The Youngstown boxer would like to return to 160 at least for another few fights.

The Youngstown boxer would like to return to 160 at least for another few fights.

By JOE SCALZO

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

Usually at this point before a fight, Youngstown middleweight Kelly Pavlik is starting to get pretty hungry. His meals get smaller, he spends a lot of time on a scale and he goes to bed at night thinking about treadmills and saunas.

It’s not fun. But when you’re 6-foot-2 and you’re trying to get your weight down to 159 pounds, it’s part of life.

“When you get older, you don’t grow taller, you grow wider,” he said.

Pavlik, 25, spent seven years working up the middleweight ranks to win the championship. Now that he’s done it, he’s already wondering how long he’ll continue at that weight.

“When it comes to the point when I’m getting sick when I’m trying to make weight, that’s when I’ll move up,” said Pavlik. “Eventually, it’s going to be very obvious when it’s time to move up.

“We’ve gotta make sure it’s done at the right time. I don’t want to stick around too long and have it end up hurting us.”

Right now, it’s not a problem. Pavlik will fight Jermain Taylor at 166 pounds on Saturday, which means he’ll only have to lose a pound or two over the next few days. But his first title defense, against John Duddy in June at Madison Square Garden, means his dieting days are merely on hiatus.

“The main reason [I want to stay at middleweight] is it took me seven years and I fought a lot of rugged guys to get those belts,” said Pavlik, the WBC and WBO champion. “I want to at least defend them. I’ll stay there at middleweight for a couple more fights, at least I’ll try to.

“We can make that weight and still be strong and healthy.”

Pavlik’s promoter, Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, has always loved the middleweight division and thinks Pavlik can become one of the best ever at that weight. Consequently, he’d like to see Pavlik stay there for awhile.

“One thing I will say, I’ve been in boxing a long time and to me, the middleweight championship is a sacred trust,” said Arum. “You’re talking about Carlos Monzon, Marvin Hagler, Thomas Hearns.

“This fight [against Taylor] will be fought over the middleweight limit because that’s what the contract said and we’re honorable people who live up to the contract. But we’re going right back down to 160 and defend the title because Kelly wants to go down as one of the great middleweights in history.”

Top Rank originally wanted Pavlik to fight Duddy in late January, but Taylor triggered his automatic rematch clause to set up Saturday’s bout.

Although Duddy is only the third-ranked contender by the WBO and WBC, the June bout made sense for one big reason: money. Duddy, an Irishman, has a huge following in New York and would bring in fans and pay-per-view buys.

“There’s nothing scheduled,” said Arum. “We’re going to do it the way we always do it. After the fight, we’re going to sit down with Kelly and his dad [Mike] and Jack [Loew, his trainer] and talk. Duddy is a definite possibility. I’ve had meetings with the Duddy people, but I haven’t talked to the Pavlik camp about it.

“I want them focused on the fight with Jermain Taylor. We’ll have time to talk afterward.”

Pavlik and Loew have taken the same approach as Arum, repeatedly telling reporters that their focus is on Taylor, not the Duddy fight.

“We know it’s there and that’s a good thing,” Pavlik said. “I can talk about that on the 18th of February.”

Arum’s comments aside, it would be a shock if the June fight with Duddy didn’t happen, which leads to another question: What’s next? Although Pavlik has said he’d like to fight in Youngstown again — his only bout inside the city limits came at the Chevy Centre in November of 2006 — it’s more likely that he’ll fight in Cleveland or Columbus.

Arum would like to see a September bout at either Quicken Loans Arena or Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“We certainly know that Kelly and Jack and Mike Pavlik want a fight in the Youngstown area,” he said. “We’re planning hopefully to do one after we do the fight in Madison Square Garden. We definitely, definitely, definitely want to do fights in Ohio.

“No fighter becomes a huge box office attraction without appealing to his local fan base.”

If he fights in September, Pavlik could then fight again in December, possibly against IBF champion Arthur Abraham. Pavlik has said he wants to unify the belts before he moves up to super middleweight. Felix Sturm holds the WBA title.

Arum, of course, wants to see Pavlik fight four times a year.

“Hey, Kelly is a guy who I think would get bored doing nothing around the house,” he said. “He’d rather be in the gym with Jack, training for a fight. So why not pick up the money four times instead of three?”

Arum also knows there’s more at stake than just cash. Pavlik’s legacy depends on his title defenses. Fortunately, Arum has a reputation in the boxing industry for seeking out the best fights, regardless of who is promoting the opponents.

“Whether he fights for two more years, three more years or five more years,” said Arum, “my job is get the best fights out there and make the most money.”

scalzo@vindy.com