Archive for the ‘Boxing’ Category

Making weight has taken precedence over preparing for the actual fights.  Kelly Pavlik has declared that he will move up in weight to compete at the 168-pound division. 

After meeting with Jack Loew, his father Mike Pavlik Sr. and Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik has decided to bypass the rematch and ascend in weight for his fighting future.

Pavlik lost a unanimous decision to Sergio Martinez on April 17 in Atlantic City.  With the loss, there came a rematch clause for Pavlik to accept or decline.  The concern leading up to the fight was making the weight.  Pavlik has reportedly checked in at around 192 in recent days, right around where he was before starting formal camp for the Martinez fight.  Surely, making weight is getting harder at 160.  The methods Jack Loew uses to train Pavlik would have to be uprooted and turned to three or four daily workouts of about two hours each.

The move to 168 will be loaded with opportunity, but many of the stars at that weight class are locked into Showtime’s two-year tournament.  Lucian Bute, who defeated Edison Miranda on the same HBO telecast as Pavlik would be available if desired. 

The move to a higher weight will help Pavlik train the way he has become most comfortable – by getting stronger.  Flipping monster truck tires and swinging a sledgehammer are working into the mainstream and Pavlik benefits with the unique approach.  He will be one of the strongest fighters in a loaded division. 

Arthur Abraham, are you around now?

Greetings from Morgantown, West Virginia! Simons Promotions was holding a boxing card at the beautiful Waterfront Place which would feature the Mahoning Valley’s Billy Lyell squaring off against Martinus Clay of Philadelphia.   The card featured five preliminary bouts before the Lyell fight.  Four of the ten participants in those fights were from Morgantown, so there were some definite fan favorites.  Here is how the undercard went:

In a 139 lb. battle, Ronnell Green of Wheeling, West Virginia took on Tyrone Gamble of Baltimore, Maryland.  Gamble threw maybe ten punches before being knocked out in the first round.  Green drilled Gamble with a solid right to floor him for the ten count.  The opening fight lasted a grand total of a minute and seventeen seconds.

The second undercard fight featured two hometown boys locking it up as Eric Watkins and Wilton Bunn, both of Morgantown, did battle in a 195 lb. amateur tilt.  Can you imagine the in-town hype on this one?  Bunn and Watkins probably saw each other at the neighborhood Burger King a few weeks back and declared the other guy had no chance.  The all-Morgantown portion of the card was entertaining.  Bunn took the decision.

The next prelim featured two heavyweights as Ernest Gwynn of Reidsville, North Carolina and Mel Bankhead of Morgantown in a scheduled four-rounder.  An interesting sidenote, Bankhead owns a strip club in Morgantown and he definitely received the loudest applause to this point.  The proprietor of Lady Godiva managed to score a first-round TKO with a strong boy punch that doubled up Gwynn.

The next bout was a battle at 154.  Vance Garvey (black trunks) of Indianapolis, Indiana did battle with Matt Berkshire of, you guessed it, Morgantown.  Berkshire floored Garvey, knocking out his mouthpiece (above) in the third but to his credit, Garvey got up and stormed back in the fourth.  From a boxing perspective, it was definitely the best match to this point of the card.  Berkshire cut Garvey in the fifth but took a solid shot himself to end the round.  In the eighth and final round, Berkshire cemented the win with a forceful knockdown.  Give Garvey credit for getting up again, but in the end the judges saw the fight as a majority draw.  Berkshire got the short end of the stick in this one.

The last undercard fight featured heavyweights Octavius Smith of Indianapolis and Jason “Ironman” Bergman of Washington, PA.  Bergman made short work of Smith, flooring him twice in the round before the ref halted the contest.

Things did not go as planned in Atlantic City for Team Pavlik.  “The Ghost”  lost his championships and Sergio Martinez danced around the champ all night.  Jack Loew and Pavlik did not make any excuses, they took the loss with dignity.  The conversations in Youngstown are swirling around gaining twenty pounds and fighting heavier and slower despite coming in as strong as ever.  Another public gripe has been the work of Sid Rumbuck, the corner cut man who could not stop blood for very long in any round.

Negativity stated, I refuse to jump ship.  I have great respect for Kelly Pavlik and below are the five biggest reasons why I will keep rooting for him.

1. Loyalty.   Too many times when a person becomes famous, they have a tendency to forget where they came from.  Pavlik has always represented Youngstown and has vehemently stated he does not want to go anywhere else and that he is happy here.  “Defend Youngstown” instilled a sense of pride into a beaten community.  Saying it was one thing, but living it was an elevated statement.  To live in the greater Youngstown area, I admire Pavlik for staying home and representing this area with such passion. 
2. Pride.  Martinez won the fight, but this war is far from over.  When Pavlik said he doesn’t like to lose and he will get his belts back, he hinted where his heart is.  If he opts to move up to 168, he better drop the sledgehammer and trade those monster truck tires in for a jumprope.  Pavlik can dominate at 160 as long as he can keep making the weight.  The decision that Team Pavlik is weighing is a tough one.  I think the pride factor will kick in and Pavlik will exercise the rematch clause he has with Martinez.
3. Heart.  Roberto Duran screamed “No Mas” and wasn’t really even cut.  Pavlik took all Martinez had for the last four rounds and still didn’t get knocked out.  He didn’t quit either.  All too often in sports, an athlete is called a warrior.  Seldom does the title accurately describe the effort, even in a loss, that a participant displays.  For Pavlik to fight with limited vision and just catch punches throws him into warrior status for not quitting.
4. Jack Loew.  Loew has been paramount to the success of Kelly Pavlik.  Nationally, people sputter and shoot their mouths off about how much better Pavlik would be without Loew.  Loew is the most underappreciated person in boxing.  He knows the game and knows what his fighters are capable of.  He is quick with a quote, fast to defend what he believes to be the truth, and understands what needs to be done to win.
5. Champion.  Ray Mancini, Harry Arroyo, Greg Richardson, Ken Sigurani, Roland Cummings, etc.  None of them, including Boom Boom, held a title as long as Pavlik did.  In my eyes, that would make him the best.  Being a champion means you dictate what happens in your career.  Pavlik plays golf and darts with his friends, but he also spends so much time and effort on charity work.  Almost every major fundraiser in the area was not a draw unless Pavlik would show.  Using that sort of leverage in positive ways makes him a special champion. 

If you were a Pavlik fan but decided not to be anymore because he lost, you were never really a fan.  If you are still a Pavlik fan, embrace the future with a sense of optimism.  With the recent  loss, I would make him the marshall of any parade in Mahoning County for what he has achieved, but more importantly, what is still left to achieve.

Kelly Pavlik trained hard, came into camp in great shape, and had more muscle mass than he ever had before.  Making weight was an issue because of the size.  Adding weight, Pavlik may have made himself slower as Sergio Martinez scored a unanimous 12-round decision.

Pavlik showed heart by finishing the fight, but the night belonged to Martinez who raised his record to 45-2-2 and became the new champion in thunderous fashion.

After the fight, Pavlik said, “He caught me with a nice left hand and he cut me pretty good.  I wasn’t shocked by how aggressive he finished the fight.  It was hard to make the weight, but I hate losing, we will definitely go back to work and get ready for a rematch.  He was a smart fighter and doubled up with the jab alot.”

The first round was pretty uneventful as most traditionally are.  The two fighters spent the majority of the round feeling each other out.  Martinez danced around Pavlik and connected often enough to win the round.

In the second round, Martinez widened a cut on the side of Pavlik’s left eye that may have originated in round one.  Martinez then went into cocky mode as he dropped his hands to his side a couple of times before retaking a boxer’s stance.    Martinez wins the round however, to take a 2-0 lead in rounds.

In round three, Pavlik landed a couple of good shots and the round could be scored either way.  Martinez was doing a good job controlling the action to this point in the fight, but Pavlik was getting closer to landing shots of his own.

Round four was another round for Martinez, who was smiling as he was landing each punch.  Pavlik was slower than Martinez, and had yet to deliver a trademark Pavlik power punch.

In round five, Martinez continued circling Pavlik but the champ started landing.  Pavlik landed his best punches of the fight and staggered Martinez about two minutes in.  The momentum felt like it was starting to shift toward the champion.

Round six saw more of the Martinez cockiness disappear,as he was much less glitzy than the first four rounds.  Another round for Pavlik who was obviously starting to slow down Martinez and was landing shots much more frequently.

In round seven, Martinez hit the canvas in what Martinez argued may have been a slip, but the ref delivered a standing eight count and Pavlik had his most dominant round of the fight picking up a 10-8 session. Martinez continued to slow and Pavlik continued to pick up steam.

The fight seemed even heading into the eighth round.  Pavlik and Martinez were close on the cards.  Martinez was working harder but Pavlik seemed like he was picking up a pattern and connecting more frequently than the earlier rounds.  The judges would have a tough one to score in the round.  At the end of eight, I had the fight scored evenly.

This is where the fight took a turn.  Jack Loew’s prediction earlier in the week had him looking like a genius to this point.  Loew had stated that it would take Pavlik a few rounds to get the rhythm of Martinez timed up and that by round five, Pavlik would connect.  What Loew didn’t expect was for Martinez to open cuts on Pavlik’s face making it hard for the champ to see.

In round nine, Martinez bloodied Pavlik pretty badly.  The cut from earlier in the fight on the champ’s left side and a new cut, much bigger on the right side had Pavlik’s face a pool of blood by round’s end.  Big round for Martinez, arguably a 10-8.

Round ten was a big round for Martinez.  Landing huge shots, the doctors checked Pavlik at the end of the round to see how severe the cuts were and decided the fight could go on.

The last two rounds were target practice for Martinez.  Pavlik was fighting hurt or lacking vision for a good part of the end of both rounds.  At the end of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth rounds, the blood was streaming down both sides of Pavlik’s face.

Give credit where credit is due, Martinez showed up big on this night.  Unfortunately, Martinez is linked to Lou DiBella.  At the post-fight press conference DiBella was like a drunken pirate who just found the treasure chest on a map he found in a trashcan somewhere.  He gloated, took a few verbal shots at Loew who did well restraining himself, and just carried on and on and on.  Bob Arum even looked disgusted while DiBella rambled.  The one thing DiBella said that was respectable was that the decision of a rematch was totally in the hands of Team Pavlik.  “If Kelly decides to move up to 168, we would consider a fight at 154 against [Antonio] Margarito.  It is in the hands of Top Rank.  Pavlik was gracious enough to give us a chance, and we would do the proper thing by honoring his rematch clause.”

On the potential rematch, Loew remarked that, “I don’t have an answer yet, obviously.  Cameron Dunkin, Mike Pavlik, Bob Arum, Kelly, and myself will sit down over the next couple of weeks to make a decision.”

Pavlik’s cutman, Sid Rumbach said Pavlik would need a dozen stitches inside and at least two dozen stitches outside to close the cuts suffered during the fight and Pavlik went to the hospital immediately after leaving the ring, thus missing the press conference.

All-in-all, the Kelly Pavlik vs Sergio Martinez undercard had plenty of good stuff.  It was a step forward for many of boxing’s future stars as well as some current fighters.  Kudos to Top Rank and Bob Arum for presenting a very good undercard.

In the opener, Dominic Guinn scored a 7th round TKO over Terrell Nelson.  The fight had a good pace for heavyweights and Guinn landed the big blows when he needed to.  Guinn improved to 33-6-1 while Nelson fell to 8-10 as a pro.

A battle of 142-pound fighters saw Vincent Arroyo hand Jeremy Bryan his first pro defeat in 14 fights.  Arroyo had a mad flurry in the fourth round knocking Bryan down.  The ref could have counted to 40 instead of 10, either way, Arroyo improved to 10-1 with seven KO’s.

Ronald Hearns, son of Thomas “Hitman” Hearns ran his record to 25-1 with an impressive first-round TKO over Delray Raines.

Chris Hazimihalis then took out Ramon Ellis to extend his unbeaten streak to 2-0.  After his debut in December, when he admittedly came out nervous before unwinding, Hazimihalis came out full steam ahead in picking up the impressive win.

Undefeated Chris Jones (21-0) looked impressive in carving up Hector Munoz (18-3-1) in five rounds.  Jones claimed the NABA Welterweight Title with the win in front of a very partial Philadelphia-based crowd.  Jones tagged Munoz frequently and when he wanted to in posting the impressive TKO victory.

In a battle of 160-pounders, Josh Snyder challenged Matt Korobov of Russia.  Snyder gave Korobov everything he had and both fighters landed several big shots in a very entertaining contest.  In the end, the judges awarded a unanimous decision to Korobov who ran his perfect record to 11-0.

The last fight before the main event featured another local favorite in Glen Tapia as he faced James “Shotgun” Winchester in a 152-pound battle.  Tapia bloodied Winchester with some big shots in the second round.  Winchester wasted more energy taunting than fighting at various stages of the contest.  All three judges scored the four-round fight 40-35 in favor of Tapia who jumped to 6-0 with the win.

Chris Hazimihalis knows about being fortunate enough to fight on big boxing cards.  In just his second fight, Hazimihalis again was on a Kelly Pavlik Top Rank undercard with a big audience.  The foe challenging Hazimihalis was Ramon Ellis from  Philadelphia.

Hazimihalis wasted little time making a first impression knocking Ellis to the canvas in the first round.  The ring nerves that Hazimihalis had a problem with in his first fight were nowhere to be found.  Hazimihalis caught Ellis with a powerful short overhand right that sent Ellis down in the middle of the ring.  Once Ellis rose, Hazimihalis went to work using a strong corner flurry to end the fight in the first round.

The fight was stopped at 1:28 of the first round.  Campbell, Ohio had plenty of representatives in attendance including family and friends of Hazimihalis who ran his record to a perfect 2-0 in impressive fashion.

After the fight, Hazimihalis was happy he put on a good show in front of so many media members and onlookers.  “Jack [Loew] wanted me to come out fast, it is how I trained for this fight.  I wanted to stay relaxed, and I was very relaxed for this fight.”

Hazimihalis went on to add, “I will take them any way I can get them.  I wanted to fight my hardest with this opportunity and show everyone exactly what kind I fighter I am.”

Kelly Pavlik was very recently interviewed about his upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez.  Thanks to Team Pavlik for the above interview.  Pavlik definitely gives Martinez his props and shows alot of respect.  Having spoken with Pavlik this past weekend, I noticed alot of pep in his step and sensed that he just seems to be enjoying what it is he does. 

Jack Loew claims that The Ghost is heading into the nationally televised fight in the best shape he could be in.  Pavlik seems confident and happy, like he is in a good place right now.  Based on his good attitude and the positive feedback I have received from just about everyone I have spoken to on the inside, Pavlik will look sharp.  Expect a good showing.

As stated here in earlier articles, this fight can be a springboard to so many other options if Pavlik looks dominant.  When the fight was signed, everyone rambled on about how bad Kelly would be beaten because he didn’t care about the sport anymore.  The facts are that the medication he had to take for a dangerous staph infection is no longer needed, the hand is 100% for the first time in over a year, and showing up in shape before training camp started would all signify a  hunger to remain the champ. 

I love being the guy on the internet who defends Pavlik, because the “boxing experts” keep picking him to lose, dating back to Pavlik-Taylor I, and have been wrong all but once.  Again, my money is on the champ.

I am heading to Atlantic City to cover the fight and will be doing stories all week long leading up to Saturday night.

In December, another professional boxer from the Mahoning Valley with promise debuted.  Chris Hazimihalis couldn’t ask for more that night.  He was launching his pro boxing career on the undercard of a pay-per-view fight, his family and friends could all come to root him on, and the partisan crowd would surely give him the additional adrenaline he would need to reign victorius.

Hazimihalis got by Norman Allen with a third-round TKO.  It took him a couple of rounds to work the nerves out, but once the stagefright disappeared, Christo Hazimihalis was able to methodically pick apart his opponent, showing the promise and instincts needed to succeed in this profession.

On April 17th, Hazimihalis gets back into the ring to continue his climb.  This time he will be facing Philadelphia’s Ramon Allen.  Jack Loew, who is training Hazimihalis, has studied the tapes on Allen.  “He is very durable and will push Chris to go more rounds and we want that.”

Loew also complimented Hazimihalis on his preparation.  “Chris is a workoholic, he has a very good training regimen, is gifted with natural ability, and puts his time in at the gym.”

Hazimihalis, who greeted me and wanted to squeeze in one more lap before the brief interview,  also credited other sports in developing aspects of his boxing strengths.  “I played alot of soccer which helped me out with my footwork in the ring.” 

Hazimihalis respects what he saw of his next opponent on film.  “He [Ellis] has a good chin and can take a punch.  He is always coming forward and seems to be in really good shape.  I need to make sure I throw some good combinations.”

With Easter ending the fasting period, Hazimihalis is back to his regular diet.  “I was away from my normal diet while I fasted through Lent.  I ate good Easter Sunday and have resumed my normal diet, so the weight is coming off pretty good.”

Two Pavlik fights in a row, Hazimihalis has been on the undercard.  “I have been trying to get a fight for the past few months.  We had something scheduled for February 19th, but it fell through.  Then on March 19th, I was supposed to get another fight and the show got cancelled.  I guess I am just lucky that Jack [Loew] is my trainer and he also happens to train the middleweight champion of the world.  I’m grateful that I get the opportunity to fight on that kind of show and I need to make the most of my opportunities.”

Before parting ways, Hazimihalis informed me that he was going to run up the First Street Hill in Campbell.  It is a pretty steep incline, and his legs will get a good burn.  “Somebody over there has pit bulls”, said Hazimihalis.  Fearlessly, he and family members went knowing there was still more to do.

Kelly Pavlik is working hard, perhaps harder than he ever has, to make weight for his April 17 fight with Sergio Martinez.  The fight, which will be televised live on HBO, is Pavlik’s biggest test since Bernard Hopkins and will either thrust ‘The Ghost’ back into the national boxing spotlight or bury the champ in mediocrity.  Top Rank Promotions and Bob Arum are handling the specifics, so all is well in that department.

Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer, spoke about the magnitude this fight holds for Pavlik.  “This is the most important fight of Kelly’s career.  Last year was a tough year for us and Kelly had a hard time keeping his focus.  Staph infection, fights being cancelled, even the medicine he had to take affected his performances and capabilities.  He is really focused right now and stronger than ever.”

Loew, when asked about the weight Pavlik has to lose, did not see any problems.  “He is right where he usually is at this point of training camp, right around 169 or 170.  The difference is the muscle from all of his hard work and preparation coming into camp in shape.  It’s a tough situation, but it always is.”

Should Pavlik win convincingly, bigger doors should open.  Sergio Mora just won his fight on the Jones-Hopkins undercard.  Arthur Abraham and Paul Williams would also draw a big gate. 

Sergio Martinez (44-2-2) will not be a pushover.  Martinez just took Paul Williams to his limits and lost a very controversial decision.  For all who say Pavlik ducked Williams, let this fight be a measuring stick of a common opponent that will yield answers in the comparison.

Kelly Pavlik will get back in the ring on April 17th when he faces Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City.  The fight will be part of an HBO Boxing telecast and will serve as the main event.  Pavlik vowed after his last fight in December, a 5th round TKO over Miguel Espino,  to be more active in 2010 and has stayed busy to keep in good shape.

Sergio Martinez is no pushover.  Paul Williams can testify to that.  Martinez stunned Williams, knocking him down, but losing a controversial decision on December 5.  Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer, has even been quoted as saying that Martinez will be a tougher fight than Williams would have been.

The split-feed telecast by HBO will start in Quebec where past Pavlik opponent Edison Miranda takes on heavily-hyped IBF super middleweight champion Lucian Bute.  Bute is one of many possibilities for Pavlik’s next fight should he win against Martinez.  The action then will shift to Atlantic City’s Boardwalk Hall for the Pavlik-Martinez fight.

Other possibilities for Pavlik’s next fight are the always lingering Felix Sturm, Paul Williams (who should be mad at his handlers for running their mouths, he has nothing in the hopper as of this writing), Bute, or the winner of the Showtime Tournament. 

Pavlik is vacationing in California and will resume his pre-fight eight week training camp on Monday.  Loew has said that Pavlik may train in Florida for a few weeks to keep Kelly clear of pre-fight distractions.  Obviously, the Florida move would be favorable in the road work department.  Pavlik would have to run behind a snowplow and salt truck if he dares to enter Mill Creek Park for a jog.