Kelly Pavlik: The Great White Hope Falling Fast from Grace

Kelly Pavlik had the world at his feet. After defeating Jermain Taylor not once but twice, he became the undisputed, undefeated middleweight champion of the world. The Youngstown fighter who is fiercely proud of his blue collar roots was one of boxing's rising stars.

Big money fights beckoned but the home-town hero who, despite his considerable success, has always kept his feet firmly on the floor made a surprising decision. He decided to vacate the middleweight division, temporarily at least, in order to move up to light heavyweight and challenge Bernard Hopkins.

This caused confusion amongst pundits who wondered why Pavlik would accept such a fight. One thing Hopkins has never represented for opponents is an easy pay day and many felt that, for Pavlik, the risks of taking on such a tricky assignment far outweighed the rewards.

"I am preparing to fight a legend and take him down in his own backyard," said Pavlik. "Even though I am younger, I know Hopkins is a slick veteran with a bunch of boxing tricks in his bag. I refuse to underestimate him. I am treating this as if it were a championship match with my plan being to remain undefeated and show the world that I am able to take on any fighter regardless of age, weight, or record."

It appeared that the middleweight titles which Pavlik had held for barely a year were not sufficient for the Youngstown fighter. He clearly felt he could send out a statement by defeating an ageing Bernard Hopkins, who had already lost twice to Jermain Taylor.

Defeating an ageing Bernard Hopkins is no easy task and things did not go to plan for Pavlik. Hopkins is never happier than when rolling back time to give a rude awakening to a fresh faced opponent, and the veteran boxer looked well within his element against Pavlik. Hopkins won a lopsided decision with a dominant performance.

None of Pavlik's middleweight trinkets were on the line but this loss tarnished his career and sent him back to the middleweight division with his tale between his legs. Had Pavlik beaten Hopkins, or simply not taken the Hopkins fight, he would have been high on boxing's pound for pound list and looking for big money fights against the bigger names in the sport.

After losing to Hopkins he lost a lot of his prestige and he has not found a big name opponent to face since. The Hopkins fight was a huge setback and, with Las Vegas no longer beckoning, Pavlik found himself back in his hometown for his next two title defences.

They both went off with barely a hitch, stopping first Marco Antonio Rubio and then Miguel Angelo Espino but neither victory did much to enhance his reputation outside of his native Ohio.

These back-to-back victories set Pavlik up for a return to the Boardwalk Hall, the scene of his sensational knock out victory over Jermain Taylor and his one sided beating at the hands of Hopkins.

There was little in the recent record of his opponent, Sergio Gabriel Martinez, to suggest he would pose a serious threat to Pavlik's unbeaten middleweight record. Martinez was coming off a loss to Paul Williams and a draw with Kermit Cintron. However appearances can be deceptive and Martinez can consider himself highly unfortunate not to have won either fight

Pavlik appeared lethargic in the early rounds and Martinez was able to easily evade him while landing some crisp counters of his own. Frustration was etched onto Pavlik's face as he was unable to establish his jab. The dissatisfaction spread to the crowd many of who had made the long trip from Youngstown.

Pavlik came on strong in the middle rounds, scoring a knock down which was hotly contested by Martinez in the seventh round. It appeared Martinez might be tiring but he regained his composure in the latter rounds of the fight to once again leave a decision in the judges hands.

While the majority of the crowd had come to see Pavlik fortunately for Martinez the judges themselves were a little less partisan. They all scored the fight for the Argentinian by a margin of three rounds or more. 

When Pavlik rose from the canvas to knock out Jermain Taylor many saw it as the beginning of what would be a glorious career. Increasingly it is looking as if that win will represent the pinnacle of Pavlik's boxing career. He will always be a hero in Youngstown but elsewhere his stock is falling fast.