It seems like almost yesterday that Kelly Pavlik was the darling of boxing. He was knocking out his way to the top of the middleweight division. He took out Colombian powerhouse Edison Miranda; who was considered a beast at the time with a record of 28-1-0; having most wins coming by way of KO. Going into the fight, there was more than a handful who thought the “Ghost” was about to get busted so Kelly made a huge name for himself in winning. Already having TKO victories over formidable opponents like Fulgencio Zuniga (then 17-1-1) falling in the ninth round and long-time contender and former junior middleweight champion Bronco McKart calling it a night in the sixth. The Miranda win paved the way for Pavlik’s shot at Jermain Taylor and his Undisputed Middleweight title. The sky was the limit.
Before getting to Miranda’s chin, Pavlik, 35-1 (31), destroyed Lenord Pierre inside four rounds, brutally knocked out Jose Luis Zertuche in the eighth with a combination to the head of a seemingly already-knocked cold Zertuche that I still watch in slow-motion to this day. I was sold on Pavlik and ordered my very own “The Ghost” T-shirts and hoodies. The Miranda fight came and I was ready to call “Pantera” the next coming of Hearns, but with a better chin. Kelly continued to impress with his heart and exciting style while getting off the canvas to hand Taylor his first KO loss; thus bringing the title back to Youngstown, Ohio. “The Ghost” was like “The Zombie” to me. It seemed the only way to stop him was to remove the head or destroy the brain. “No One Can Beat Pavlik” was the name of the song I sang to all who would listen.
A pattern was beginning to emerge in the Taylor rematch. Jack Loew, the man who brought the kid to the top, was sounding like a broken record. “Double up on the jab and drop the right hand!” Loew would bark. If you go back and listen, that seems to be the only advice Pavlik is given. In the Miranda fight, the Taylor fight and the ill-fated Bernard Hopkins fight at light heavyweight, it was all the same thing; “Double up on the jab and throw the right hand!” Hopkins is a living legend and you had to expect he would have done his homework on Pavlik. But there wasn’t much to study. Just repeat: “Double up on the jab, etc…” and you know what Pavlik’s game plan is going to be. With Taylor and his stamina issues, that plan worked fine. With Hopkins, however, you need a plan A, B, C, D and E for good measure. Unfortunately, Pavlik didn’t have the last four plans. While losing to Hopkins isn’t really a career breaker, especially when moving up in weight to fight the legend, strictly doubling up on the jab to throw the right hand is. I didn’t put it all together on Pavlik until after the Hopkins fight. I thought “The Ghost” was going to beat him and beat him convincingly and I should have known better. Had I gone back and watched Pavlik’s earlier fights again, I would have seen what Hopkins (and probably every other future opponent will see if they have a halfway-decent trainer) was looking for. Pavlik is limited in what he’s offered in the way of advice. Pavlik’s comeback fight against Marco Antonio Rubio (then 48-5-1) by all means should have been a blowout KO for Pavlik. Kofi Jantuah starched Rubio and everyone expected the same result from Pavlik. “Double up on the jab” was once again the only advice Pavlik was being offered in the Rubio fight. Rubio is obviously no Hopkins or Taylor or Miranda, for that matter, so he wasn’t a detriment to Pavlik. Pavlik got the win, although it was rather uneventful.
Now with the Super Six (super middleweight elimination) tournament signed, sealed (keep your fingers crossed) and delivered, Pavlik finds himself in a curious place for a middleweight champ widely regarded as THE middleweight champ. Who is he going fighting next? WBA middleweight boss Felix Sturm, 33-2-1(14), was offered but Pavlik turned down two million for the fight. With Sturm not wanting to come back to the States after the 2004 Oscar De La Hoya fight (Can you blame him?) and former IBF middleweight titleholder Arthur Abraham, 30-0, joining the other “Super Five”, that leaves lesser pickings at 160. Pavlik now faced with fighting either Paul Williams, 37-1 (27), or Sergio “I’m a contender, really! I’m a contender” Mora, 21-1-1 (5), or, perhaps, former Undisputed Junior Middleweight Champ Winky Wright, 55-5-1 (25). Of the three, Pavlik should have a clear choice: “The Punisher.” No one (and I do mean and stand by the phrase “no one”) wants to see the Mora fight. Well, OK, one person wants it, but why WOULDN’T Mora want it. It would be the first AND last chance he gets at the middleweight title. Winky Wright has seen better days and with Wright losing to Hopkins, losing to Williams and being a opponent known for stinking out the joint, Pavlik’s “double jab-right hand” will not make for a fan-friendly fight with Wright. So we’re left with Paul Williams. It’s the fight that makes the most sense and the fight most fans (not counting Mora) will want to see. The problem is the old double-jab routine is not going to be enough against a whirlwind with insane reach like Williams. Jack Loew will not be enough for Williams and will have to seriously evolve Pavlik’s game in order to solve “The Punisher.” The only thing that might pull the champ through is power and determination.
Pavlik has some serious soul searching to do. No one likes to see it, but sometimes the guy that brought you to the top is not the guy to keep you there. Sometimes, you have to up the caliber of your educator as you up the caliber of your opponents and paydays. The fans want more than a double-jab. The opponents don’t. The plan has been laid out for all to see. With Loew in the corner you know what to expect and the ceiling’s been hit. With Pavlik being a man of loyalty, Loew is not going any where any time soon. It’s admirable. But admiration alone doesn’t get you the IBHOF. I’m very curious as to what Pavlik’s next move will be. He’s lost the momentum he had going into the Hopkins fight and didn’t get it back with the Rubio fight and now, with it coming down to Mora or Williams (Winky’s name is in the mix, but lets be serious… he isn’t getting the fight), Pavlik has to make the right decision to save what is left of his mystique.
Let it be Williams. Williams could turn “The Ghost” into “The Zombie”; destroying the brain and removing the head.
But that’s only if “The Punisher” is lucky enough to have Jack Loew acting as the brain behind Pavlik’s muscle.
