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Resurrecting the Ghost
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There was a time when middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (35-1 31 KOs) was seen as potentially becoming the face of American boxing. With his exciting pressure style, staggeringly high knockout percentage, and relatable blue-collar persona, some people thought that Kelly could become a Ricky Hatton-like figure. Following an embarrassing loss to Bernard Hopkins, at the ill-advised catch weight of 170 pounds, rumors about his marriage and bouts with alcoholism, and a seemingly wasted year, many are beginning to wonder what kind of career Kelly has left.
For all the doom-and-gloom talk surrounding Pavlik, he is still only 27 years old, making him one of the youngest champions in the game. While the bout versus Hopkins was a bust, one must keep in mind that Kelly is not really that big, he only comes in at 169 to 172 pounds on fight night, and as such really had no business north of middleweight. The question now, is where does Kelly go after his fight with Espino? Assuming he wins there are actually an ever increasing number of options at 160, options that could see Kelly eventually resurrect his career.
The two most obvious, and highest grossing fights for Kelly involve fellow American Paul Williams (38-1 27 KOs), and reigning WBA-title holder Felix Sturm (33-2-1 14 KOs). These are the two fights HBO would most like to see, and the only two at the moment that could net Kelly a seven-figure payday. Williams, a proven commodity at welterweight and junior middleweight, is coming off of a controversial win against the underrated Sergio Martinez. In an exciting bout he showed some vulnerability at a higher weight, such an ability to be hurt against a fighter closer to his prime than his last middleweight opponent, Winky Wright. The Wright fight seemed to cast some doubt in the Pavlik camp, but the Martinez fight may have put him back on the radar as a potential opponent, something both the network and the fans would like to see. A rematch with Martinez might put this fight on the backburner temporarily, but do not be surprised if this fight is made for the early part of 2010.
If a fight with Williams cannot be made the other option is Sturm. Felix has not seen American shores since dropping a highly disputed decision to Oscar de la Hoya in 2004. Since then he has been on an interesting run that included a loss to and victory over Javier Castillejo, a draw and win against underrated Randy Pittman, a dominating display against Sebastian Sylvester, and a controversial win against Khoren Gevor. Sturm has not fought since meeting Gevor in July, and, despite large purses, is still a decided runner up to Arthur Abraham in Germany. Sturm, who turned 30 this year, needs a fight to elevate his stature. If the Pavlik camp has watched the Gevor or Castillejo fights, they will see that pressure does present a significant problem for Felix, and while they may have to travel overseas to make this fight, it could very easily become the vehicle that allows Kelly to pick up another belt and restore some the lost shine from the champ’s reputation.
While these fights are the most obvious, a bevy of contenders are making their way up the ranks. Included in this list are fighters like Anthony Mundine, Roman Karmazin, Matthew Macklin, Sebastian Sylvester, Danny Jacobs, Dmitry Pirog, Gennady Golovkin, and even a rehabilitated James Kirkland. Some of these fighters are obvious due to their name recognition; Mundine and Karmazin, while others are works in progress that have shown flashes of brilliance, Jacobs, Pirog, Golovkin and Kirkland. While fights with the likes of Mundine and Karmazin would probably be the easiest to make, assuming they win their next fights, they are not the most intriguing.
As a fan, the fight that intrigues me most is actually a potential matchup with Dmitry Pirog (14-0 11 KOs), who is slated to take on Macklin (26-2 18 KOs) for the EBU title. A win over Macklin would add the solid Brit to a list that includes Kofi Jantuah, Kuvanych Toygonbayev, and Sergei Tatevosyan. With his combination of technical acumen, power, and stamina, this fight between eventual mandatory and current champion could produce fireworks that remind fans why they fell in love with Pavlik, while returning the ‘Ghost’ to his place as the potential face of American boxing.
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