Kelly Pavlik vs. Paul Williams: Almost Inked?

As we reported earlier this week, Paul Williams (34-1, 25 Ko's) is one of the many prospects that the middleweight champ of the world has considered for his next defense.

According to Steve Kim from Max Boxing, the Williams fight is much closer to happening than we originally thought.  Names get tossed around so much as speculation it is hard to take anything at face value, but this one looks close to being sealed. Apparently Bob Arum and Dan Goossen have been in talks and are trying their best to get it done. 

Williams is probably the best of the bunch named as possible opponents for the The Ghost.  He is lengthy (6'1"), much quicker than Kelly, and is a proven champion in the welterweight division.  With his frame, it won't be a problem moving to middleweight. There is a possibility that Williams may give Kelly some trouble, but Williams somewhat resembles a skinnier Jermain Taylor in terms of style and he wasn't able to get it done in two fights with The Ghost.

If it goes through we should be in for another exciting fight from Kelly Pavlik as early as September 27th.

See Paul Williams last fight

Paul Williams vs Carlos Quintana 2

The ESPY's: Fighter of the Year

Team Pavlik just informed us that voting for the ESPY's "Best Fighter" category is rapidly coming to a close.  July 12th is the final date the that any of you sports fans out there will be able to log on to ESPYS.tv and cast your ballot. 

The "Best Fighter" category looks like it will defintely come down to a few votes.  The nominees are, as you may have guessed, (1) Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik, who in a career defining year, defeated middleweight champ Jermain Taylor twice and successfully defended his title against Gary Lockett.  (2) Floyd Mayweather Jr., who took down previously undefeated Ricky Hatton for the WBC welterweight title. (3) Joe Calzaghe, who became the undisputed super-middleweight champ after beating previously undefeated Mikel Kessler and also taking a close decision over Bernard Hopkins to become the Ring light heavyweight champ of the world. (4) Holly Holm, who claimed the IFBA welterweight title (no idea really about who she is, just stole that from the website). (5) George St. Pierre, who defeated Matt Sera for the UFC welterweight championship.

In reality, there are only three on here that should even get a vote, and hopefully you know who they are (hint: 1, 2, or 3). Go place a vote and while your at it check out all of the other categories.  

The ESPY's are hosted by hillbilly-turned pop singer, turned actor, turned the guy who can score any chick he wants, Justin Timberlake, and will air on July 20th, at 9 pm ET.

Justin Timberlake, ESPY Awards Promotion

Vitali Klitschko vs. Sam Peter: Klitschko Bros

The second half of the Klitschko duo and former WBO/WBC heavyweight champ, Vitali (35-2, 34 Ko's), will be squaring up with the current WBC champ Samuel Peter.  The bout is not yet finalized, but the date has been set for October 4th, at the O2 World Arena in Berlin. 

Vitali, who many considered the better of the two brothers, has not fought professionally in 4 years after being forced into retirement when he sustained repeated injuries during training camps leading to his championship defenses.  

In the meantime, Wlad has a title defense this weekend against Tony Thompson (fight preview to come).  If he can get through the bout with a victory and no major injuries, there has been talk of having a Klitschko-bro co-feature on the aforementioned date. 

Alexander Povetkin (15-0, 11 Ko's) is the mandatory challenger to Wlad's title and has been campaigning as of recently to get his shot.  He may be asking for more than he handle. After being exposed in the first few rounds of his last fight with Eddie Chambers, he showed us that he probably isn't ready to step in there and beat the #1 heavyweight in the world.

Countdown to Cotto vs. Margarito: Antonio Margarito Profile

Antonio Margarito

(36-5, 26 Ko's)

Born: March 18th, 1978

Age: 30

Hometown: Tijuana, Mexico

Alias: The Tijuana Tornado

Division: Welterweight (147 lbs.)

Current Ranking: #4 by Ring

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5'11"

Reach: 73"

Titles:

- IBF Welterweight Title

- Former WBO Welterweight Title

Notable Victories:

Kermit Cintron, Joshua Clottey, Golden Johnson, Sebastian Lujan, Hercules Kyvelos, Antonio Diaz

Artwork by Adam Morris

Goossen Excited About his "Newest" Heavyweight Prospect

Congratulations - The LA Daily News finally realized that they have a top prospect in the sport of boxing sitting right under their noses. Took em' long enough.  

Although the headline would lead you to believe that this "new" talent, Chris Arreola, just appeared out of nowhere, he has been on the radar for the past year and we are sure Dan Goossen has been pretty excited about him for quite sometime now.  

It would appear that one very good performance in a televised event can get some of the average periodical outlets interested. Have to say that it is great to see an exciting fighter like Arreola get some deserved press out side of the avid boxing realm, especially because he is one of our favorites. 

See Article:

Valley boxing promoter Goossen excited about his newest heavyweight prospect 

- LA Daily News

Countdown to Cotto vs. Margarito: Miguel Angel Cotto Profile

Miguel Angel Cotto 

(32-0, 26 Ko's)

Born: October, 29th 1980

Age: 27

Hometown: Caguas, Puerto Rico

Division: Welterweight (147 lbs.)

Current Ranking: unanimous #1

Stance: Orthodox

Height: 5'7"

Reach: 67"

Titles:  

- WBA Welterweight Title

- WBO Junior Welterweight Title

Notable Victories:

Shane Mosley, Zab Judah, Carlos Quintana, Paulie Malignaggi, Ricardo Torres, Gianluca Branco, Oktay Urkal

Artwork by Adam Morris

Pic of the Week: Marciano vs. LaStarza

A classic shot from the 1953 Ring Magazine Fight of the Year that ended with an 11th round KO, when Rocky Marciano knocked Roland LaStarza clean through the ropes to retain the world heavyweight championship. 

The Brockton Blockbuster's first love was baseball, too bad for LaStarza that Rocky's tryout to play catcher for the Chicago Cubs fell through when he couldn't make an accurate throw down to second (which last time we checked was one of the first requirements for the position). 

Lucky for us, he picked up a different kind of mitt and turned pro at the ripe age of 24 to become the only heavyweight champion to never taste defeat in his career.

Boxing After Dark: Kendall Holt vs. Ricardo Torres

Ricardo Torres and Kendall Holt met last night in a rematch for the WBO light welterweight title. The first bout ended in a controversial stoppage victory for Ricardo Torres.  This one ended in a KO. See the fight in its entirety below, all 61 seconds of it. Could be more action in this one round then Wlad Klitschko's last three fights.

Thank god we don't have to listen to Setanta's commentators on a regular basis (only video available).

Looked like an unintentional head-butt may have helped Holt set up the big right hand that gave Torres only his second professional defeat (first loss was to Cotto), but no mention was made of it until quite sometime after the final bell. Looks like a rubber match should be in order that will no doubt be as exciting as the first two.

Hatton's Exit Plan

Ricky The Hitman Hatton has decided that he will only fight two more times before hanging up the mitts.

The BBC reported that Hatton will face Paulie Malignaggi in the fall as originally planned for a chance to unify light welterweight titles (IBO & IBF). "I don't want to go on forever and would have done everything I dreamed of, so two more fights and then I think I'm done," said Hatton.

After that match-up (if he wins), he has his eyes set on statistically speaking the most popular possible fights in the world, a showdown with newly crowned lightweight champion, Manny Pacquiao or a match up with, The Golden Boy, Oscar De La Hoya.  

"In the New Year I'm hoping to fight either Manny Pacquiao or Oscar De La Hoya at Wembley Stadium in front of 100,000 people..." Hatton told BBC Sports. 

Hatton, De La Hoya, and Pacquiao are the top three fighters in the sport in terms of popularity worldwide. Either of the fights will be great for the sport and its fans (especially the Pacquiao fight).

Ricky Hatton has done something that in our eyes now puts him ahead of his British counterpart, Joe Calzaghe. He has decided to end his career on the best possible fight against the best fighter, not only  for himself, but for the sport of boxing and its deserving fans.

Listen to Hatton interview

Pavlik vs. Mora: No Go

Sergio Mora has weaseled his way out of another middleweight title shot. After turning down a bout with then undisputed middleweight champion Jermain Taylor, Mora added many more doubts to go along with his already shaky resume.  One would think that the reaction from fans and boxing media alone would have been enough to avoid another situation like the first. Wrong.

Bob Arum offered Mora $1.2 million to partake in a battle against the best middleweight in the world, Kelly Pavlik. Again he managed  his way out of a match he knowingly would lose, citing that the he could do it for no less than $1.5 million. Pavlik only made a mil more than that in his recent showing on HBO against Gary Lockett.  Where does Mora get off making demands against the top fighter in the U.S., in a fight that would give him a chance to be on the largest stage in boxing.

Arum said screw em' and is now considering a large stable of fighters for The Ghost's next opponent.  John Duddy was name that has been thrown around in the past, but that was debunked when just this past week he decided to drop to junior middleweight to take on Verno Phillips. Other names discussed have been Marco Antonio Rubio, Winky Wright, and by far the most intriguing, Paul Williams.

Williams is the 6'1" freak at welterweight who recently regained his WBO title after avenging his only loss with a first round KO over Carlos Quintana.  In his past fights he he had been struggling to make weight, so the jump to 160 shouldn't affect him in the ring.  Arum has already spoken with Williams promoter Dan Goosen, and they both agree this would be the best possible fight.  And we agree as well.  Make it happen boys.

Nonito Donaire Scores FHM Fillipina Rachel Marcial

The Fillipino Flash, Nonito Donaire, sat ringside last Saturday night to witness his fellow country man, Manny Pacquiao, win the the lightweight championship. 

Apparently the flyweight champion of the world made an entrance that turned quite a few heads. But it wasn't him they were looking at.  

Donaire's fiance, fomer taekwando U.S. junior champion, Rachel Marcial, who was recently featured in FHM (see photos), was attracting all of the attention.

If the longstanding boxing anecdote is true about abstaining during training camp, Donaire may be at a sudden disadvantage coming home to this every night.

Rachel Marcial kicking some other girls asses (below)

Kelly Pavlik Reports Threat

This is when you know your famous. 

Kelly The Ghost Pavlik reported a serious threat to the Boardman police on Monday stating that a former business partner directed some serious words toward the middleweight champ of the world. Someone from Pavlik's camp claims to have a voice recording of the gentlemen expressing that he would shoot Pavlik in the hands so he wouldn't be able to fight anymore (among other things).  

The alleged threatener is Anthony Scandy who was previously associated with Pavlik in a quasi-manager/partner role.  He is in the process of suing Kelly for money that he believes should be coming his way from the first Jermain Taylor bout. 

Its seems death threats and lawsuits are synonymous with boxing, so none of this is considered to be too far out of the ordinary.  However, Pavlik did say that the reason he reported this particular incident to the police was due to the fact that this Scandy character actually has the means (and stupidity) to actually do something like he suggested.

Scandy better hope his picture doesn't get released to the working class Pavlikers of Youngstown anytime in the near future, becuase if he sets foot in the buckeye state, he will be the one fearing for his life.

Artwork by Adam Morris