Pavlik to fight Jaco March 31 in Texas

Staff report

YOUNGSTOWN

This weekend, Kelly Pavlik got a date and a weight.

On Monday night, he finally got an opponent.

The former middleweight champion confirmed to The Vindicator on Monday that he’ll make his ring return against Aaron “Jedi” Jaco in a 168-pound bout on March 31 in San Antonio, Texas.

Jaco (15-2, 5 KOs) is a light heavyweight from Sarasota Fla. According to the boxing website Boxrec, Jaco has fought just one bout in the last five years — a one -round knockout of Brian Bernard on Nov. 4, 2011.

Before then, his latest bout was an eight-round unanimous decision victory over Sven Haselhuhn on Nov. 25, 2006.

Pavlik has been in Oxnard, Calif., with his new trainer, Robert Garcia, since January. Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs) has not fought since earning a majority decision victory over Alfonso Lopez in a 10-round 170-pound bout in Las Vegas on May 7, 2011.

Last week, he turned down a proposed 166-pound bout with Scott Sigmon of Virginia. That bout would have been on April 14 in Las Vegas.

The March date would allow Pavlik to fight again in June.