Posts Tagged ‘Kelly Pavlik’

Finally!  I am happy to present my interview with Jack Loew.  Loew is the trainer of Kelly Pavlik.  Loew also trained Billy Lyell for his upset win over John Duddy last Friday. 

In this piece, Loew talks about his stable of fighters and who to watch for.  Why the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight should have been cancelled, steroids in boxing, what is in the future for Kelly Pavlik, and why he is having so much fun doing what he does.  Loew also discusses why the Pavlik camp wants Arthur Abraham so bad, as well as a potential Joe Calzaghe fight down the road.

Big shouts go out to Bud and Paula McLaughlin at Lifetime Video, and to Isaac from The World of Isaac  who helped me get the video online!
Watch Interview with Jack Loew in Sports  |  View More Free Videos Online at Veoh.com

Niles, Ohio native Billy Lyell beat John Duddy Friday night in a split decision.  The judges who scored the close fight were Tommy Kaczmarak (97-93 Lyell), Lawrence Layton (96-94 Duddy), and John Stewart (98-92 Lyell).  The huge upset vindicates Jack Loew who was accused earlier in the week of using the Lyell fight to scout Duddy for a potential future fight with Kelly Pavlik.  Looks like Jack Loew already had him pretty well scouted.

Lyell improved to 19-7 and has finally gotten a win which he can build on.  Duddy, 26-1, 17 KO’s was criticized for trying to box more than land big punches, which were his bread and butter in the past.  Loew was quick to point out that Lyell had eight full weeks to prepare for this fight and that the hard work paid off in a big way. 

Personally, I am thrilled that Lyell beat Duddy because it not only boosts him into the top 15, but saves all of us having to watch Pavlik dispose of Duddy.  I am also particularly happy for Jack Loew, who proved to his critics that he is not a one trick pony.

My interview with Loew will be hitting the website no later than Wednesday.

It is a very busy weekend in sports!  Here are some other great stories from other great sites!

Louisville Recruit Peyton Siva With A 360 At McDonalds All-Star Game * NESW Sports
Jay Cutler, QB, Chicago Bears * Zoner Sports
There Is No Crying In MMA * Total Pro Sports
Stretch Like An MVP:The Evgeni Malkin Edition * PSAMP
Top 10 All-Time Wrestlemania Moments * Ask Men
Wrestlemania I – XXIV: A Highlight From Each * Hugging Harold Reynolds
Joe Paterno Remembers When Basketball Was Dominated By The Jews * Sports Rubbish
Durrell Summers Of Michigan State Posterizes UConn’s Stanley Robinson * Hoop Doctors
Boxing Middleweight Division Rankings * Profighting-Fans
The Mistreatment And Disrespect Of Allen Iverson * Ed The Sports Fan
Mets And Gary Sheffield Close To Striking A Deal * FOX Sports
AL Central Preview * Gatorsfirst
Future Final Four Host Cities * Moon Dog Sports
Maurice Clarett – Sports Blogging From The Cell * The Love Of Sports
Mangini Denies Almost Trading Brady Quinn To Denver * Smack Caster

Enjoy All Of These Great Stories!

Good news Kelly Pavlik fans!  Arthur Abraham and his group are coming to the states to meet with Top Rank and Kelly Pavlik’s management group to negotiate a potential fall bout between the two.  Details are still a bit sketchy, but both will have a must win tune-up fight before their potential meeting in The Big Apple. 

Kelly Pavlik wants to unify the middleweight championship belts and Abraham holds one of the two remaining pieces.  Abraham is recognized by the IBF as it’s middleweight champion.  The last remaining title belongs to Felix Sturm, who is the WBA champion.  Pavlik has said many times that it is his goal before moving up in weight to unify all of the belts and to be recognized as the best middleweight by all of the major boxing organizations.

Bob Arum, the voice of Top Rank Promotions, is quick to point out that nothing is set in stone yet but if both sides can agree that the fight will probably take place in New York City in either October or November.  Arum also said that the fight would be broadcast by HBO or Showtime.

Pavlik is expected to fight Sergio Mora, a former WBA champion, this summer in Atlantic City.  Abraham is also going to line up a summer fight with an opponent, possibly with Vernon Forrest.  Abraham defeated Lajuan Simon in a 12 round decision on March 14.

The two fighters share a common opponent, Edison Miranda.  Abraham fought Miranda last summer in Florida and won in the fourth round.  Pavlik stopped Miranda in 2007 on his way to Jermaine Taylor.  The Miranda fight was the only time Abraham has fought in The United States.  Conversely, going overseas has pretty much been ruled out by Team Pavlik.   Jack Loew, Pavlik’s trainer was quoted as saying, “the only way to win a fight over there is to have your opponent carried out on a stretcher“.  Loew has seen and heard too many times of controversial decisions favoring the foreign champions.  Location was the sticking point all along, but hopefully, New York will end up being the site for the potential matchup.

Abraham is 29-0 with 23 KO’s.  He is a respectable boxer and Pavlik acknowledges the dangers of facing him.  I don’t think there are too many marquee names on Abraham’s resume.  If I had a crystal ball and the ability to draw up a scenario, I would want Abraham to fight Felix Sturm first to eliminate the extra hurdle for Pavlik.  However, by fighting Abraham, a demand will be created to fight Sturm, if Pavlik is indeed victorious, to set up complete title unification.

I will be interviewing Jack Loew, Kelly Pavlik’s trainer in the next couple of weeks and there will be video footage of that interview right here on Paneech.com.

I had the pleasure of growing up in the Youngstown, Ohio area to witness the careers of some of the greatest boxers in the history of the sport. Kelly Pavlik is still providing the excitement. But the names of Roland Cummings, Jeff Lampkin, and Harry Arroyo, have held a spotlight in the national boxing picture at some point. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini was a huge success in the eighties. His career was filled many happy moments, as well as tragedy that no one can wish for.

Ray inherited the name “Boom Boom“ from his father Lenny. The elder Mancini was a top-ranked contender in the 1940’s. Lenny suffered injuries which prevented him from regaining his status while serving the United States of America in WWII. Lenny got Ray involved in boxing at a young age and had him training in gyms to prepare for what he would be the best at. After a great amateur career, Ray turned pro in 1978.

Because of his “in your face” aggressive style, Mancini was an instant hit with boxing fans and the media. Anyone who watches the first round of Mancini vs Arturo Frias will clearly understand how much heart Ray brought to the ring. This is probably one of the single greatest rounds of boxing ever fought. Both fighters connected with almost every punch and by the end of that round they both looked like they had just went 15 rounds.

Mancini fought the legendary Alexis Arguello for the WBC lightweight title. Ray was taking it to Arguello in the first half of the fight and was ahead on the cards. However, by the end of the fight, the crafty Arguello’s experience proved to be too much for a game Boom Boom. It was mancini’s first loss as a professional.

Mancini won the WBA lightweight championship from Rudy “The Jet” Carmona in 1982. Mancini got rocked just fifteen seconds into round one but regained his composure and really let loose on Carmona forcing the ref to halt the contest. He defended that title against Ernesto Espana with a sixth round TKO.

On November 13, 1982, Mancini fought Duk Koo Kim. Kim had problems makind the weight for the fight and was severely dehydrated before the fight. After 14 rounds of punishment the fight ended with Mancini named the winer. Duk Koo Kim sustained severe brain injuries during the fight and died five days after the fight. Kim’s mother committed suicide four months later, and the ref for the fight, Richard Green also killed himself in July of 1983. Mancini was never the same fighter or person, holding himself responsible for the death of Kim. A few years later, the WBC and WBA shortened title fights to twelve rounds as part of the fallout from this tragedy.

Mancini tried to regroup and defeated George Feeney, a British champion, in a lackluster ten round decision. He next fought Mexican folk hero Bobby Chacon on HBO. Mancini made short work of Chacon who only lasted three rounds with Boom Boom.

In June of 1984, Mancini lost a slugfest to Livingstone Bramble. After the first Bramble fight Ray needed 71 stitches around one of his eyes. In the rematch, Mancini lost a unanimous decision by one point on each of the judges scorecards. Mancini was coaxed back to face Greg Haugen, but had clearly lost his form and constant aggression, losing to Haugen in six rounds.

Mancini officially retired in 1982, finishing his career with a 29-5 record, racking up 23 KO’s along the way.Besides being an analyst for Celebrity Boxing, Mancini has gotten very involved in the production of films in California. Ray has not forgotten where he came from and follows the career of Kelly Pavlik very closely. He still has family in Youngstown and visits the area when he can. His legacy has seen a rare pendulum swing of the best and worst things life has to offer, yet he has still been able to succeed and be a role model to so many.