Kelly Pavlik: If He Can Beat the Booze, He Can Be a Great Boxing Champion Again

Former WBC, WBO and The Ring Magazine middleweight champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik left the Betty Ford Clinic for treatment for alcohol abuse Tuesday afternoon.

Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs), whose only losses as a professional came at the hands of legendary pugilist Bernard Hopkins (51-5-2-1, 32 KOs) and 2010 “Fighter of the Year” Sergio Martinez (46-2-2, 25 KOs), checked into the center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., for the second time on November 4.

“The Ghost,” an orthodox fighter from Youngstown, Ohio, reportedly began to struggle with booze shortly after he demolished Jermain Taylor (28-4-1, 17 KOs) in 2007 and rocketed to superstardom status virtually overnight. 

“He (Pavlik) wants to mend his ways and accomplish so many other things in boxing,” said Pavlik’s manager, Cameron Dunkin. “He's very motivated to fight again.”

At only 28, Pavlik absolutely can resurrect his career and again become an elite prizefighter if his issues with the bottle are under control.

"I'd like to see the old Kelly back, but I'll be happy just to see him back and not doing all that nonsense.”

Longtime trainer Roger “Pit” Perron predicts that Pavlik will somehow manage to rebound.

“Pavlik was a great fighter,” said Perron, 73, who now trains with Mike and Rich Cappiello at their gym, Cappiello Brothers Boxing in Brockton, Mass. “I think he can make a successful comeback.”

Beyond troubles with alcohol, “The Ghost” also needs to be certain his health is entirely intact.

After two major surgeries on his left hand, Pavlik returned to the ring with a dominating fifth-round TKO victory over Miguel Espino (16-3-1, 8 KOs) in December 2009.

Despite his skinny and relatively unimposing physique, Kelly Pavlik once possessed tremendous punching power in both fists prior to his injury.

For fans of Pavlik, it is unnerving to realize the actual severity and magnitude of his hindered hand.

Granted, Pavlik looked relatively sharp against Espino a little more than a year ago and he seemed adequately healed during that bout.

Nevertheless, Pavlik’s hand has endured such terrible adversity that, every time he throws a punch with his left, it will be subjected to damage for the remainder of his young career.

“The Ghost” uses his left to jab and establish control of the battle before he launches his devastatingly powerful right.

Provided that Pavlik’s hand is again able to withstand constant contact, Pavlik could be as good as ever in the squared circle.

Unfortunately for Pavlik, his personal demons now outweigh his physical defect. 

“The Ghost” has significant obstacles to overcome before he will ever truly again be “seen” in the ring.