Kelly Pavlik Will Knockout Miguel Espino Saturday

Colin LinneweberDec 18, 2009

The Ring Magazine, WBC and WBO middleweight champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik will fight Miguel Espino Saturday night at the Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) was originally scheduled to defend his titles versus Paul “The Punisher” Williams (38-1, 27 KOs). Unfortunately, a stubborn staph infection in Pavlik’s left hand caused him to twice postpone his slated bouts with Williams.

Williams, 28, a southpaw often considered the most “avoided fighter in the world,” grew frustrated with Pavlik’s cancellations and he instead fought Sergio Gabriel Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs) on Dec. 5.

In a rugged and exciting battle, Williams was awarded a narrow majority decision victory over the 34-year-old Martinez.

After undergoing two major surgeries on his bummed paw, Pavlik intended to rest for the remainder of this year so that it would entirely heal. However, Pavlik’s advisors warned him that the sanctioning bodies could strip him of his titles if he didn’t defend them.

So, Pavlik’s handlers hurriedly arranged a matchup against Espino (20-2-1, 9 KOs) in the comfortable confines of the champ’s hometown.

“I definitely feel hungrier. I miss it,” said Pavlik, 27, whose only loss came at the hands of the legendary Bernard Hopkins last October. “Boxing is what I’ve been doing since I was eight years old. When I take this time that I had off, I definitely got the hunger back.”

Espino, 29, who was raised in the seedy underbelly of North Hollywood, California, said he is “grateful and humbled” to have the opportunity to scrap Pavlik for his crowns.

“I am fighting for the world title, so there is nothing to be other than excited,” said Espino, whose goal is to eventually purchase his parents a new house.

“He is the champ, but do I have a shot? Absolutely. Am I going there to win? Absolutely.”

Pavlik is a flawed pugilist and his prolonged injury is genuinely worrisome.

Even more concerning, baseless rumors have persisted that Pavlik is battling drug and alcohol issues that have crippled his workout routines and overall maturation as a fighter. Pavlik dismissed the gossip about his personal life in a recent interview.

“It didn’t really affect me,” Pavlik claimed. “At the end of the day, I feel good. I know what I have accomplished. The people who know about the sport know the truth.”

One person that absolutely knows about the sport of boxing is Mike Cappiello, a native of Brockton, Mass. who once fought for the IBO super featherweight title.

Cappiello, who captured the New England super featherweight title in 1990 and finished his professional career with an impressive record of 33-6, predicts that Pavlik will defeat Espino by knockout and revitalize his stunted work as a pugilist.

However, Cappiello does believe that Pavlik is intentionally sidestepping Williams because the lanky and awkward southpaw is a very difficult fighter to matchup against.

“Pavlik doesn’t want to fight Williams,” said Cappiello, the owner of Cappiello Brothers Boxing gym in Brockton. “Most fighters don’t enjoy fighting awkward southpaws.”

Nevertheless, Cappiello contends that Pavlik will ultimately choose to scrap Williams because “money talks.”

Fortunately for Pavlik, his surgically repaired hand is not the fist where he derives most of his surprising power. The champion uses an orthodox stance and his right-hand will be as thunderous and potent as ever.

Still, it will be intriguing to see how effective Pavlik’s jab can be, which he often uses to set up the launch of his mighty right hand.

If Pavlik’s left-hand is essentially useless, he may struggle to establish an advantage and that could preclude him from landing his fearsome right with any legitimate force.

Ultimately, expect Pavlik to look sound this weekend and make a triumphant return to the ring.

Espino is “going there to win.”