{"id":13541,"date":"2011-07-28T13:46:34","date_gmt":"2011-07-28T17:46:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=13541"},"modified":"2011-07-29T10:00:37","modified_gmt":"2011-07-29T14:00:37","slug":"boxing-news-kelly-pavlik-returns-to-the-ring-on-august-6th","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/?p=13541","title":{"rendered":"Boxing News: Kelly Pavlik Returns to the Ring on August 6th"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>Former World Middleweight Champion Kelly \u201cThe Ghost\u201d Pavlik, his trainer Jack Loew and Top Rank president Todd Duboef participated in an international media conference call to discuss Pavlik\u2019s upcoming homecoming fight on ShoBox: The New Generation on Saturday, Aug. 6, LIVE on SHOWTIME\u00ae. Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs), of Youngstown, OH, will headline a hometown fight card for the first time in nearly two years when he takes on Darryl Cunningham (23-2, 10 KOs), of Detroit, at the Covelli Center in Youngstown, Ohio, in a 10-round super middleweight bout. Cunningham is riding a three-year, 16-bout winning streak. The special Saturday edition of ShoBox: The New Generation is promoted by Top Rank and will begin at 10:30 p.m. ET\/PT (delayed on the West Coast).<\/p>\n

Kelly Pavlik: \u201cTraining is going very good right now. I\u2019ve been hitting it hard; this is probably the last hard week. We\u2019re going to finish up sparring and next week will be cruise-mode. It couldn\u2019t be better than the way it\u2019s going right now. I\u2019m feeling good.\u201d<\/p>\n

Have you adjusted to super middleweight? Do you feel stronger at this weight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI really do. Making 160 was just impossible anymore. I\u2019m never going to be able to see 160 again. In this new class we\u2019re not killing ourselves to make weight. Now, as we\u2019re getting ready, we can prepare more on boxing and more on the opponent and worry about that stuff rather than how we\u2019re going to lose weight. I\u2019m really happy with this weight class.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly, can you talk a little bit about your last fight. Did you feel the difference in the weight class?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know, I really didn\u2019t notice the weight. That wasn\u2019t a factor in the fight. Timing was. I knew when he was going to punch before he did and I just had a hard time with the timing of that. That\u2019s why we wanted to come back right after that fight just to make sure the timing was sharp. As far as the weight, no, I don\u2019t think that played a big factor at all. You got to remember I was coming down from 195 walking into camp so I was probably walking around heavier than Lopez was.\u201d<\/p>\n

In that fight you got hit more than you did in a lot of your fights. Was that because of your timing?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think so. It was hard to pick up on the punches. I went back and watched the film and I looked a little jittery in there. I was punching a little bit too much, even more than I had against a power puncher like (Edison) Miranda. There were a lot of things that we\u2019ve been studying. But we got through it after a 13-month layoff.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is it common for you to watch tape of yourself?<\/strong><\/p>\n

You know, I never really did do that. But at this stage in my career I think it\u2019s important that we did start doing it. You can learn a lot more that way, too.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack, how important was it for you to look at the tape from the Lopez fight to point out to Kelly the things he did right and the things he did wrong?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think it\u2019s very important. I\u2019ve done it all the way through. Kelly wasn\u2019t a big film watcher but I\u2019ve always watched our previous fights and then come back to Kelly and tell him what I thought he did wrong and what he should correct. It was very important \u2013 we got to move forward, we can\u2019t move back.\u201d<\/p>\n

Can you talk about Cunningham\u2019s strengths and weaknesses?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cIf you give him momentum or you let him come forward, he likes to throw a lot of punches, big shots. If you put pressure on him, he likes to go backwards \u2013 he goes straight backwards. We\u2019ve seen a lot of that. I think our game plan for this fight is to fight like we always had earlier on. Put the pressure on him and not come straight, not head first but side to side angles, keep the punches moving and land some of the big shots.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is this a dangerous fight for you and how do you expect it to go?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what? Any fight is a dangerous fight, especially if you don\u2019t take it seriously. If you\u2019re looking past him that can be a dangerous fight. At this point in his career this could be his last big name. He is 36 years old so I think he\u2019s going to come in hungry and wanting to win more than anything. So any fight like that is a dangerous fight. I think I\u2019ve faced a lot more dangerous fighters in my career though.\u201d<\/p>\n

Jack, do you have any problems or worries about it?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI have all the confidence in the world in Kelly. But like Kelly said, anytime you go in there with another professional fighter there\u2019s always danger. He has everything to gain and nothing to lose so he\u2019s going to go all out. This is an opportunity for him to make a name for himself. We picked a left hander because we\u2019re looking at things past this and what people have been mentioning but we\u2019re not looking past Darryl Cunningham.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is the upcoming potential fight against southpaw Lucian Bute the reason you guys decided to face a southpaw in this fight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. It wasn\u2019t so much a southpaw that looked like Bute, we just needed a southpaw. Being off 13 months if we hadn\u2019t taken a fight like this it would be almost another six months before we took a fight like Bute. I didn\u2019t think that was good. We\u2019re looking at the big picture down the road but we\u2019ve done nothing but concentrate on Darryl Cunningham.\u201d<\/p>\n

What is your opinion of Lucian Bute? Have you watched much of him?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cAbsolutely. I already have film on him. I\u2019ve been watching it. He\u2019s the whole package \u2013 he goes upstairs, he goes downstairs. He can move from side to side. But his chin is questionable. Obviously Librado Andrade should have won that first fight. How is he going to react when a big super middleweight like Kelly hits him on his chin? We\u2019ll see what happens and we\u2019re going to have to be 110 percent prepared for a guy like that.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is that (Bute) the fight you\u2019re looking at in the fall if you get pact Cunningham on Aug. 6?<\/strong><\/p>\n

That\u2019s the big name and we want to fight big names. Whether it\u2019s Bute, Froch, whatever the big name is. Big fights are key for me. I don\u2019t want to finish my career off fighting meaningless fights. I want to go in there and get a chance to get the title back and defend it a couple of times.\u201d<\/p>\n

Do you have any thoughts on Bute?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think he\u2019s a very good fighter. Obviously he is. There are some things questionable about him. I think he\u2019s probably one of the best body punchers in the sport today by far, but I think he has pretty good boxing ability too. I don\u2019t think he\u2019s as talented overall as (Sergio) Martinez as far as movement and slickness. He\u2019s got the whole package but I think everyone will see when I go into that fight that it\u2019s going to be a different Kelly Pavlik. I\u2019m hungry. I want the title back.\u201d<\/p>\n

How do you expect the hometown fans to support you this time?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cYou know what, I\u2019m not sure. I\u2019m hoping they are. Word is it\u2019s going pretty good right now. There\u2019s a lot of people still saying they\u2019re going to get their tickets. Mainly, you expect a walkup crowd in Youngstown, that\u2019s one of the big things, too. I\u2019m going to do my thing, I\u2019m going to put on a great show, I\u2019m going to fight as hard as I can. Whatever happens as far as that part comes, my true fans, and I\u2019m sure there\u2019s a lot, they\u2019ll be in for a real treat.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly, are you excited about coming back home and fighting?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cActually, I am. It\u2019s always good to fight back home. Who knows when the next time will be so you make the best out if it when you get the chance.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly, a lot of fighters mention how much pressure there is to fight at home. Can you talk about the pluses and minuses about that?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cEarlier in my career, there was a lot of pressure. I think with all the experiences I\u2019ve had and all the stadiums I\u2019ve fought in against the opponents I\u2019ve fought, I have the experience now. I\u2019ve been there and done that so the pressure doesn\u2019t really get to me. The fans can sometimes act as your second wind and give you more motivation to go out and put on a better show. Not to try and go out for a kill, but you fight a smart game plan and you just have a little more drive in you.\u201d<\/p>\n

How are you recapturing the old Kelly Pavlik?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI think the training regimen, the brutal training regimen where you go in there to get that natural strength and cardio and everything else, that\u2019s something that we\u2019re going to get back to and that\u2019s going to be a key.\u201d<\/p>\n

How much of the old Kelly Pavlik are you seeing in training and can he bring that same ferocity at that level as a super middleweight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s going to have to. It\u2019s not a matter of can he do it; he\u2019s going to have to. That\u2019s what got him the middleweight championship of the world \u2013 his relentless worth ethic, he\u2019s relentless in the ring, coming forward, throwing punches. He has to come forward and he has to come forward with angles and he has the throw punches. He has to get that hunger back. I\u2019ve seen a lot of it so far. We\u2019ve put this together in kind of a short amount of time so I\u2019m expecting a very good Kelly Pavlik on the 6th and I expect him to knock this kid down and if not knock this kid down I expect him to back him up and I expect him to stop him. That\u2019s what I\u2019m looking for. I want to take a week or so off after this fight and I want get right back into it and get ready for what\u2019s next. I think it\u2019s very important for us to get back to the way we used to do things for the Taylors, the Mirandas. I think it\u2019s very important for the type of fighters he wants to fight in the super middleweight division.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Kelly punching harder than he was?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think that\u2019s possible, but he\u2019s punching hard.\u201d<\/p>\n

Kelly had a nice left hook in the Lopez fight. Was that something you worked on or added?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s left handed so he\u2019s always had a great left hand. But everybody that he touched with his right hand he knocked out so we never really had to come back with the left hook too much. But I think that\u2019s a very important part of it. Instead of just worrying about that big one-two bomb we can always come back with something or even lead off with it. I think it\u2019s always been there, it\u2019s just a matter of finally putting it all together.\u201d<\/p>\n

Are you guys going to have to box more now that you\u2019re moving up in weight?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cI don\u2019t think so. With my size and my height I\u2019d be a good size light heavyweight. As far as super middleweights, there\u2019s not too many big powerful punchers at super middleweight. You have some guys that are strong and have some pop in their punch but not any that are knocking guys out a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n

What about Bute saying, \u201cI can beat this guy\u201d?<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019s a slick fighter, first of all. That gives me more of a motivation because people always pounded it and they still do, \u2018Oh, he can\u2019t fight a guy side-to-side.\u2019 I want to prove them wrong. Second of all, he\u2019s a great fighter. I want the big names. I want to win the world title. I want to fight the best and be the best.\u201d<\/p>\n

Remaining tickets to Pavlik vs. Cunningham, priced at $150 (ringside), $100 (VIP), $50 (Gold), and $25 (Silver), plus $2 facility fee, can be purchased at www.Ticketmaster.com, and by calling (800) 745-3000. Tickets can also be purchased at the Covelli Centre box office, Monday through Friday, 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ET.<\/p>\n

For Pavlik vs. Cunningham fight week updates, log on to sports.SHO.com or www.toprank.com.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a>\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Former World Middleweight Champion Kelly \u201cThe Ghost\u201d Pavlik, his trainer Jack Loew and Top Rank president Todd Duboef participated in an international media conference call to discuss Pavlik\u2019s upcoming homecoming fight on ShoBox: The New Generation on Saturday, Aug. 6, LIVE on SHOWTIME\u00ae. Pavlik (37-2, 32 KOs), of Youngstown, OH, will headline a hometown fight […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[105,4271,426],"class_list":["post-13541","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-boxing-news","tag-boxing","tag-darryl-cunningham","tag-kelly-pavlik"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13541","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13541"}],"version-history":[{"count":-2,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13541\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13541"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13541"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ringsidereport.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13541"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}