frankonce a fighter loses his desire for boxing he should get out and never look back .usally come backs are a poor decision benifitting no one the fans the returning boxer good luck to pavlik wish him well Posted January 23, 2013 1:47 amSREDMONDDevastator, its a good decision because Pavlik is mentally WEAK and he was not a credit to the discipline and fire needed to be a top boxer… Bernard Hopkins has 50X his discipline and the guy is pushing 50 years old, thats why he beat a PRIME Pavlik’s AZZZ and helped set him on the path to ruin.. AGAIN why should Pavlik be lauded as if he was a Barry Sanders who did all he could and decided that he simply did not want to compete anymore???? Pavlik drank and abused himself out of the top of the sport he cancelled numerous fights and he even tried to prima donna when the Bute fight was offered when he had not defeated a SOLID opponent in years….All the best but pretending that he was some sort of saint or role model is a JOKE…. Posted January 22, 2013 11:05 amUJelly?Gotta agree with SRedmond… as fun to watch as Pavlik was in his prime and as nice a guy as he seems to be, his yo-yo life style isn’t really something that should be viewed with any degree of adulation or to claim as a good example of what boxers should aspire to. Pan ChiliMiranda got robbed Posted January 21, 2013 11:01 pmBLUESMANPavlik was good, but he wouldn’t have stood any more chance beating Ward than Rosie O’Donnell would have of winning a beauty contest. Posted January 21, 2013 10:16 pmMoonshinemanHe left his career in the ring with Bernard Hopkins. He should call Miguel Cotto, and ask him for some courage. Cotto has plenty to spare. Posted January 21, 2013 8:27 pmDevastatorSREDMOND, stfu retard. Good decision by Pavlik. Posted January 21, 2013 7:27 pmSREDMONDSREDMOND BELOW Posted January 21, 2013 12:36 pmAnonymousI like Kelly Pavlik and he was a fun gutty fighter at his best but how in the hell was he “good for the sport”…..???? he canceled more than one bout and cost his opponents $$$$$$$$$ many of whom were not superstars… He abused his body and had a growing disdain for training?? How EXACTLY is he “Good for Boxing”….. I ask this because I see guys who are SUPER dedicated to the grueling aspects of professional prizefighting like Mayweather and Pacquiao raked over the coals when they have NOT shown up out of shape a day in their lives nor ever spent training camps drunk…..Lets be clear, alot of Pavliks early expiration owes to his lack of discipline in a sport that demands it to even be remotely effective… Good luck on his retirement but this revisionist narrative for Pavlik is pretty hypocritical. Posted January 21, 2013 12:36 pmGregoryThis isn’t about money. This is about a troubled guy trying to get his life together. He has his money. This is a guy who got his biggest paycheck (at the time) by knocking out jermain taylor in Atlatic City. Then he leaves the hotel room to go back to Ohio and leaves the check in the room. That’s how much the money meant to him. He’s a fighter. BTW_ the maintenance staff took the check to the front desk and it was eventually sent to Kelly. Kelly will be back I think. If he can get his life together. If not, I hope it does not end sadly for him. Posted January 21, 2013 12:08 pmteagood guy and a good fighter .i cant remember you were ever in a bad fight, always put on a show for the fans and if the fire is not there anymore then this is right thing to do . i hope you put some of that money away for later. Posted January 21, 2013 11:15 amExiled YankHell of a fighter, hell of champ. Hopefully he can retire and remain happy and content… and not go broke. Posted January 21, 2013 11:02 amExiled YankAgreed. Taylor had more W’s as champ he’s not even considered a fringe great and he beat Hopkins while he was till in top shape. I like Pavlik, he’s been good for the sport, and he will always be a champ. Posted January 21, 2013 11:00 amDashSo, apparently Pavlik wasn’t at his best after the Taylor fight, was Hopkins at his best aged 44? SREDMONDIts pretty safe to say that Pavlik would have been drubbed by Ward on his best day.. Two different classes of fighter…Ward is a TRUE professional, dedicated to the craft and mentally strong.. Pavlik was a small town boy with heavy hands at 160 who succumbed to the bottle and had not been successful against top competition in YEARS….I like Pavlik but pretending a guy who did not like to train and abused himself was going to offer much to an elite fighter like Ward is very tough to substantiate. Posted January 21, 2013 10:29 amMNboxingFAN – SeanI was sad when I heard that Pavlik is retiring. Especially after having invested so much time away from his family training with Robert Garcia for a fight with Andre Ward. I was nervous that Kelly might get hurt against Ward, but knew that Ward might be a good fit for Kelly also. Plus Kelly has proved the critics wrong in the past. Regardless we’ll never know how Kelly would’ve faired against Ward, but I do know Kelly was a pleasure to watch and despite his shortcomings and personal problems he is a good man and will be remembered for his historic run to take the title from Jermaine Taylor. Happy retirement Champ. Here is hoping we see Kelly as a commentator. He did a great job in the past sitting in on ESPN’s Friday Night Fights. I’d love to see more of that. Posted January 21, 2013 8:26 amMannyStewardMiranda was not undefeated when Pavlik fought him. He had lost a decision to Abraham a couple of fights earlier. Lazy writing. Posted January 21, 2013 6:23 amMick the MarmalizerOff Subject: Memo to ESB- Where’s UK weekend round up? Frankie Gavin retained his British 147Lb title while Glenn Foot won Prizefighter. But no mention on ESB. :-( Posted January 21, 2013 5:22 amboxing barlowMaybe a good idea to retire if his hearts not in it any more. Let’s face it who would really give him a chance against ward? The reality is he was never that good in the first place. He was heavy handed and was the first to expose Taylor’s awful chin. Beyond that hedidnt do a great deal. I can remember every American slating calzaghe for taking a big pay day against Roy Jones rather than fighting pavlik. Calzaghe recognized he was a flawed fighter and side stepped the fight. Wiley old Hopkins jumped at it and when everyone was crying out for b hops safety I was predicting he would outbox pavlik. In today’s landscape I would have predicted a list fighter like froch, Bute, ward, Kessler, would have all given Pavlik a beating. Even the b listers like Stevenson, groves and degale would have beat him too. So if his heart is not in it and he don’t need the money now is the right time to go for Kelly. Posted January 21, 2013 5:08 amHidalgo“his heart has not been the same since Hopkins beat him,” How would you know that? Kid Blastb red :twisted: Posted January 20, 2013 9:26 pmThe PrinceHopkins took away his fighting spirit. When you can’t deal with the pressures of the fight game anymore, it’s best to retire. But when financial trouble comes knocking, he’ll likely be back in the ring for another quick payday. Posted January 20, 2013 9:17 pmwatBogus story…nobody who can pull 6 or 7 figure paydays retires at 31, he’ll be back, they always are… Posted January 20, 2013 8:16 pmB RedWish Pavlik the best, in his new journey of life Posted January 20, 2013 7:55 pmSwedish Boxing FanI wish Kelly Pavlik all the best out-side the ring and that he can get peace in his life, sad when he was in his physical prime years but he did right to retire. Becouse if you can’t give it your best you can’t win any fights and Kelly pavlik have had his demon taking its piece of him and the Bernard Hopkins fight made him leave the ring as not the same fighter he enterd. Good luck champ. Posted January 20, 2013 6:21 pmRed RyanDam that pesky B-Hop, Kelly had cracking fights, please come back.. Posted January 20, 2013 5:22 pmsrminimoIron Mike has the beat. Posted January 20, 2013 5:19 pmBill from A.A.Say what? Posted January 20, 2013 5:03 pmAll done; all over.I bet Old Yank is sad, He had a thang for this guy. Posted January 20, 2013 5:03 pmBill from A.A.Anonymous, please speak English. Thank you. Posted January 20, 2013 4:01 pmAnonymousYou’re a bit of a tit, aren’t you? Posted January 20, 2013 3:28 pmVoice Of SanityKelly was a blue collar fighter that made the most of his ability to punch, tough kid with underrated boxing skills. Enjoyed your fights Kelly, best of luck in the future. Posted January 20, 2013 2:43 pmdand2nnCongratulations Kely Pavlik on a wonderful career! Though I’m not very fond of his fighting style, his heart and personality have made him one of my favorite people in the world of boxing and I wish him the best! Posted January 20, 2013 2:05 pmvarnishSomething tells me that is not the end of Pavlik as a fighter. He has a history of alcoholism and depression – this decision seems impulsive to me – he was preparing to fight the best supermiddleweight in the world – the fight falls out and suddenly he is retired? Posted January 20, 2013 1:55 pmIRON MIKEIts a good think for Kelly to retire, his heart has not been the same since Hopkins beat him, I hope he enjoys his retirement and finds something worthwhile to fill in the void he will have or has from not boxing, All the Best Kelly thanks for the thrilling fights you gave us-PEACE Posted January 20, 2013 1:32 pmLive to Box, Box to Live‘Sounds like somebody is having some self-esteem issues, and needs his “tattoo free” skin to Bill from A.A.I’ll drink to KP this afternoon. Hic Posted January 20, 2013 12:44 pmrcaKelley made the right decision. The Pavlik that beat Jermain Taylor to submission and practically ended Taylor’s career is long gone. Posted January 20, 2013 12:20 pmmayweather86And? Thats your point really. Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz. Posted January 20, 2013 12:05 pmK.C.Probably spent more time in the ink chair than the gym. Posted January 20, 2013 12:03 pmmayweather86Whoopty-do k.c….do u want a medal or something? Maybe a pat on the back? I dont have tattoos either but what the hell does that have to do with boxing? Myob Posted January 20, 2013 11:53 amK.C.Glad to see Pavlik go. He wasn’t dedicated to the sport. I believe he may suffer from ink poisoning from all the horriffic looking tatoo’s he has on him. Probably spent more time in the ink chair than the ring. I don’t get it with these tatoo’s. I’m ink free and proud of it. Its not like it takes any talent to get tatoo’s. Like the big deal with Kim Kardashi-retard! I guess she thinks it takes talent to get pregnant! Posted January 20, 2013 11:30 amHappyboyKelly was a good fighter but far from being a great, lets keep it real. Posted January 20, 2013 11:30 amPatrick2A very nice and well-written article, and fitting tribute to the former undisputed middleweight champ. Thanks, ESB. Posted January 20, 2013 11:20 am |
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Kelly Pavlik: An Appreciation