Kelly Pavlik's refusal to adapt may pull him down
Kelly Pavlik aims to regain lost glory a step at a time. That first step, since his unanimous decision loss from Sergio Gabriel Martinez, is to defeat an unheralded American-Mexican fighter
named Bryan Vera.
Vera is not only inexperienced, but he also has that brawler attitude which is considered deadly going against Pavlik. If Vera stays in front of Pavlik and trades with him, Vera will get
knocked out.
Pavlik's two conquerors, Bernard Hopkins and Sergio Martinez, clearly exposed the weakness of the Ohio native. The Ghost was ineffective in his attacks and extremely easy to hit if opponents
apply lateral and constant movement in the fight. It was plain and obvious; Pavlik simply could not adjust to that kind of strategy.
Considering that Pavlik is still the same fighter, Vera can merely follow Martinez and B-Hop's strategy to make the fight more competitive. If Vera is able to adapt to the blueprint, he may
win the fight but that's just pushing it. Vera is just food for the lion.
The problem with having too much power
Confident punchers like Edison Miranda and Jermain Taylor paid the price for underestimating Pavlik's power. Pavlik is a powerful brawler and a very good one. Having a warrior's heart, he
has a deeply embedded belief that he can take your shots a lot longer than you'll be able to take his. Boxers that had gone against him with that same line of thinking were knocked out silly.
However, that durable chin and enormous power come at a price. Pavlik fell in love with his bombs so much that he foolishly forgot that there are other weapons in the arsenal. He had become
so one-dimensional that a true student of the fight game like Hopkins knew for certain that he could put on a boxing clinic against Pavlik. Hopkins did just that and soon after, the younger and much faster Martinez put the final nail in the coffin.
Pavlik's Stubbornness is Pulling him down
Jack Loew has been Pavlik's cornerman for a very long time. He helped the boxer realize his dreams of becoming a champion. In his own right, Loew is a great coach, but people close to Pavlik
agree that it would be best for the fighter to bring a veteran trainer into the mix. Mike Pavlik, Kelly's father, and co-manager Cameron Dunkin sold the idea to the former champ.
Unfortunately, Pavlik would have none of it. He has this misplaced sense of loyalty to Loew which hinders his growth as a fighter. Even knowing that Loew himself is open to the proposal of
hiring another trainer into the camp, Pavlik is still unconvinced that he needs that change.
Pavlik's handlers are adamant in expressing that they are not disrespecting Loew in any way. They just want their boy to pick up new things from other experienced trainers. They believe that
Kelly has a lot more of things to learn and Loew has reached that point that he has nothing to share anymore.
Mike Pavlik had this to say:
"[Kelly Pavlik] needs new tutelage, I mean, he's only twenty-eight; I feel right now he's in the prime of his life and we've become one-dimensional and predictable and these are the things
I feel have to be worked on: That Kelly has to bring in an Emanuel Steward or somebody to work on some of the aspects that he had earlier in his career that he got away from. Evidently, they're not being addressed over the last five, six fights. That's just
my opinion."
He then added, "I'm not bad-mouthing Jack. It's not that Jack has done anything wrong; Jack has reached a plateau that he's never been before. He doesn't know what to do."
The fighter feels that there is nothing wrong with the way he fights. He sees things differently; he attributes his losses from weight struggles, cuts, and other health issues. His reasons
seem valid but if he wants to get back on top he should at least try to have an open mind and admit that he has to learn more and adapt.
Vera would have been a perfect guinea pig if Pavlik allowed the suggested changes.
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