Pavlik scared off Williams???

dunne_and_dusted · Posted: November 10 2009, 20:28 PM

What the hell is going on here he was supposed to fight Williams on the 5th december, but pulled out coz of a staph infection fair enough thats a good enough reason. Until Pavlik ends up fighting some unknown 2 weeks later now you have to question pavlik's behaviour did he pull out of the Williams fight for other reasons i.e. didnt want to fight him if thats the case why originally afree to the fight thats unfair on Williams.

Quote:

ESPN wrote:Pavlik to defend title against Espino
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, forced to twice pull out of defenses against Paul Williams this fall because of a left hand problem stemming from a staph infection, will make his ring return Dec. 19, Top Rank president Todd duBoef told ESPN.com on Monday.

Pavlik, who will defend the world title against Miguel Espino, will fight in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, at the Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University.

"I'm very encouraged and excited that Kelly will be able to fight on Dec. 19," duBoef told ESPN.com. "I think it's imperative for his career. Activity is important. You never like to see a young guy not fighting regularly when he's in his prime. This year has been a curse of little things that happened. It's good for everybody, especially for him, to get a good fight under his belt on Dec. 19. Hopefully, if he's successful in defending his title he can go into 2010 with a clean slate."

Pavlik was supposed to defend the title against Williams in October in Atlantic City, N.J., in the main event of a major HBO card, but his hand hadn't fully healed from two surgeries necessitated by the staph infection on the index finger of his left hand. The fight was rescheduled for Dec. 5, but Pavlik was again forced to pull out in late October because he was still unable to properly train because he could not completely close his left fist.

Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter, hoped to delay the Williams bout until Dec. 19, but the Williams camp, already upset by two delays, elected to go in another direction. Williams kept the HBO date on Dec. 5 and will face junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in a middleweight bout on HBO in Atlantic City.

Pavlik will fight two weeks later and headline a split site pay-per-view card. Top Rank was already planning a "Latin Fury" pay-per-view from Cancun, Mexico, on Dec. 19. Now, the card will have bouts from Mexico, including junior lightweight titlist Humberto Soto moving up to lightweight to face former titlist Jesus Chavez, as well as bouts from Youngstown.

Top Rank pulled off the technologically challenging feat of a split site card in February, when Miguel Cotto knocked out Michael Jennings to win a vacant welterweight belt in New York before the action shifted to Youngstown, where Pavlik defended his title by stopping Marco Antonio Rubio in the ninth round.

"We're fighting," said Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's co-manager. "I have the contract here. The hand is good. He did therapy today and he ran today. The therapy, after three sessions, the hand has gotten much better. [The first] is still not closed all the way, but it's so much better. It's really good news. He just can't wait to fight. He really misses this.

"You can't help but have concern about the hand, but we've still got six weeks and that gives us enough time to be ready. He's been running and lifting weights because he was trying to push through for the fight with Williams on Dec. 5. He asked if Williams could wait until the 19th and it couldn't be done. We understood. Now he has another chance to go the 19th and he's going to go."

Espino (20-2-1, 9 KOs), 29, of Los Angeles, starred on the first season of "The Contender" reality series in 2004, but he hasn't lost since dropping a five-round decision on the series to Peter Manfredo Jr.

Pavlik (35-1, 31 KOs), who has been earning seven-figures for recent fights, will take a major pay cut, down to about $500,000, to face Espino. However, according to Dunkin, Pavlik is just anxious to fight.

"What I love is his enthusiasm," Dunkin said. "He's not even talking about the money. He's talking about fighting. He wants to win this fight and he still wants to fight Williams next year if we can make it happen."

Dan Rafael is the boxing writer for ESPN.com.

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing ... id=4639682

danners2003 · Posted: November 10 2009, 20:34 PM

I dunno tbh, but I am a fan of both fighters. This was my answer to the "which active two fighters would you like to see fight" But now I dont want it. Paul is an amazing fighter, so is Kelly. But I think it will be to damaging to their careers if they lost.

Meathead · Posted: November 10 2009, 21:55 PM

This goes back to a post I made on a thread a couple of weeks back.

This fight was always a lose/lose situation for Pavlik.

If he loses he loses to a smaller guy who meant nothing to the Middleweight championship.

If he won he was beating a fighter who had campaigned at lower weights and meant nothing to the Middleweight championship.

I think it would have been a competetive fight. I honestly dont know who would have won. It just wasnt the right fight for Pavlik or the Middleweight division.

As for this fight. I had to think where I remembered that name from, then I realised. He was on The Contender. Lost to Peter Manfredo I believe. Bob Arum using his Contender tactics again.

I think Pavlik may not be over his infection. Hes being tested to see how fit he is.

Its yet another poor year for the division. Yet another year goes by that Pavlik doesnt defend his titles against even a top ten rated oponent.

dulais_valley · Posted: November 10 2009, 22:13 PM

Pavlik is looking dubious doing this. If he is injured then fair play. But in that case rest up, get better, have a non-title tune-up, then fight a genuine fight. I can't see any justification for a defence against a nobody exactly a fortnight after a fight you couldn't make due to injury.

Kimmy · Posted: November 10 2009, 22:17 PM

[quote="dulais_valley"]Pavlik is looking dubious doing this. If he is injured then fair play. But in that case rest up, get better, have a non-title tune-up, then fight a genuine fight. I can't see any justification for a defence against a nobody exactly a fortnight after a fight you couldn't make due to injury.[/quote
I agree, i´d go as far as to say Palvik bottled it.

dulais_valley · Posted: November 10 2009, 22:25 PM

Seems strange - Hopkins fight got to him perhaps?

Martin · Posted: November 10 2009, 23:23 PM

Quote:

ESPN wrote:Pavlik to defend title against Espino
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter, hoped to delay the Williams bout until Dec. 19, but the Williams camp, already upset by two delays, elected to go in another direction. Williams kept the HBO date on Dec. 5 and will face junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in a middleweight bout on HBO in Atlantic City.

C'mon guys, you can't say Pavlik bottled it, ^ it's just bad timing for both parties

kallsop · Posted: November 11 2009, 0:03 AM

He can't fight Williams due to injury but can fight Espino? That's leaves a terrible impression.

riz · Posted: November 11 2009, 1:00 AM

Martin wrote:

Quote:

ESPN wrote:Pavlik to defend title against Espino
By Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter, hoped to delay the Williams bout until Dec. 19, but the Williams camp, already upset by two delays, elected to go in another direction. Williams kept the HBO date on Dec. 5 and will face junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in a middleweight bout on HBO in Atlantic City.

C'mon guys, you can't say Pavlik bottled it, ^ it's just bad timing for both parties

I read the same paragraph and thought that this is crap.... whether it is true or not, it's definitely leaving the impression that oh my infection is good now, so I'll fight someone else.

Regardless, Pavlik is the bad guy at the end of this.

riz · Posted: November 11 2009, 1:00 AM

I'm rooting for Espino... I saw him on the contender and have thought for a while that he's a good fighter.

Kimmy · Posted: November 11 2009, 1:32 AM

dulais_valley wrote:

Seems strange - Hopkins fight got to him perhaps?

Thinking the exact same thing

riz · Posted: November 11 2009, 1:46 AM

They're completely differnet fighters though, and he did well against Rubio.

I think he's hesitant to fight Williams just yet. I do think he's injured but he won't go in there unless he's 110%, and fair enough because you need to be 120% to beat Paul.

McBride · Posted: November 11 2009, 4:15 AM

dunne_and_dusted wrote:

Top Rank, Pavlik's promoter, hoped to delay the Williams bout until Dec. 19, but the Williams camp, already upset by two delays, elected to go in another direction. Williams kept the HBO date on Dec. 5 and will face junior middleweight titlist Sergio Martinez in a middleweight bout on HBO in Atlantic City.

Pavlik will fight two weeks later and headline a split site pay-per-view card.

I really dont give a shit either way, but before everyone jumps on Pavliks back, doesn't the highlighted part kind of imply that Williams was the one who decided he wasn't gonna hang around for Pavlik to get fit?

lastzodiac · Posted: November 11 2009, 9:41 AM

Pavlik was also notorious for avoiding Arthur Abraham in favour of taking on Popkins. After the loss I guess Abraham sensed there was going top be a long queue of tune up fights for Pavlik in an already very sparse division.

Abraham moves up for the Super Six, shows his class and power against Taylor, Pavlik eggs mouth off about Super Six being a cheap event.

Oh! Suddenly Paul Williams wants a fight.

Nothing new here, really!

riz · Posted: November 11 2009, 16:59 PM

lastzodiac wrote:

Pavlik was also notorious for avoiding Arthur Abraham in favour of taking on Popkins. After the loss I guess Abraham sensed there was going top be a long queue of tune up fights for Pavlik in an already very sparse division.

Abraham moves up for the Super Six, shows his class and power against Taylor, Pavlik eggs mouth off about Super Six being a cheap event.

Oh! Suddenly Paul Williams wants a fight.

Nothing new here, really!

You're kinda behind here... Paul wanted the Pavlik fight for a while and I htink it was booked in about July but Pavlik got injured before their October date and again now.

Pavlik scared off Williams???

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