Loew on Pavlik: ‘It’s sad in the way it ended’

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

It’s a matter of trainer-said, boxer-said.

In an interview with WFMJ Channel 21 sports, Jack Loew on Friday officially announced that he and former middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik have severed ties.

Pavlik is expected to leave Youngstown for Oxnard, Calif., at the end of the month where he will train with Robert Garcia.

“It’s sad in the way it ended,” Loew said. “When you can’t control a fighter outside of the ring, it’s time to walk away.

“I have no control of Kelly outside of the ring anymore and I refuse to take the heat for things I can’t control.”

Loew started training with Pavlik when he was 9 years old, grooming him to be a champion.

He captured his first amateur title in 1998 and in 2007 was declared the WBC and WBO middleweight champion of the world when he beat Jermain Taylor.

But, with the fame, titles and — of course — money, came greed, power and entitlement.

Loew said Pavlik’s agent, Cameron Dunkin and Mike Pavlik — Kelly’s father — have pressured Pavlik into dropping him as a trainer for many years.

However, Loew says Top Rank Boxing promotions company founder Bob Arum has supported him as a trainer, whereas Pavlik’s camp has made that Top Rank would drop him if he didn’t drop Loew first.

Top Rank is paying for Pavlik’s flight, house and expenses while he is in California.

Pavlik told WFMJ agreed that there was pressure from Dunkin to leave Loew for 11 years, but he remained loyal to his original trainer. He went on to say that leaving one trainer for another really is commonplace in professional boxing and Loew should be more respectful to him for “making him money that he never would have seen in his life.”

“I’ve never heard anyone run their fighter down like Jack has run me down,” Pavlik said.

Communication between the two has ceased and Loew does not consider himself to be a part of “Team Pavlik.”

Pavlik insists texts were exchanged in recent weeks, but no elaborate meeting or conversation was held.

“I have no desire to work with Kelly Pavlik anymore,” Loew said. “I wish him the best. If he goes to California ... and becomes the world champion again, then God bless him. We have fond memories.”

Pavlik’s new trainer, Garcia, was a former champion himself. He won the IBF Super Featherweight title in 1998 and began his training career in the early 2000s. The 36-year old owns the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard where he has worked with 10 previous champions at various weight classes including Antono Margarito who fought for the WBC light middlewight title against Manny Pacquiao on July 23, 2010 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.