johnmichael-bricKelly Pavlik: On Top of the Middleweight Food Chain
October 23rd 2007 20:44
Kelly Pavlik wasn't taken seriously when he was still fighting modest opposition. His first real step up in competition was when he fought the powerful but dirty fighter Edison Miranda. Majority of boxing fans never gave him any chance of winning because they Miranda will be too much for him. Pavlik dominated the fight at the start of bell, hitting Miranda with jabs and straight rights. He was hit hard a couple of times and stunned but he shrugged them off and continued to pound on his Colombian foe. Miranda crashed to the floor at the 6th round but managed to get up at the count of 8 and finish the round. The 7th round started and Miranda still hasn't recovered from the knockdown in the previous round. Pavlik smelled blood and finished Edison Miranda off with a powerful straight that put him down for good. This was the time when he garnered more attention and praise from boxing fans worldwide.
Pavlik still has flaws technically but opponents will still have a hard time boxing him because of his hard punches. He has 29 KOs in 32 wins with no losses and is sure to rock everyone with the bombs that he throws. He is also a boxer with a high work rate, he will always move forward and throw 90 punches a round. His size is also a factor, he is really big for Middleweight. He stands 6'2" and he can amazingly drop his weight to the 160 lb limit of the Middleweights. But it looks like he weighs 175-180 lbs during fight night. Finally, some tweaks to his defense will make him even harder to beat. He better keep his hands up if he wants to avoid getting dropped again like the scare he had in the 2nd round of the Taylor fight.
So who's next for Kelly Pavlik? Right now he is scheduled to face a top prospect in John Duddy. The Irish Duddy is also known for his knockouts, having 17 KOs in 22 wins. I think this fight is too early for Duddy. His last fight was still against a journeyman, his team should have arranged him with a contender first before throwing him in with wolves. It also looks the Pavlik-Taylor rematch will materialize after Jermain Taylor decided to exercise the rematch clause in their contracts but at contracted weight of 166 lbs. I hope he gets to fight IBF Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham. Abraham is a great boxer and is also a hard puncher. Now that would be a war if that fight ever happens. The only problem is, Abraham fights mainly in Germany. Boxing fans can only hope to see Pavlik and Abraham fight and their promoters arrange a match between them.
I really think Pavlik will remain a champion for a long time because his punches will KO anyone. As long as he wins in brilliant fashion just like his previous fights, he would be very hard to stop.
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