K.O.W. - La Pantera
Big fights this weekend, and freebies no less, as Saturday night's HBO card features two noteworthy middleweight battles - Edison Miranda v. Kelly Pavlik and the undisputed middleweight champ Jermain Taylor v. Cory Spinks.I can't say I have very high hopes for Cory Spinks against Jermain - Cory probably could still make 147 comfortably, while Jermain is a freaking light heavyweight in there. We've already seen what a smaller man with heart - Kassim Ouma - can do against a giant 160 like Jermain, and that's not a whole hell of a lot. I predict Spinks goes down for the count, possibly in the first four rounds.
Miranda/Pavlik, on the other hand, is just the kind of fight that gets fight fans licking their chops. The nicknames alone hearken to a showdown of consequence - The Ghost versus The Panther. It's some like Legion of Doom-type shit. Not to mention that both of these guys have power, both are legitimate threats to Jermain's title, and only one man will come out of this bout with a shot at it. Oh I love it when something is actually at stake in a fight - all the questions surrounding it become infinitely more interesting. Will Pavlik be able to handle Miranda's pressure? Will Miranda's clumsiness and inexperience finally prove his downfall?
To whet your appetite, our No Mas Knockout of the Week revisits La Pantera's one-round destruction of Willie Gibbs this past December. One wild punch - on the top of Gibbs' head no less - and Willie was crosseyed. Ridiculous ending, too, as Gibbs waits till the ten-count and then stands up, baffled as to what's going on. The vacancy in his eyes tells the tale nicely. He'd been read the Miranda rights, with a couple of lefts thrown in for good measure.
8 Comments:
and now i have a headache. can't wait for saturday night's slate. should be great.
Definitely looking forward to Saturday - Pavlik has said he's going to try and back Miranda up. It should be interesting while it lasts. Too huge middleweights who can bang, I'm definitely staying home on Sat.
Oh yeah - regarding the Gibbs KO, Gibbs twisted his ankle really badly when he went down, that's why he didn't get up. You can see he can't even walk when they get him up. He looked stunned but not really hurt (at least upstairs). Miranda is a beast.
Really Kurt? I thought Gibbs had the definite Frankenstein look in his eyes. Plus, he very clearly waits until the ten count and then gets up clean, as if he thought it was nine. He looked a little queered to me.
The first shot obviously shocked him, and then Miranda really got some good clean blows in the flurry.
This video aside - I think Pavlik will win. Miranda is a hell of physical specimen but he has zero skills in there. From what I've seen of Pavlik I think he has the guts to handle the pure physciality of Miranda and the savvy to figure him out. I think he wins a decision.
I hope you're right, Large. Can you imagine 12-rounds with these guys?
People harp on Pavlik's defense, but it looked pretty solid against Zertuche. He also paced himself well, which makes me think that if this fight goes beyond the 5th or 6th he's looking at a comfortable decision.
Then again P could end the shit with an early KO...
An early KO is always a possibility with Miranda, no doubt. Kid has got Julian Jackson pop. But somehow I don't think that Pavlik will let himself get so out of position that he eats one of Miranda's wild shots. One thing about that Panther - he's none too precise. "My shots are so precise... not to be egotistic..."
I love Lampley's call. "And there's a right hand that KNOCKED. GIBBS. SILLY." And later, "One punch?!!? One right hand did that!"
Should be a tremendous fight this weekend. I don't imagine it going the distance... I'll holding my breath for the hand of doom to land.
Oddly enough that's the same commentary he provided while smacking Miss California.
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