MIDDLEWEIGHTS Top Rank wants Pavlik featured

The Youngstown middleweight has been pulled out of his last two bouts.
By BOB ROTH
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
LAS VEGAS -- Friday night in Chicago, on the undercard of the Yory Boy Campas main event, Youngstown middleweight Kelly Pavlik was scheduled for a six-rounder. That scheduling occurred three weeks ago when Pavlik was taken off the card at the MGM Grand Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, where he was to be on the undercard of the Erik Morales-Jesus Chavez 12-rounder for the WBC super featherweight title televised by HBO.
On Feb. 19, Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-manager and agent, took him out of the fight and since he had been training after a late January return from a Kansas City bout, Pavlik was a boxer in excellent condition, without a fight.
There was a last minute effort to get Pavlik on a televised bout in Atlantic City, but the people who call the shots for Pavlik vetoed it.
So, since Pavlik won his 19th pro fight without a loss with an eight-round decision over Anthony Ivory Jan. 23 in Kansas City, Mo., he has been moved out of two fights and a third, if the near miss in New Jersey is counted. This for a fighter who had nearly a seven-month layoff to allow his hand to heal before the Jan. 23 win.
When ring activity is what he needed, why was he taken out of two scheduled bouts?
Seeks main events
The answer came from Bob Arum of Top Rank, Inc., who has a promotional contract with Pavlik. After a conference with Dunkin and Bruce Trampler, Top Rank's matchmaker, Arum said, "This kid is 19 and 0 and isn't going to be in six-rounders just to get the action. We want to have Kelly ready to be put in main event fights with quality opponents that will be televised, to show him off. He is ready to move up into the top 10 rankings everywhere in boxing."
When Ivory went the full eight rounds with Pavlik Jan. 23 he became the second fighter in 19 pro fights to go the distance. The other one was Edison Madrid in a six-rounder Sept. 14, 2002 at the Mandalay Bay Casino in Las Vegas. From his pro debut in June 2000, Pavlik knocked out 14 consecutive opponents and of his 17 pro knockouts, five were in the first round and eight were in the second round.
Trampler said, "Pavlik is the best body puncher I have seen since the great Tony Zale of a half century ago and it is time for him to make his mark in the middleweight division, with a title bout within a year very possible."
Dunkin said Pavlik ranked 11th in the World Boxing Association, 12th in the International Boxing Federation, 13th in the World Boxing Organization and 19th in the World Boxing Council.
Upcoming fights
The next three fight dates for Pavlik are already lined up by Dunkin.
"Kelly is ready for the opportunity to move and his trainer Jack Loew and I have been discussing top 10 opponents for him to fight in the very near future," said Dunkin. "We want to get through this year with some good 10-round and possibly 12-round experiences to move him up for a 2005 title shot."
An official date for Pavlik is now March 26 in Phoenix, where he will be in an eight-round co-feature.
Also there's a July 2 date in the Mahoning Valley, a televised 10-rounder which, if it goes, will be Pavlik's third pro bout in the area.
Pavlik, who turns 22 on April 4, is eager and impatient to get his career going where he feels it belongs.
"It is about time for good things to happen," he said. "I feel as good as I ever have and I am definitely ready to make a move. I have been ready for more than a year and now it is time to step up, fight wise and money wise."
In best shape ever
Pavlik was disappointed in not getting the Las Vegas or Chicago fights, but Loew has an optimistic view of that scenario.
"Kelly trained to the best shape he has ever been in and the way he works he doesn't lose that conditioning," said Loew.
There were several days of sparring in preparation for the February fights, with one of them against Danny Harvison, an unbeaten cruiserweight from the Pittsburgh area.
"Kelly is healthy and has been working hard," said Loew. "There is no reason he shouldn't be in the big mix in the middleweight division. It is what we have all been working for."