Pavlik to Appear on Pacquiao vs. Mosley Undercard:
It’s almost painful to reflect on Kelly Pavlik from 2008 to now. Entering 2008, he had the world in his hands, coming off a rousing knockout over two-time Bernard Hopkins-conqueror Jermain Taylor. He was touted as one of future mega-stars of the sport. By 2011, he is almost an afterthought, a fighter that many suspect is slowly spiraling toward “tragic boxing figure” status. No one is talking about him anymore. He has no “heat.”
We now know of Pavlik’s battles with the bottle, which led to two trips to rehab and his career being put on the shelf. There was the Staph infection, multiple fights falling through, a pair of disheartening losses, and just a very downward trajectory to his career in general. As we move to the midway point of 2011, a man who was supposed to be one of the sport’s shining stars is now scheduled to fight in a perfunctory 10-rounder against an unheard-of opponent buried on the Pac-Mosley undercard.
An optimist, however, could paint a less-dire picture. Certainly the losses, the inactivity, and the indications that he might be self-destructive are not encouraging. We could still be looking at one helluva fighter. By now, we know better than to write a fighter off based on a loss to Bernard Hopkins. Pavlik wasn’t the first, or the last, to fall victim to the boxing genius of the old master. It just remains to be seen if Pavlik is to be added to the list of fighters who have never really psychologically recovered from a Hopkins spanking.
Pavlik wrongfully receives zero credit for the Martinez fight. Pavlik looked like he was getting schooled, until gritting his teeth and roaring back into the fight, culminating with a knockdown of Martinez in the 7th. You could say Pavlik was unfortunate to have a cut ripped open just as he appeared to take over the fight. The cut tipped an even bout squarely towards Martinez, who proceeded to emphatically snatch back the momentum and win a decision.
If that cut never happens, maybe we have a different result. If not, maybe Martinez would have been a point or two better than Pavlik. There are a lot of fighters who could only dream of being a point or two worse than Martinez. The fact that Pavlik was able to accomplish this much against Martinez with an apparent drinking problem and no quality wins in over 2 years isn’t not so bad, is it? You can’t help but wonder what he could do if he were more on-point in his life and career.
There are issues of concern. It obviously sounds much easier than it really is. It’s always less difficult to be an expert about someone else’s life. For all of us, it seems like a no-brainer in deciding whether we want to go around drinking in Youngstown or compile a potential Hall of Fame resume. Knowing you can’t do both, it seems like an easy enough call. Then again, how many of us had periods in our lives where we did things that we thought made sense that, on paper, now look absolutely ridiculous?
It’s just that we don’t know what’s swirling around in this guy’s mind. We never walked a mile in his shoes. Maybe he has communication issues and he’ll need to become more in tune with himself. A quiet man with a lot to say, he found solace in the bottle. A lot happened to Pavlik over the past several years that created a void and he looked to fill that gap the wrong way. Who knows? What am I, Dr. Phil?
I suppose the real question is: Did the bottle affect his performances or did he just hit a wall? Trying to defeat great and clean-living fighters like Hopkins and Martinez is hard enough, but almost impossible when trying to beat back the physically and spiritually draining affects of getting drunk regularly. You can’t beat fighters who train like Rocky in Russia when you’re filling up your belly with Pabst while watching a Reds game with some guy named Gus. It’s hard enough to take my mother to the drugstore with a hangover, much less doing roadwork and getting put through the paces by Jack Loew. Therefore, we are compelled to ponder what Pavlik could have accomplished if he were in his 2007 state of mind.
It won’t be easy. Pavlik, who doesn’t attend AA meetings, is giving off the vibe that he’s above it all. Maybe he hasn’t fully taken ownership of his issues, or is at least indifferent about the undeniable link between his drinking and career freefall. He still lives in Youngstown and the same things that sidetracked him are still in place. From the ages of 25 to 28, he deteriorated at a time when he should have been progressing and improving. Now creeping up on 30, he is facing a group of peers who have spent the past several years getting better and filling their heads with the good thoughts that come with success.
If he can get his act together, he is still a big middleweight/super middleweight who can hit like the dickens. In beating Taylor twice and nearly coming back from a huge deficit against Martinez, he showed that he has the requisite fighting spirit that bodes well at the top level. He also still has the experience that comes with fighting the best. On May 7, he will begin his odyssey to get back to the top. I say we give the guy a break and wish him the best.
