Boxing promoter Arum confirms Pavlik rematch will be on Feb. 16

This fight will be at the Mirage in Las Vegas.

By CHUCK HOUSTEAU

VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT

BOARDMAN — While speaking to the 1,000 people in attendance to honor world middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik at Mr. Anthony’s Banquet Center, Top Rank Boxing promoter Bob Arum announced that Pavlik will fight Jermain Taylor on Feb. 16 at the Mirage Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas.

Arum, who flew into Youngstown to be a part of the festivities that recognized Pavlik and four other World Champions from the area, said he was pleased to announce that the fight would be in his hometown.

Arum said this wasn’t the first time he has been to the area because he has also promoted fights for former Youngstown champs Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini and Harry Arroyo, and Ernie Shavers.

The fight will be a non-title rematch that Taylor elected to pursue as part of his contract from the first fight that Pavlik won in a seventh-round knockout.

“Jermain Taylor asked for this fight,” Arum said. “He’s going to get what he asked for.”

Arum said he predicts that Pavlik will knock the former champion out even earlier than the seventh round this time.

“Kelly Pavlik is, bar none, the hardest punching middleweight that I have ever seen,” Arum said. “I’ve promoted Marvin [Hagler], Tommy [Hearns] and Ray Leonard and nobody in the middleweight division hits like this guy.”

Arum told the crowd that Pavlik has renewed interest in the entire country toward the sport of boxing.

“I’m promoting a young man that has turned the boxing world on its ear,” Arum said. “He’s taken the sport by storm.

“People all over the Midwest and most of the country, as well as people all over the world, are calling my office asking about when will Kelly Pavlik fight next,” Arum said.

Arum said that Pavlik is what a true champion is all about.

“He embellishes the best that an athlete can bring to the table,” Arum said. “Here you have a champ that works so hard and has the focus and determination like no other in the sport right now.”

Arum said that Pavlik has the ability and attributes to bring the sport of boxing back into the prominence that it hasn’t experienced since the days of Muhammad Ali.

“Kelly Pavlik hits home runs with his tremendous knockout punches,” Arum said.

Arum said that he was convinced that Pavlik would become a champion and beat Taylor early on.

“We wouldn’t have put him in against Taylor if we didn’t think he was ready,” Arum said. “One of the things we staked our reputation on was developing fighters and we don’t put our fighters into fights that we don’t think they can win.

“We put Kelly in a fight we thought he could win and he didn’t let us down,” Arum said. “The people in this Valley can be very proud of what Kelly has accomplished.”