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‘Dude, this is going to be hard’
At 36, Kelly Pavlik ponders a return to the ring
By Greg Gulas
COLUMBIANA
It has been nearly seven years since former WBC-WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik threw a punch in a boxing ring.
He finished his career with a 10-round unanimous decision over Will Rosinsky on July 7, 2012 at the Home Depot Center in Carson, Calif. It was his fourth consecutive win.
Nowadays, “The Ghost” is content spending time at his Mi Gym Fitness Center in Columbiana.
Last week, Pavlik, now 36, hinted at a possible comeback on sports celebrity Joe Rogan’s podcast. Pavlik said he will announce his decision on his weekly podcast Tuesdays at www.punchline.live.
“What I stated to Joe Rogan, and there was one main boxing site that took it and kind of stated that I was coming back, when I clearly said on the show that I’m only thinking about it,” Pavlik said. “I’ve got to see.
“I’m going to go week to week, month to month,” Pavlik said. “I’m going to have updates on my podcast show and I’ll make the announcement on my podcast.
“As I told everybody, even on Joe Rogan, it’s a process. This is going to be a process and we’re going to see how everything is turning out.”
Pavlik said he will consult with his family before moving forward.
“Honestly, it’s going to be a month or more of hitting the pads and the bags,” Pavlik said. “I’ve done a little bit of running and contemplated coming right out and saying, ‘Uh, never mind.’
“I’m not lying. Again, this ain’t for the money, this ain’t for any of it.”
Pavlik said he wanted to retire after he won his world title.
“I joked around from when I first turned pro that I wanted to be retired at 30 years old,” he said. “I signed a contract at 17, made my pro debut a month later after I graduated from Lowellville High School. So that’s a long time right there, a little over 12 years of being a pro.
“Boxing is not a longevity sport. I think a lot of people think my career began in 2007. It didn’t. I had 42 professional fights.
“Floyd Mayweather turned pro in 1996 and fought all the way to 2016 and only had eight more fights than me,” Pavlik said. “I put a lot into it and toward the end, I didn’t have it here [pointing to his heart].”
He said he’ll look at all the factors before making his decision.
“I’ve been good with my body and mind for four years now. I’ve been working out for three years, lifting and everything else,” Pavlik said. “I lived and had fun. I was allowed to because I earned it. I’m at a pivotal age right now and there’s a lot of realistic things I must take into consideration.
“I’m 36 years old, not 38 or 40. So I’m still young enough and this is the time that if you’re going to do something, then do it,” he said. “Being 36 and out for over six years, realistically put that in my head and I say to myself ‘Dude, this is going to be hard.’
“Also, I look at it like this: I’m not coming back for a career, this is not a career thing that I’m doing,” he said. “This might be a fight or two. But again, what I keep saying is the process of all this.
“These are the things I must take into consideration along with my training and everything else. There’s just a lot of things that play into it.
“The comeback is by no means a guarantee, but we are seriously considering it.”
The former champ opened his gym in December 2017. Membership for those ages 18-70 has grown to almost 350. Pavlik and trainer Roy Thomas estimate that 40 percent of the members are female.
Pavlik is pleased with his gym’s growth, hinting that he’s exploring the possibility of adding a second location in the Youngstown-Boardman area.
“I’ve sunk a lot into this to make it nice for the people and it has been well-received. I work with the athletes. But it’s Roy, our personal trainer, who helps pick up the slack when I’m not around.”