Taylor's camp talking a knockout of Pavlik

By MICHAEL WOODS

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR

NEW YORK — As Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward talked smack at the podium at the final press conference before Saturday's middleweight title fight between champion Jermain Taylor and Kelly Pavlik, the Youngstown resident's face didn't betray any emotion.

Pavlik (31-0, 28 KOs) didn't flinch or fume when Steward, the best-known trainer in the sport, went out on a limb and predicted that Taylor would win by a knockout.

Pavlik, who arrived in New York Wednesday morning, and will engage in some light running the next couple days to stay limber and to keep his weight near the 160-pound limit, stayed cool during Steward's pointed commentary at BB King's Blues Club in Manhattan on Wednesday afternoon.

Predicts knockout

"If you all respect me so much, then respect my prediction," Steward said to the gathered media. "Jermain Taylor will knock out Kelly Pavlik. I've never had a fighter in better condition for a fight, [Julio Cesar] Chavez, Oscar De La Hoya, Wladimir Klitschko, [Evander] Holyfield, mentally and physically. [Hagler, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ray Robinson, those guys wouldn't want to fight Jermain."

Pavlik was asked if the Steward slams got under his skin, or if he was actually as chill as he looked.

"Manny was trying to give his guy a boost of self confidence," he said. "They're desperate, looking for an advantage. I flat laughed. I know what they're trying to do."

The 6-21/2 boxer, who goes by the nickname "The Ghost," will be on the biggest stage of his seven-year pro career. He'll be fighting on "free" HBO, against the WBC middleweight titlist who's been in with some of the game's greats, including Bernard Hopkins, Winky Wright and Cory Spinks.

Taylor has struggled

Taylor, a 29-year-old from Little Rock, Ark., hasn't lost as a pro, though he hasn't looked spectacular in his last five outings. In that span, he hasn't notched a knockout, so Steward's call is a bold one. Pavlik didn't ramp up his smack-talk in response to the Steward rips. Instead, he shared his plan of attack for Saturday evening at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City.

"I'll do my talking with my fists," he said. "I won't freeze up on Saturday, because I train too hard. I have to give credit to myself, to my focus. I'll throw a lot of punches, use head movement. My sparring partners' are faster than Taylor. I'm not going to be a sitting target."

Pavlik said he won't take Taylor lightly or dismiss his power because "Bad Intentions" hasn't earned a KO since 2005.

"He's strong, a big middleweight," Pavlik said. "We don't look past his KO ratio. I'll keep my hands up and stay focused."

Pavlik's trainer, Jack Loew, seemed to take Steward's bold statements a bit more to heart than his fighter. Loew thinks Taylor is a less challenging opponent than the last two men Pavlik has beaten, Jose Luis Zertuche and Edison Miranda.

Lowe confident

"I'm more confident coming in to this fight than I was against Zertuche or Miranda," he said. "Taylor is basic, he hasn't changed since he was an amateur. He drops his hands, sticks his chin out. He hasn't looked better since Emanuel got him."

That Taylor couldn't put smaller men, like Spinks, and Kassim Ouma, down on the canvas shows Loew his power is negligible.

"You got to take Cory Spinks out, watch what Kelly would do to little guys like that," Loew said.

His fighter seemed eager to finish the hyping-sessions, and ready to decide conclusively who the best middleweight in the world is, in the ring.

"I'm ready to get the show on," he said. "I'm ready to get in the ring and let my hands go."

Will he predict a KO win, as Steward did?

"I don't predict a knockout, I do predict a win," Pavlik said. "No matter what way I get the win, I'll take it."

Michael Woods is a writer for ESPN The Magazine, ESPN.com and editor of thesweetscience.com.