Youngstown's Pavlik set to defend title in January

SPECIAL TO THE VINDICATOR
LAS VEGAS -- YOUNGSTOWN MIDDLEWEIGHT KELLY PAVLIK WILL DEFEND HIS NABF TITLE AGAINST JOSE LUIS ZERTUCHE AS PART OF A FOUR-BOUT CARD ON JAN. 21 AT THE THOMAS AND MACK CENTER.
PAVLIK (27-0, 24 KNOCKOUTS) WILL FIGHT IN HIS FIRST BOUT SINCE BEATING FULGENCIO ZUNIGA FOR THE CHAMPIONSHIP ON OCT. 7.
THE 12-ROUND FIGHT WILL BE TELEVISED ON HBO PAY-PER-VIEW.
THE MAIN EVENT IS A 12-ROUNDER BETWEEN ERIK MORALES AND MANNY PACQUIAO FOR THE INTERNATIONAL SUPER-FEATHERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP.
ZERTUCHE (17-2-2, 13 KNOCKOUTS) IS ORIGINALLY FROM LOS MOOCHIS SI, MEXICO AND NOW LIVES IN PHOENIX, ARIZ.
ON SEPT. 17, HE STOPPED PREVIOUSLY UNDEFEATED JESUS GONZALEZ WITH AN EIGHTH-ROUND TKO.
"WITHOUT A DOUBT, THIS IS THE BIGGEST FIGHT OF KELLY'S CAREER," SAID PAVLIK'S TRAINER, JACK LOEW.
"TOP RANK [BOXING] EXPECTS THIS TO BE A BREAKOUT YEAR FOR KELLY AND FIGHTING ZERTUCHE IS CERTAINLY A STEP IN THE RIGHT DIRECTION."
PAVLIK SAID HE WILL BE UP FOR THE CHALLENGE.
"THIS IS DEFINITELY A HUGE FIGHT FOR ME," HE SAID.
ZERTUCHE WAS PLEASED TO FIND OUT ABOUT THE FIGHT.
"I WELCOME THIS GRAND OPPORTUNITY AND KNOW ENOUGH ABOUT KELLY PAVLIK TO KNOW WHAT I WILL DO," HE SAID.
A PAVLIK WIN COULD SET UP A BOUT WITH ONE OF THE FOUR TOP MIDDLEWEIGHT CONTENDERS, SAID TOP RANK PRESIDENT BOB ARUM.