Website: Pavlik in rehab clinic for alcohol

By Kevin Iole

Yahoo! Sports

RANCHO MIRAGE, CALIF.

Former middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik has been in the Betty Ford Center in Rancho Mirage, Calif., since Nov. 4 for treatment of a problem with alcohol, the fighter’s father, Mike Pavlik, told Yahoo! Sports on Friday.

The 28-year-old Valley slugger’s boxing career is in doubt, said co-manager Cameron Dunkin, who said, “I don’t know if he’ll ever fight again.”

After an intense eight-hour conversation early this month with his parents and wife, Samantha, Kelly Pavlik opted to admit himself to the clinic and seek treatment to cure a problem that Mike Pavlik said began shortly after his son won the middleweight title by knocking out Jermain Taylor in Atlantic City, N.J., on Sept. 29, 2007.

Mike Pavlik said Kelly’s problem is with beer, not drugs.

It is the second time this year that Pavlik has entered rehab; he stayed only two weeks the first time. Dunkin said Pavlik defended the middleweight title against Sergio Martinez on April 17 in Atlantic City, about 10 days after being released from the world-renowned clinic the first time.

Dunkin said Friday that Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) wasn’t determined to be chemically dependent upon alcohol in the spring, but he has been declared dependent during this stint.

Dunkin said Pavlik plans to remain in treatment for as long as necessary in order to permanently resolve his problem.

“Three months, six months, whatever it takes, he’s going to do it,” Dunkin said.

Mike Pavlik, who also serves as his son’s co-manager, said he was not aware if Kelly has been diagnosed as an alcoholic.

Kelly Pavlik was slated to face Bryan Vera on Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium on the Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito undercard, but he withdrew on Nov. 1 with a rib injury.

Pavlik’s longtime trainer, Jack Loew, said the injury was legitimate, but said that Pavlik disappeared shortly after pulling out of the fight.

Accoding to Yahoo, Mike Pavlik said his son was the biggest star in his hometown of Youngstown, and he was unable to handle the trappings of fame.

“We’re trying to help him get back on his feet and back on the right track,” Mike Pavlik said. “It’s been ongoing since shortly after he won the title. I guess what happened is that he was not prepared for what came with the title,” Yahoo quoted Pavlik’s father as saying.

the same time, it could have been the worst moment in his life. I’m not complaining about him winning the title, but it was instant stardom after that and the demands on his life became so hard and so intense that he couldn’t deal with it.