COMPUBOX POST-FIGHT ANALYSIS

by Bob Canobbio

'Dancing with the Middleweights' made its debut Saturday night in Memphis, just off Beale St.

Challenger Cory 'Hot Foot' Spinks dropped a split decision to defending champion Jermain 'Glad Intentions' Taylor, as an announced crowd of 10,000 booed from the third round on. Even the tasty aroma that made its way to Beale St. courtesy of the annual Memphis Barbecue Festival couldn't mask the stench left by the performances of Taylor and Spinks.

Why the nasty reception for the non-combative contestants? Maybe it was the 27 total punches thrown per round by Taylor, who landed an average of eight per round, never hurting Spinks, who missed 457 of his 542 attempted punches. The backpedaling Spinks landed just 43 of 392 (11%) jabs, while Taylor, who landed 243 jabs in his 12-round decision win over Freddie Cuevas in '03, landed just 50 of 191 jab attempts (26%).

How bad was it? Taylor and Spinks, who have known each other since their early amateur days and acted like long lost lovers Saturday night, both landed single digits in total connects in eight of 12 rounds. There wasn't a single round were both fighters landed in double digits in total punches.

Overall, Taylor landed 101 of 319 (32%) total punches. Spinks went 85 of 542 (16%). The middleweight average is 18 punches landed per round, 57 thrown. They combined to land 15 punches per round, three less than the middleweight average of punches landed per round for ONE FIGHTER.

The only individual displaying any real emotion (other than the silent affection displayed by the fighters towards each other) in the ring was Taylor's trainer Emanuel Steward, who repeatedly begged Taylor to stop following Spinks around the ring and throw some punches. In one ear and out the other.

Meanwhile, in the highly-anticipated co-main event, Kelly Pavlik slugged his way to a number one ranking in the middleweight division with an exciting seventh round knockout of the absorbent Edison Miranda.

As expected, they came out throwing bombs from the opening bell. Pavlik landed 38 of 97 total punches in round one, including 29 of 79 power shots (37%). Miranda answered by landing 25 of 94 total punches, including 19 of 66 power shots. That's 191 combined total punches thrown in round one- the dancing duo of Taylor and Spinks threw a combined 211 total punches- thru three rounds!!!

Pavlik began backing Miranda up by round two, as his power connect percentage increased each round. Pavlik landed 34 of 69 power shots (49%) in round two; 29 of 75 in round three (39%); 39 of 82 (48%) in round four; 25 of 50 in the fifth; 25 of 45 (56%) in the sixth. Those are power punch numbers- not total punches. He closed the show by landing 12 of 18 power punches (67%) in the seventh.

Pavlik landed 193 power shots in less than seven rounds. Taylor and Spinks landed a combined 93 power punches over 12 rounds. Pavlik reached 93 power connects by the end of round three!!!

Overall, Pavlik landed 242 of 539 total punches in less than seven rounds of work. 193 of those total connects were power shots, as he got off 418 non-jabs. Miranda was game, but outgunned. He landed 111 of 504 total punches (22%), including 90 of 345 (26%) power shots. Miranda absorbed a fearful beating and really shouldn't have been allowed to continue into the seventh round after hitting the canvas twice in the sixth. Either referee Steve Smoger should have stopped it after the second knockdown, or his corner should not have let him come out for the seventh.

Pavlik is now in line for a shot at Taylor's middleweight title. He'll make Jermain fight, not dance, that's for sure. Can Taylor, who already has gotten all he ever dreamed of and more out of boxing financially, rediscover the fire that allowed him to stand up to Bernard Hopkins in the late rounds of their first fight- a fight Taylor came thisclose to losing?