEBOOK

From Atlantic City

Taylor humbled: After several days of dismissive talk leading up to the fight, Jermain Taylor and his trainer, Emanuel Steward, were much more humble and gracious following Saturday's defeat. "He [Kelly Pavlik] fought a great fight," said Taylor. "I take my hat off to him — he came back. But don't give up on me. I lost, but I'm coming back." Steward, a legend in the business whose critical comments about Pavlik angered many (particularly Pavlik's trainer, Jack Loew, whom he also dismissed) said Pavlik impressed him. "I've never seen Kelly this good," he said. "His skill level impressed me. He was very much effective tonight. If he didn't fight the fight he did, he would have been defeated." Taylor thought he had Pavlik beat in the second round when he knocked him to the canvas — just the second time Pavlik had been floored in a fight. Consequently, he got too anxious for the knockout. "I wasted a lot of energy throwing stupid punches," he said. "I should have relaxed. I know better than that." Pavlik recovered in the third round, which is when Steward saw the fight's momentum turn. "I could see the fight moving in Kelly's direction," he said. "After the third round, I said, 'We've got problems.' [But] if you're gonna lose the title, you might as well lose it in one of the fights of the year."

Boxing resurgence? Following the fight, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum repeated his prediction that Pavlik would re-energize boxing in the Midwest. "He's gonna bring back fight fans from the Midwest," he said. "This is one of the greatest nights for me in 41 years in the sport." Even Taylor's promoter, Lou DiBella, seemed excited about what Pavlik could bring. "If we get more fights like this, the whole sport will be elevated," said DiBella, who gave credit to the thousands of Youngstown-area fans who made the trip to Atlantic City. "We have to move away from relying on 40-year-old guys and 43-year-old guys to prop up the sport."

Youngstown love: As Youngstown has entered the spotlight over the past few days, Arum used the podium to rail against the plant closings and outsourcing that have left the city in economic crisis. "That is an absolute disgrace," he said. "There are good, decent people in that town and it's a better workforce than you'll get in China, in India or any place around."

Joe Scalzo