The sad decline of former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik took another turn for the worse as he was arrested on DUI charges according to this story, http://www.wfmj.com/story/16376293/kelly-pavlik-arrested-on-dui-charge-released-on-bond. The plan for Pavlik around this time was to rebuild his career in Oxnard, California, away from the familiar surroundings of his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, which have proven to be so troublesome. But you got the uneasy sense that he would never make it out west.
It seems that ?The Ghost? can?t (or is unwilling to) run from his own personal demons.
Was it really that long ago when Pavlik was on top of the world, considered one of this business? saviors after stopping Jermain Taylor in dramatic fashion (in September of 2007), as he got off the canvas to win the middleweight title? Was it really that long ago when he was packing them in at the Convention Center in Atlantic City like Arturo Gatti once did with his large throng of fans that bused over from Ohio in droves? Was it really that long ago when Pavlik?s star shined so bright that franchises from the NBA and Major League Baseball invited him out to their games as a special guest? Was it really that long ago when he was going to drive the boxing business in this region the way the other favored son of Youngstown, Ray ?Boom Boom? Mancini, once did?
No, it only seems that way.
The young man who Bob Arum once spoke of as the spearhead that would return boxing to the likes of CBS is now just another sad story in a sport full of them. Things seemed to have reached a nadir this past summer when Pavlik abruptly pulled out from a hometown tune-up bout versus Daryl Cunningham (which was supposed to be a prelude to a bout with Lucian Bute). Yet Top Rank, even after all this, was willing to finance its own version of a boxing 12-step program by facilitating a move out to California (where Pavlik would train with Robert Garcia) and help pave a brand new beginning to his career and life.
It?s not clear if that offer still stands. Top Rank and the boxing industry will march forward with or without Pavlik. It seems boxing can survive without him just fine. The question is, does he even want to box? At this point, should that even be a focus? What is clear is that the help Pavlik needs goes far beyond rehabilitating his boxing career. He?s never seemed to really understand how deep-rooted his problems were and the need to treat his illness at the core. Perhaps now he does. Maybe now that Pavlik has hit another low, the realization that he needs help will sink in.
Sadly, maybe it won?t. Maybe this isn?t even rock bottom.
Right now, Pavlik?s descent is very symbolic of the rust-belt region he once so proudly represented.
BUZZKILL
Not a big surprise but it looks like Erik Morales has been forced to pull out of his January 28th bout against Danny Garcia after undergoing gallbladder surgery: http://www.myboxingfans.com/2011/12/morales-surgery-big-success-but-forced-to-withdraw/
Now the question is, what are Golden Boy?s contingency plans for this ?Boxing After Dark? show in Houston?
FRIDAY FLURRIES
As it stands now, the plan is for the bout between ?Runnin?? Rico Ramos and Guillermo Rigondeaux for the WBA bantamweight title to headline the January 20th edition of ?ShoBox,? which could be paired with the middleweight bout between Brandon Gonzalez and Caleb Truax…One name being thrown around as the ?TBA? to face Gary Russell Jr. on February 11th on Showtime is Bernabe Concepcion…John Chavez of ?The Boxing Truth? had an interesting commentary on Andre Ward and his standing in the hierarchy of the sport: http://theboxingtruth.com/article.php?id=2032 ?I think it?s clear that while Ward is very accomplished as a young professional, there?s a lot of work to be done in terms of building his brand…So is Victor Ortiz dating Vanessa Bryant or not? And is that a sucker-punch to Kobe?…Here?s the latest edition of Maxboxing Radio with Corey Erdman and me: http://www.blogtalkradio.com/maxboxingradio/2011/12/22/max-boxing-radio–december-21/scrub/0…I think it?s clear that with Matt Barkley?s return, USC has a top-five team next season…I don?t know how good the Clippers will be but this much is for sure, they will be fun to watch…I can be reached at [email protected] and I tweet at www.twitter.com/stevemaxboxing. We also have a Facebook fan page at www.facebook.com/MaxBoxing.
