WRONG MOVE: Pavlik is beaten by awkward Martinez
GO back a couple of years and Kelly Pavlik was one of the hottest names in the business. His blue-collar background had the whole of America on his side and practically every person from his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio in attendance at his fights.
He was first taken seriously when he smashed the feared Edison Miranda in a terrific war in 2007, and then got worldwide acclaim when hammering Jermain Taylor into stoppage defeat in his next fight.
The world fell at Pavlik?s feet. He was the American hero, a great white hope that the country wanted and needed to go on to be a superstar. He had a style that attracted honest hard-working people to the game. No frills, no showboating. Just go in there and let the bombs go. And Pavlik certainly had the power.
But his star unfortunately only shone brightly for a fairly short period of time. Right now he seems lost and desperately in need of a good win. A confidence-boosting win. You can visibly see the difference in him now from the good old days.
So what?s gone wrong? His last impressive performance was the first Taylor fight, and significantly in my opinion that fight was at middleweight back in 2007. He really looked strong at middleweight and basically walked through the defending champion that night, but five months later when they had the rematch at the higher weight of 164lbs, he seemed to be just that little bit more flat even though he beat Taylor again, this time on points.
Kelly returned to the middleweight championship weight to defend against Britain?s own Gary Lockett in June 2008 and stopped the Welsh puncher in three rounds but to be fair, Lockett didn?t seem right that night and just didn?t throw anything so it?s hard to judge what Pavlik?s performance was really like.
The defeat to Bernard Hopkins four months later was devastating. Pavlik was totally outclassed, befuddled and basically humiliated by the master craftsman. Sometimes it?s so much better for some fighters to be knocked out quickly rather than to be tortured mentally for the whole 12 rounds like Pavlik was that night. You could see him mentally unravel as the fight went on; he just kept chugging forward, showing heart, but he has never recovered from the way he was beaten that night.
I think he bought into the hype that was generated around him beforehand. When you?re from a small town like him and the whole town are turning out to watch you, and telling you that you?re the best thing around, it?s bound to get into your head at some point and I think Kelly and his team thought he was better than he actually was.
Yes he?s a big, strong middleweight who can punch and is exciting. But he was never in the league of someone like a Hopkins, no matter how old ?The Executioner? was!
The fact that he seemed to lack sharpness and looked a little sluggish in his last trip above the middleweight division should have entered into his management?s thoughts when they also agreed for the fight to take place above the super-middleweight championship limit! This was obviously a help to Hopkins who had been campaigning at light-heavyweight. So to go in against one of the best ring generals of our generation at a good nine pounds above your best weight wasn?t the smartest thing to do.
Kelly rebounded with a couple of solid wins, but then was put into a double world title fight with Sergio Martinez. Ok, so it was back at middleweight. But when this fight was made I just couldn?t believe the thought process behind it.
Martinez is a very tricky southpaw, can punch hard and has a good engine. He was just coming off a great performance against Paul Williams, who no-one, including Pavlik, wanted to fight, and although Martinez lost on a majority, many thought he should have been given the decision.
So when your man has recently been taken to school by a tricky, clever boxer who doesn?t just stand there to get nailed, why would you put him in with someone else who is again slippery, tricky and won?t stand straight up to get hit?
Bad management. It was always the wrong choice for Pavlik, he could have been rebuilt to some extent, but not now. Decent fighters who go in with him now won?t fear him, and if they start to box a little, Pavlik himself will have doubts as the rounds go on.
Matthew Macklin was talked about as an opponent for Kelly a while back, he would love that fight I?m sure. Dmitry Pirog, the new WBO Champ, may give Pavlik a shot, and would probably beat him also in a close fight, although that would be Kelly?s best chance at getting another title win.
Whatever, the Kelly Pavlik story a few years ago was great. It was really nice to see an unsung fighter from a quiet town come through to the big time. But in my opinion the wrong matches have brought a quick end to Pavlik?s fairytale.
