To Pavlik, Abraham not great

By Joe Scalzo

Kelly Pavlik would like to fight Arthur Abraham to try to unify the middleweight belts.

Arthur Abraham impressed the boxing world with his fourth round knockout of Edison Miranda on June 21.

But if you think Kelly Pavlik is worried about fighting Abraham, well, forget it.

“I didn’t see much out of Abraham,” said Pavlik, the only other fighter to beat Miranda. “The whole time he tucked and rolled and just tried to wear out Miranda.

“He threw a punch in the third round that hurt Miranda and then he did it again in the fourth round. It’s not like he threw a lightning fast combo that got Miranda between the gloves. Miranda put his chin out there.”

Miranda lost a controversial decision to Abraham the first time they fought in September 2006 and Pavlik said he expected Miranda to win the rematch, which was fought at 165 pounds.

“Miranda was winning the fight until he got hurt at the end of the third round,” Pavlik said. “But Abraham is a strong fighter.”

Pavlik has made no secret of his desire to unify the middleweight belts. But a bout with Abraham, who holds the IBF title, probably won’t happen until next year. Abraham is expected to fight Raul Marquez in Germany Oct. 4 and he has obligations with German TV that make him unavailable until next year, said Pavlik’s manager, Cameron Dunkin.

Abraham (27-0, 22 KOs) defeated Miranda the second time in Hollywood, Fla., which was the first time Abraham fought in the United States. Dunkin thinks Abraham needs to build up his name recognition before fighting Pavlik.

“He fought Miranda on Showtime, so nobody really saw it,” said Dunkin. “The people who were interested in that fight were the people who already knew about him.

“He’s got to get on HBO and be seen.”

Right now, a Pavlik-Abraham fight wouldn’t generate much more revenue than the Pavlik-Gary Lockett bout from last month, Dunkin said.

“It’s great for fans and it’s a tremendous fight, but the public doesn’t know about him [Abraham] yet,” Dunkin said. “Abraham is not gonna want to do it for nothing and Kelly’s not gonna want to do it for nothing.”

Several names have been thrown out for Pavlik’s next fight, which will take place in either late September or October.

If Pavlik fights WBC junior middleweight champ Sergio Mora, it would probably be at the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas, Dunkin said. A bout with Irishman John Duddy could be in Atlantic City. And a fight with Marco Antonio Rubio could be in Cleveland.

Junior middleweight Ricardo Mayorga and light heavyweight Bernard Hopkins are also possibilities.

Pavlik doesn’t expect to meet Abraham until next year and said he doesn’t care who he fights next.

“They pick the fighter and I go at it,” he said.

Benefit dinner

About 35 tickets remain for Saturday’s “Johnny Swanson Memorial Dinner,” which will benefit Pavlik’s gym, the Southside Boxing Club.

Pavlik and his trainer, Jack Loew, will join former Youngstown boxing champions Jeff Lampkin, Greg Richardson and Harry Arroyo. The dinner is at St. Luke’s Hall on South Avenue and begins at 6.

Tickets are available at East Side Civics and Do-Cut in Canfield and by calling (330) 549-0700.

scalzo@vindy.com