FIGHT NIGHT

By JOHN BASSETTI
VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF
YOUNGSTOWN -- Someone who should know a thing or two -- or three -- about Kelly Pavlik's next opponent believes that the Youngstown middleweight will win Thursday.
"I pick Kelly to stop him in the mid-to-late rounds," Dan Birmingham said of Pavlik's scheduled 12-round battle against Bronco McKart at Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Conn.
As trainer of Ronald "Winky" Wright of St. Petersburg, Fla., Birmingham, a former area resident who graduated from Austintown Fitch High, has seen McKart up close three times.
That's because Wright defeated the 34-year-old McKart three times.
Busy fighter
"Bronco was a tough kid in his younger days," Birmingham said of the fighter from Monroe, Mich. "He's a busy fighter, so Kelly will have to keep his punch count up. Kelly should work his jab to set up that great right hand he has and work the body whenever possible. Bronco doesn't like it to the body, especially in the last fight he had with Wink."
The last time was Sept. 7, 2002 at the Rose Garden in Portland, Ore.
In that fight, McKart was disqualified in the eighth round.
At the time, McKart was the No. 1 challenger for Wright's IBF junior middleweight belt.
"I remember Wink didn't want to fight him a third time, but had to, to keep his IBF belt," Birmingham said. "Wink was blasting away at McKart's body and Bronco fouled his way out of the fight."
The first Wright-McKart bout was in 1996 in McKart's hometown. That's when McKart had his WBO light middleweight belt and Wright was the No. 1 contender. Wright won by split decision.
The rematch on Sept. 9, 2000 was at Mountaineer, where Bronco was shooting for Wright's NABF light middleweight belt.
Too young, too strong
"I believe Kelly will be too young, too strong and too determined," Birmingham said of Thursday's bout that will be televised on OLN.
Pavlik (27-0, 24 KOs) is using McKart as a steppingstone, just as McKart did with others at the same stage of his career.
"He needs this victory [to get back to the top] as much as I do, but the only difference is, he's had that shot before and I haven't and I think I'm hungrier right now than he is to get to that spot," said Pavlik.
McKart, a former two-time WBO light middleweight champ, took a year off before embarking on a comeback. His record is 48-6, including an eight-round unanimous decision over Jose Spearman in Toledo in May.
Pavlik is ranked No. 2 by the WBC -- behind Wright -- but Pavlik said he should move up to No. 1 in the next rankings.
A loss to McKart, Pavlik said, "would put a stall on everything, but that's not in our future plans right now."
Last month, Wright drew with Jermain Taylor, leaving the undisputed 160-pound crown in the 27-year-old Taylor's hands.
"McKart is a slick veteran," Pavlik said. "He's not overly fast, nor overly powerful. He doesn't stand out in one category of boxing, but he doesn't leave himself open, either, and he has a good chin. He likes to counter if you make a mistake.
"We're not going to go in for the kill and leave ourselves open and bring the fight to him. We've just got to watch out for the total package."
Hasn't fought since October
Pavlik last fought in October, beating Colombian Fulgencio Zuniga by TKO.
He was supposed to fight at Madison Square Garden on June 10, but the bout was called off due to a right-hand injury from sparring.
"It was a nagging hand problem from a couple years back, but that was taken care of with therapy," said Pavlik. "Now everything's 100 percent."
Again, Pavlik chose to compare this week's task to the battle he had with Zuniga.
"He was very underrated and is one of the toughest in the middleweight division right now," said Pavlik. "I don't know if McKart's one of the toughest, but, definitely, on paper, he looks to be."
Pavlik's owner-trainer, Jack Loew of the South Side Boxing Club, said that McKart isn't the one fight Kelly's been waiting for, but, as far as his career goes, it's the biggest.
Standing in way
"Bronco's standing in the way of us getting a shot at the world title," said Loew. "If Kelly wins convincingly, then he'll be where he wants to be."
Pavlik said his greatest desire now is to make the weight so he can eat.
"After that, I'll get in the ring and show the boxing world and people in Youngstown that we're for real and we're definitely going after the world title after this fight," he said.
bassetti@vindy.com