Kelly Pavlik is again an Elite Prizefighter
Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik successfully defended his WBC, WBO, and The Ring middleweight titles versus Miguel Espino with a fifth round TKO Saturday night at the Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.
Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) decided to fight Espino (20-3-1, 8 KOs) after he was twice forced to postpone matchups against former two-time WBO welterweight champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams (38-1, 27 KOs) because of a stubborn staph infection on his left hand.
“I’m definitely back,” said Pavlik, 27, whose only loss as a professional came at the hands of the legendary Bernard Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs).
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Despite the fact his hand required two major surgeries; Pavlik was harshly criticized for his 10-month layoff from the ring.
“We’re not going to have another layoff,” said Pavlik, who was born and raised in Youngstown, Ohio. “The hand held up great. It’s a little tender, but nothing ice can’t fix.”
Espino, 29, a native of seedy North Hollywood, Calif., was knocked to the canvas by Pavlik in both the fourth and fifth rounds.
After Espino was floored for the second time, his trainer, John Bray, tossed in the towel and referee Steve Smoger mercifully halted the contest at 1:44 into the fifth round.
“As soon as Miguel got hit, the warrior came out and he went toe to toe,” Bray said. “He didn’t stick to his game plan. He’s a real warrior. Kelly Pavlik is a great champion and a big puncher. We fell into his trap.”
Espino, whose ultimate goal is to purchase his parents a new house, inexplicably wasn’t impressed by Pavlik.
“I thought I hurt him a few times,” Espino said. “He didn’t think I could hit. He thought he could bully me, but I don’t remember taking one step back…If there was ever a day to take a champion down, today was the day.”
Pavlik essentially agreed with Espino’s assessment.
“It definitely wasn’t one of my better performances,” said Pavlik. “We got the job done.”
As expected, Pavlik struggled to effectively throw his jab because his left hand has not entirely healed.
Nevertheless, Pavlik still rendered Espino woozy on a number of occasions with his powerful right uppercuts.
Once Pavlik’s hand is completely recovered, he will again be considered an elite prizefighter.
Boxing is experiencing a surprising renaissance and few pugilists have the potential to reap the benefits of the sports resurgence quite like Pavlik does.
Pavlik is a genuinely humble American who has basically dominated the middleweight division since he made his debut in June 2000.
Furthermore, Pavlik is a Caucasian in a sport where such fighters are a relative rarity and his skin color will undoubtedly, for better or worse, pique the interest of fans and promoters alike.
Pavlik has publicly declared that his main priority is to finally scrap Williams.
Williams, 28, is a southpaw and his tall and lanky frame has often made analysts refer to him as the most “avoided fighter in the world.”
“We’ve got a signed contract that is no longer valid,” Top Rank chief Bob Arum said. “If they (Williams) want to fight Kelly Pavlik, all they have to do is initial that contract and send it to me and the first available date HBO has, we’ll do the fight like we were supposed to do on Dec. 5.”
If boxing’s ridiculous politics prohibit a Williams versus Pavlik matchup from occurring, “The Ghost” has expressed interest in brawling German pugilist and current WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm (33-2-1, 14 KO’s).
“Sturm is right on top of the list,” added Arum.
Strum, 30, is a solid fighter and would be a worthy adversary for Pavlik.
Williams is an excellent pugilist and his awkward stance and style would create a litany of problems for Pavlik.
Nevertheless, when healthy, Pavlik is a more formidable boxer than either Strum or Williams.
Pavlik was a “Ghost” on the boxing landscape for nearly a year.
However, Pavlik has returned and, provided his health remains intact, he will be a spirit in the ring that fight fans will loudly hear for years to come.
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