Those may have been the words ringing through Jermain Taylor’s mind as he entered training camp for his much anticipated rematch with new undisputed middleweight champion Kelly “the Ghost” Pavlik. Christened with the name because of his (questionable) ability to hit and not get hit, the moniker more aptly points to Pavlik’s pale pigmentation. But as Taylor found out all too well in Atlantic City last September, white men can punch, at least the one who bludgeoned him into submission with crushing right hands.

Saturday night at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Taylor, 27-1-1 (17), has an opportunity to prove that his first professional loss was a fluke, that had he not punched himself out in the 2nd round of their first encounter he would have won the fight with a dominant TKO victory. Pavlik, 32-0 (29), the blue-collar hero of working-class Youngstown, Ohio, gets a chance to take another small step along the long, illustrious paths of two previous blue-collar middleweight champs—Boston’s Marvin Hagler and Philadpelphia’s Bernard Hopkins. And if he loses, he still retains the title, since the rematch is at a contractual catchweight of 166 lbs.

For Pavlik, it’s a no-lose situation, but for Taylor it’s the exact opposite. Ever since he defeated Hopkins for the 160-pound title in 2005, Taylor has been criticized for being a fraud, for being coddled by his handlers and taking on smaller opposition. Almost all of his high-profile fights came tainted with controversy or criticism, including his two wins over Hopkins, his razor-thin draw with Winky Wright, and his reluctant decision wins over smaller men Kassim Ouma and Cory Spinks. Ironically, against his naturally bigger opponent Taylor put on his best effort in years, outboxing Pavlik for the first few rounds and displaying an aggression that had been lacking since he won the middleweight belt. If Taylor wins the rematch, he does not retain his title. If he loses, he will cement his legacy as a highly athletic underachiever—a nice enough guy, but a guy not destined to accomplish great things in the sport of boxing.

Pavlik, on the other hand, can see his star rise even higher with another sensational KO victory. He already showed his intestinal fortitude in the first fight by surviving the knockdown and coming back to win, and he is far more strong-minded than Taylor. Taylor deserves credit for immediately requesting the rematch when he could have opted for an easier fight or a tuneup, and in the face of boxing experts who predict Pavlik will batter him again in the rematch. But in a sense, Taylor didn’t really have a choice: to not immediately face his conqueror would be to concede defeat, both inside and outside the ring.

The ghost Taylor will have to fight come Saturday will not only be in the shape of Kelly Pavlik, but the threat that his past success was just an illusion. Should Taylor lose, that possibility may haunt him for a long time.

Prediction: Pavlik KO 5