Kelly Pavlik Biography

Kelly Pavlik (born April 5, 1982). He is The Ring, WBC, and WBO middleweight champion and current lineal champion, defeating Jermain Taylor to earn those titles. He has successfully defended his titles three times.

Background And Early Life – Known as “The Ghost”, Pavlik grew up on the south side of Youngstown, Ohio, in the traditional ethnic neighborhood of Lansingville He graduated from Lowellville High School and Mahoning County Joint Vocational School in 2000. Pavlik has been trained by Jack Loew of Youngstown’s South Side Boxing Gym for his entire career. His loyalty to his neighborhood and his unassuming, unglamorous lifestyle have earned him praise inside and outside the world of boxing.

Professional Career – Pavlik turned pro in 2000 and won his first 26 fights before stepping up in competition on October 7, 2005 to face Fulgencio Zúñiga for the vacant NABF middleweight title. Zúñiga scored a knockdown with a left hook in the first round, but Pavlik recovered quickly and dominated the rest of the fight. Zúñiga was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads, and his corner stopped the fight after the ninth round.

On July 7, 2006, Pavlik defeated former WBO junior middleweight champion Bronco McKart by sixth round TKO in his first defense of his NABF middleweight title. McKart scored a knockdown when both of Pavlik’s gloves touched the canvas in the fourth round. Pavlik knocked McKart down twice in the sixth round before the referee stopped the fight.

Pavlik headlined in his hometown at the Covelli Centre on November 2, 2006 and put on a dominant performance against Lenord Pierre. Pavlik scored a knockdown with a right hand late in the first round, and rocked Pierre repeatedly in the second and third rounds. Pavlik knocked down Pierre again with a left hook in the fourth round and the referee stopped the fight.

On January 27, 2007, in Anaheim, California, Pavlik defeated Jose Luis Zertuche by eighth round knockout in his second and final defense of his NABF middleweight title. It was a fast-paced, exciting fight that concluded when Pavlik landed a right hand that froze Zertuche in his tracks and then landed an uppercut that dropped him face-first to the canvas.

Fight with Edison Miranda – Pavlik defeated Edison Miranda on May 19, 2007, by TKO in the seventh round. The fight was a WBC eliminator bout. This fight established him as the No.1 middleweight contender. During the sixth round, Pavlik knocked Miranda down to the canvas twice. After the first knock down, Miranda spat out his mouthpiece, causing referee Steve Smoger to deduct a point. As the sixth round ended, Miranda seemed unable to continue, but came out nonetheless. In the seventh round, Pavlik trapped Miranda in a corner with a barrage of vicious shots, forcing Smoger to stop the fight.

Bouts with Jermain Taylor – In Atlantic City, New Jersey, in front of a pro-Pavlik crowd (approximately 6,000 Youngstown natives made the trip), Pavlik defeated Jermain Taylor on September 29, 2007. In the pre-fight build-up, Taylor’s trainer Emmanuel Steward went on record as calling Pavlik “overrated” and promising a knockout win for his boxer. It nearly happened, as Pavlik was knocked down in the second round and tossed about the ring for much of that round. However, using his reach advantage and ability to trap opponents in the corner, Pavlik slowly turned the tide on Taylor. By the sixth round, many at ringside such as HBO commentator Larry Merchant saw the fight even. HBO’s unofficial scorer Harold Lederman even had Pavlik leading the fight at the halfway point. Despite this, he was trailing on all three official scorecards. In the seventh round, Pavlik stunned his opponent with a clean left hook to the chin and backed him against the ropes knocking Taylor out with a barrage of punches. With the victory, Pavlik became The Ring, WBC, and WBO middleweight champion. After the fight with Taylor, Pavlik and his father, Mike Pavlik Sr., accidentally left their paychecks in their hotel room. He was subsequently named The Boxing Times Fighter of the Year in 2007.

After the defeat, Taylor activated his clause for a non-title rematch, which was held on February 16 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, with both fighter weighing-in at super middleweight. Pavlik won the fight by unanimous decision (117-111, 116-112, 115-113), handing Taylor his second defeat.

Undisputed Middleweight Champion

Kelly Pavlik vs. Gary Lockett
Pavlik made his first title defense of the Middleweight Crown against WBO No.1 mandatory challenger Gary Lockett on June 7, 2008, at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Pavlik defeated Lockett by third round TKO after Enzo Calzaghe, Lockett’s trainer, threw in the towel after Lockett was down for the third time in the fight.

Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins
In a nationally televised HBO non-title bout on October 18, 2008, 43 year-old Bernard Hopkins (43, 49-5-1 with 32 KOs) won a unanimous decision over Pavlik. Hopkins and Pavlik fought at the higher light heavyweight limit in a twelve-round non-title bout.

Kelly Pavlik vs Marco Rubio
On February 21, 2009, Pavlik defeated Marco Antonio Rubio (WBC No.1 contender) in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio at the Chevy Centre by ninth round technical knockout. Pavlik dominated the fight, forcing Rubio’s corner to concede the bout prior to the start of the tenth round.

Kelly Pavlik vs Miguel Espino
Pavlik fought Contender alum Miguel Espino on December 19, 2009 at the Beeghly Center on the campus of Youngstown State University and won with a fith-round TKO.