Pavlik ‘upbeat,’ is ready to train

Signs of a lingering staph infection on his left hand are no longer visible, but he’ll continue to take penicillin.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

Kelly Pavlik’s recovery from hand surgery is progressing as planned and members of his camp are optimistic the middleweight champ can resume training as soon as Oct. 10.

Pavlik has battled a staph infection on his left hand for months and had surgery in August. When the hand didn’t heal as planned, his Oct. 3 bout with Paul Williams was postponed, although Pavlik’s handlers are hopeful it can be rescheduled for Dec. 5.

Pavlik, who is scheduled to meet with his infection specialist today, will remain on an IV drip to continue receiving penicillin for another week, according to a source familiar with the situation.

He will also continue to wear a splint for a few more days, but his stitches have been removed and there is no sign of an infection, the source said. Once the splint is off, he will need to do hand exercises to regain strength and to ensure there are no issues with his tendons.

Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, said he met with his fighter on Tuesday and was encouraged by Pavlik’s mood.

“He was upbeat,” said Loew. “He wants to get back to running soon and he definitely wants to get started early, even before the eight-week mark.”

Pavlik’s promoter, Bob Arum, told The Ring that Pavlik has been medically cleared to resume training on Oct. 10, but other members of Pavlik’s camp said that report is slightly premature.

Arum told the publication an agreement in principal is in place to fight Williams on Dec. 5 in Atlantic City. Loew said Pavlik is proceeding as if that will be the date.

Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs) has not fought since February when he scored a ninth-round TKO over Marco Antonio Rubio in downtown Youngstown.

He has since found himself making headlines for all the wrong reasons, prompting some of his handlers to urge him to leave Youngstown for his training camp, although that seems unlikely. Pavlik prefers to stay close to home during training camp.

Williams (37-1, 27 KOs) scored a unanimous decision over Ronald “Winky” Wright in April and his handlers have been eager for him to return to the ring. His promoter, Dan Goossen, has not committed to the Dec. 5 date.

The Pavlik-Williams bout would be televised by HBO.

scalzo@vindy.com