Kelly Pavlik returns to boxing basics for upcoming bout
Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik claims that halfway through training camp for his upcoming bout against Bryan Vera he is “getting back to basics” to refurbish the style that once made him middleweight champion.
Pavlik has been training in California, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh, for the 13 November fight that may define the rest of his career. Should he beat Vera, he could find himself in the ring
with IBF super middleweight champ Lucian Bute, sources report.
Three years ago Pavlik stunned audiences with a title-winning effort over Jermain Taylor. Since then he has been riddled with injuries, weight problems, and a pair of losses to ring veteran wizard Bernard
Hopkins and Sergio "Maravilla" Martinez.
"I had bad luck with some things," Pavlik (36-2, 32 KOs) said to FightHype. “I lost two fights against top guys. I was not getting away, didn't get away from things."
Pavlik’s long-time trainer Jack Loew, whom some think is bringing Pavlik down, confirmed that the idea this time around was to be concerned with boxing as opposed to weigh discrepancies.
After losing to Martinez in April at the contracted weight of 160lb (middleweight), Pavlik revealed he had been forced to lose nearly 10 pounds three days before the fight, a feat that sapped him of energy.
As well, the day after the fight Pavlik admitted himself into a hospital for dehydration.
These facts get at the necessity of contracting the Vera bout at the catchweight of 164 pounds.
"That four pounds make a difference," Pavlik explained. "It came to a point [where] there was nothing left to sweat."
Pavlik confirmed that if he beats Vera, he would like to regain his middleweight titles, despite weight issues. He pondered the possibility of catchweight fights and moving up too, saying: “I'd definitely
like to regain my middleweight titles. There are a lot of guys at 168, so anything can open up."
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