Pavlik Brings Lockett to his Knees By Steve Kim (June 9, 2008) Photo © German Villasenor Send this page to friend Give us your feedback In this column last week, the analogy was made that Kelly Pavlik's defense of his middleweight title against Gary Lockett was akin to a college football powerhouse taking on a soft non-conference cream puff, something along the lines of Pavlik's beloved Ohio State Buckeyes facing the Temple Owls. And by the second round of their bout last Saturday, Pavlik had Lockett going to his knees more than a quarterback running out the clock in a blowout. After getting shook repeatedly by laser-like right hands from the favorite son of Youngstown, Ohio, Lockett would take two self-imposed respites in round two, and another in the third before the towel was mercifully thrown in by his trainer Enzo Calzaghe. "I knew I had to win convincingly," Pavlik would tell Maxboxing at the post-fight press conference at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey. "I knew he was a really good fighter, but people, no matter what, would've criticized me if I would've went 12 rounds with him. Maybe because I'm a knockout puncher, they still criticized (the second fight with Jermain Taylor), but I knew I had to win convincingly." Now the focus is on Pavlik getting back to facing the game’s elite. "My first priority is Joe Calzaghe and that's a huge fight," Top Rank’s Bob Arum would tell reporters on Saturday night. "And if that fight takes place, it would take place in Las Vegas. So that's priority number one. And I really believe that the Calzaghe people - Frank Warren is a good friend of mine - they want to make the fight. I think the economics will come together and I think that the fight will be made. That fight would be in October. Now, if the Calzaghe fight can't be made, then Kelly would fight in September and we would like to fight in Ohio." The fight this past weekend had disappointing numbers from a box-office standpoint. The announced attendance was just over 7,000. Perhaps that said a lot about Lockett, who came in as a heavy, heavy underdog. Arum believes the attendance speaks to a much larger problem. "Don't be blinded by the numbers and relate it to boxing. If you had driven up here from the New York area on the New Jersey Turnpike and the Garden State Parkway, it was empty. It was empty. You drive in Las Vegas - it's empty. People can't afford the gas. There's a crisis in this country," said the veteran promoter, who is never hesitant to get on his soapbox. His comments would draw a few chuckles. "You can laugh all you want, but it's true, it's true," he would continue. "A guy getting into his car from Youngstown to drive here and back, 350 bucks, at least, without tolls, without anything. "So given that economic situation - and it's not only this Pavlik fight - it's Pacquiao's fight in Las Vegas, it's Cotto-Margarito, it's all of the fights. It's concerts. Speak to them about concerts. We have an economic crisis in this country. That being said, I was very satisfied with the attendance because significantly, even though it was a fall off from the Jermain Taylor fight, the higher priced tickets sold. So the gate was almost as large as the Taylor-Pavlik fight." It was interesting to see Pavlik walk back to his hotel room from the press conference. A phalanx of his team members surrounded Pavlik as the Secret Service would the Commander in Chief as he strolled the Boardwalk back to Caesars Atlantic City. He was quickly recognized, and everyone, from those eating outside in the adjacent restaurants and those who just happened to be in the vicinity, would reach into their pockets and grab their cell phones to take a picture, or put photos and gloves in his face to sign, or just scream out his name and get an acknowledgment in the form of a wave from him. It seemed as though Pavlik bumped fists with a few hundred admirers who just wanted to touch 'The Ghost.' It was boxing's version of a victory lap. His father Mike, who walked behind the whole scene, could only shake his head in amazement. As he got inside the hotel, something rare occurred - all the action inside the casino stopped and all eyes turned to Kelly as he briskly strolled to the elevators. Hotel security was there to escort him to his room. Well wishers continued to chant his name as they attempted to gain his attention, if only for a split second. And as he re-emerged about half an hour later for his victory party, it seemed as though a good chunk of Youngstown was in the Palladium Ballroom. Many of them just waited outside to get a glimpse of the champ. It's safe to say that Pavlik isn't just Youngstown's franchise or the face of the city, he's its heart and soul. He gives them hope - or at least a convenient excuse to spend weekends in Atlantic City that they probably can’t afford. Oscar De La Hoya is the most popular fighter in the game, but nobody has a fan base in the United States that has the type of undying loyalty that Pavlik's does. He's the closest thing to an American version of Ricky Hatton. Where he goes, he brings the 'rust belt' with him. Pavlik was grateful for those who showed up this weekend. "The economy, four-dollar-and-some-cents per gallon (for gas), that's ridiculous. There's high school graduation parties, college graduation parties all over. So for the fans we got this time of year was amazing," he would say. "I think we get back into Ohio, where people don't have to drive all the way across or fly and not even get a hotel room. I think that's really going to fill the stands." There had been talk of Cleveland Browns Stadium being the venue, but that has been ruled out by Arum due to some logistical issues. A building like the Quicken Loans Arena (home of the NBA Cavaliers) could land Pavlik's next assignment. A Pavlik-Calzaghe fight would be a big fight for boxing. And guaranteed to provide more action than Calzaghe's snoozer versus Bernard Hopkins. But it's not clear if their side is just using Pavlik as a negotiating crutch against Roy Jones. Fighting back home would be big for his region. "I think the Ohio fans deserve a fight back there. I think I deserve to go back and fight there," said Pavlik. Look at the fights I've taken in the last two years, Zertuche in Anaheim, Miranda in Memphis, Jermain Taylor twice, east coast back to the west coast. So I definitely think I deserve to go back. "And I think the fans do too." BIG BROWN'D It was a day of upsets in sports, from the Belmont to boxing, where Vernon Forrest, who had been so dismissive of Sergio Mora, would lose his WBC 154-pound title to 'the Latin Snake'. Then you had fights won by Paul Williams and Juan Manuel Lopez that weren't necessarily upsets in the classic sense, but the fact they didn't even go past one round was shocking in its own right. You never know what's going to happen in this crazy game. And that's the beauty of it. The only guy that really held to form was Pavlik and his blowout of Lockett. TJ TORNANDO II? Joe Hernandez swears up and down that his young welterweight Demetrio Soto is the second coming of Antonio Margarito. That remains to be seen. But there's no doubt about this, he is a natural left hooker. Against Gustavo Mejia, he scored a highlight reel KO with a vicious hook that had Mejia down and out on the canvas for at least a few minutes. Yeah, he's supposed to do that against guys from Kansas City who come in with records of 2-2-1, but it's the type of stoppage that had everyone in the arena buzzing. It remains to be seen if the still gangly and lean Soto gets his 'man strength' and has the ability to catch as well as he pitches, but he seems to be a prospect worth keeping an eye on. GRACIOUS For all his pre-fight banter, Enzo Calzaghe proved he is not a sore loser. As he and Pavlik's trainer, Jack Loew, passed each other in the hallway of their hotel, Calzaghe would greet Loew warmly and say to him, "Congratulations, a job well done. You and your boy did a fine job." And they would share a laugh. FINAL FLURRIES For full disclosure, as I'm penning this I have not seen the Showtime fights as I have just arrived back to LA from Atlantic City/Philly. But I'm happy for Mora, a local guy who now has a chance to make some money. And it's always good to get some new blood in the sport.....So what's the over/under on Floyd Mayweather's 'retirement'?......It was pretty evident that one thing Daniel Ponce de Leon was never taught to do was clinch and hold on for dear life.....I have to say, those neck-rolls they sell at airports may look a bit silly, but geez, they do help you sleep better on planes and my neck isn't nearly as sore as it usually is.....There's no doubt, LAX is the worst major airport in the world. It's our city’s biggest embarrassment this side of the Clippers..... For Questions or Comments E-Mail Steve Kim at k9kim@maxboxing.com Today's Boxing Press Discuss this Topic - Go to the forums