The fight against Taylor was contested at a catch weight - an improvised weight between middleweight and super-middleweight - of 166lbs (75.2kg), but Pavlik now intends to return to the middleweight limit to defend his world championship belts.
"Nothing will top the first victory over Jermain Taylor but it was a great win," said Pavlik.
"It took me seven years to win the title. I plan to keep it for a while."
Taylor was happy with his performance despite seeing his record drop to 27-2-1.
"I knew it was a close fight but I guess he won the last couple of rounds," said Taylor.
"He's a strong fighter and I give him a lot of credit. I expected a tough fight and I sure got it."
