Kelly Pavlik will attempt overcome more than the 12-round lopsided beating he absorbed from Sergio Martinez in his last fight a year ago. When he faces Alfonso Lopez on May 7, Pavlik also will seek to put personal demons to rest.
The former middleweight champion feels rejuvenated after completing a two-month stay in the Betty Ford Clinic for alcohol abuse this year. Pavlik, 29, believes his new outlook on life will transfer into his ring performances.
?I?m not one to make any excuses to say that?s what hurt my career, because I wasn?t doing it while I was training,? Pavlik said of his alcohol problems. ?I can easily make it a great excuse, but in my opinion I don?t see it as that. As of now, I think the big difference is I?m able to focus more clearly on my career and take everything serious.
?I think that?s going to be the big difference now when compared to the past.?
Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) was targeted for stardom after his knockout victory against Jermain Taylor for the middleweight title in 2007. His Midwest roots, humble demeanor and knockout power seemed delivered from central casting.
But Pavlik was overwhelmed by Bernard Hopkins in a light-heavyweight bout the following year. Pavlik returned to the middleweight class for two successful defenses against second-tier opponents before losing his belt against Martinez.
In addition to Pavlik?s alcohol problem, a staph infection caused the postponement of his title defense against Paul Williams in 2009.
Pavlik?s return bout against Lopez (21-0, 16 KOs) will have additional attention as it will be part of the pay-per-view telecast headlined by the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley welterweight fight.
?It?s definitely a second chance,? Pavlik said. ?Even after being off for a year and a half, to be on the undercard is a pleasure of mine and an honor.
?I?m just worried about getting back in there and performing and moving on with my career.?
darchinyan wins
Vic Darchinyan won a technical decision over Yohnny Perez in a bantamweight bout late Saturday in Los Angeles.
The fight was stopped in the fifth round after Perez (20-2-1) sustained a deep cut by an eye that was caused by an accidental clash of heads. Darchinyan (36-3-1) was ahead on all three judges? scorecards at the time of the stoppage.
The Darchinyan-Perez bout was scheduled to precede a bantamweight tournament championship match between Joseph Agbeko and Abner Mares. But the fight was postponed Wednesday after Agbeko was diagnosed with sciatica.
cosmopolitan again
Five weeks after his successful debut in Las Vegas, Miami resident Rances Barthelemy will return to the same location for his 12th professional bout.
Barthelemy (11-0, 9 KOs) will face Rydell Griffin in a scheduled six-round lightweight bout at the Cosmopolitan Resort. Barthelemy helped christen boxing at the Cosmopolitan with a fourth-round TKO over James Hope in the first show at the Las Vegas facility March 25.
ortiz stops cooper
Miami resident Luis Ortiz scored a second-round technical knockout over former heavyweight contender Bert Cooper in the main event of a card late Saturday at the Dade County Youth Fair and Expo.
Ortiz (8-0, 6 KOs) dropped Cooper twice in the second round, then pressed Cooper on the ropes, where he followed with a flurry of unanswered combinations. Referee Frank Gentile spared Cooper (38-23) from additional punishment, and stopped the bout at 1:29 of the round.
