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Pavlik looks to bounce back with Feb. Chevy bout
Pavlik vs Hopkins
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Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik lost to Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins by unanimous decision in a 12-round bout Saturday October 18, 2008 in Atlantic City. Photos by William D. Lewis.
Kelly Pavlik Fight Night
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By Joe Scalzo
The title fight could be part of a doubleheader on HBO.
YOUNGSTOWN — Kelly Pavlik won’t have to go far to defend his title.
The middleweight champion is slated to make his second title defense against WBC No. 1 contender Marco Antonio Rubio on Feb. 21 at the Chevrolet Centre.
The bout has not been finalized and the details are subject to change, but it appears Pavlik will fight in his hometown for the first time since knocking out Lenord Pierre at the Chevy Centre on Nov. 2, 2006.
Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs) is coming off his first professional loss, a 12-round unanimous decision to Bernard Hopkins.
“I think it’s great,” said Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew. “It’s gonna show how much the fans are really behind us. It’s a gut-check for everybody, giving them a chance to support Kelly.”
The 28-year-old Rubio (43-4-1, 37 KOs) earned the title shot with a 12-round split decision over Enrique Ornelas on the undercard of the Pavlik-Hopkins bout.
The fight could be televised as part of a two-site doubleheader on HBO, with the network also airing a bout featuring welterweight Miguel Cotto in Atlantic City. Cotto is also coming off his first pro defeat.
“Coming back to Youngstown, I think it will help him get his confidence back up,” said his father and co-manager, Mike Pavlik. “They’re looking to get both guys [Pavlik and Cotto] back on track again.”
Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, Pavlik’s promoter, had mentioned Cleveland’s Quicken Loans Arena as a possibility for Pavlik’s next bout, but apparently cooled on the idea after Pavlik’s loss to Hopkins. Quicken Loans seats more than 20,000, which may be too large for a fight. The Chevrolet Centre seats around 6,000, which is a more manageable number.
“The thing with Cleveland is, can we put 20,000 in the seats?” Loew said. “I don’t know. If we only have 12,000, it’s really only a half-empty stadium. Why not sell out the Chevy Centre instead?”
Pavlik, who did not return calls for comment, has repeatedly said he’d like to fight in Youngstown. He lives in Boardman and trains in the city in the weeks leading up to a fight. His fans have turned out in droves for his last five fights, often wearing “Defend Youngstown” T-shirts.
Pavlik won the WBC and WBO titles in September 2007 with a seventh-round knockout of Jermain Taylor in Atlantic City. He made his only title defense against Gary Lockett in June in Atlantic City, winning by third-round knockout. His other two bouts over the last year have been nontitle fights.
“I don’t want him to stay idle too long,” said Mike Pavlik. “February is pretty good. He should be up and ready to start training.”
scalzo@vindy.com