Kelly Pavlik Sounds Like Man in Denial As He Prepares Return To Ring

When Kelly Pavlik returns to action on November 13, he’ll be facing several unfamiliar circumstances.

He won’t be the main attraction at Cowboys Stadium, as he’ll be facing Bryan Vera on the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito pay-per-view. Pavlik also won’t need anyone to carry in his middleweight title belts since he lost them to Sergio Martinez in April.

Just two years ago, when Pavlik was preparing to fight Bernard Hopkins, it would have been nearly impossible to imagine him in this position. Back then he seemed poised to break through to mainstream stardom, the undefeated, undisputed champion with the irresistible back story (he sleeps on his parents’ couch before fights!) and the killer right hand.

The bumps in his career path since 2008 have been well documented: a major health scare from a nasty staph infection sandwiched between losses to Hopkins and Martinez, along with allegations (though strongly denied by his camp) of issues with alcohol.

After all of the turmoil, it’s easy to forget that Pavlik is only 28. Even as he eyes a possible move to super middleweight, he should have plenty of time left to right the ship.

To do that, though, Pavlik will have to be honest with himself. And a recent Yahoo! Sports column by Kevin Iole suggests that might be a problem.

A big theme of Iole’s piece is that the people closest to Pavlik think he could use another trainer to supplement the teaching of Jack Loew, the man who has been in The Ghost’s corner for every fight. Co-managers Cameron Dunkin and Mike Pavlik Sr. (Kelly’s dad) both agree it would be beneficial to have a more experienced voice in camp.

Even Loew seems amenable to bringing someone else aboard provided he still calls the shots on fight night. But Pavlik, blinded by either stubbornness or a misplaced sense of loyalty, has effectively vetoed the idea.

In Pavlik’s mind, his loss to Hopkins came because he was ill-leading up to the bout, and his defeat by Martinez can be chalked up to a nasty cut that obscured his vision just as he was coming on strong. Both of those rationales sound perfectly plausible.

They’re also both wrong, or at least incomplete. The common thread between the two losses was that they featured opponents with superior lateral movement, and Pavlik was either too slow or completely unable to adjust.

Though he can be scarily effective against anyone willing to stand in front of him, Hopkins and Martinez didn’t oblige. Cuts, illness, and fatigue from cutting weight may have all been factors, but the lack of an effective Plan B once seek-and-destroy didn’t pan out trumped them all.

It’s tough to make a boxer quicker or more athletic, but recent history suggests you can upgrade his “slickness,” to use Hopkins’ term for what Pavlik is lacking. You only need to look as far as Pacquiao for proof, as he was an even more one-dimensional stalker than Pavlik before he was taken under the wing of Freddie Roach.

If Pavlik is serious about contending for titles at 168 pounds, he’s going to find himself up against the likes of Lucian Bute and Andre Ward. Those are fighters who can box and brawl, and beating them requires a full set of tools at your disposal.

Pavlik doesn’t have that yet. If he insists on relying on Loew’s guidance alone, it’s possible, maybe even likely that he never will.

Vera shouldn’t pose much of a problem for Pavlik next month in Dallas. It’s what he does preparing for his next truly big fight that will be telling.

Pavlik’s power is still formidable. He also has toughness and heart that can’t be questioned, so it’s not hard to envision him reclaiming his spot among the sport’s elite.

He’s just going to have to admit he needs some more help to get there.

Nick Tylwalk is the editor and co-founder of BoxingWatchers.com. Follow his Twitter feed @Nick_Tylwalk or the site's feed @boxing_watchers.