KELLY PAVLICK WANTS BRIAN ROSE!!!

[jaffa1]

http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/jan/17/p ... ?newswatch

[jaffa1]

http://www.vindy.com/news/2010/jan/17/p ... ?newswatch

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

YOUNGSTOWN — With Paul Williams pricing himself out of a possible middleweight title fight with Kelly Pavlik, the door has been opened for Sergio Martinez.

But it’s not yet an open-and-shut deal.

Martinez, who lost a majority decision to Williams last month, is the front-runner out of four finalists to meet Pavlik in a possible April or May bout on HBO.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, president Todd duBoef and Pavlik’s co-manager Cameron Dunkin will meet with HBO officials next week in New York to discuss Pavlik’s future.

Possible opponents include Martinez, Anthony Mundine, WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm and a fourth possibility that Top Rank is keeping under wraps for now, Dunkin said.

Williams, who was scheduled to fight Pavlik on Dec. 5, does not appear to be among the finalists. After agreeing to fight Pavlik for $1.2 million in December, he now wants to split the proceeds 50-50. Pavlik’s handlers have refused.

“That’s not happening,” Dunkin said.

Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs) served as an injury replacement for Pavlik when he had to cancel his Dec. 5 bout with Williams due to a left hand injury. The bout became a “Fight of the Year” candidate with some observers (including Pavlik’s camp) believing Martinez did enough to win.

Pavlik’s preference is to fight Williams, but the 50-50 demand and the bad blood between the two camps makes the fight unlikely for now.

After dropping the puck for the ceremonial faceoff before Saturday’s Phantoms game at the Covelli Centre, Pavlik dropped the name of the possible fourth contender.

“And we’re looking at a fight over in England against a guy by the name of [Brian] Rose,” Pavlik said.

Rose is a light middleweight who is 14-0-1.
“Right now, everything is up in the air and we’re hoping to find out within a week,” said Pavlik. “The quicker the better. The faster we find out the better so we can start preparing for the fight, take care of training, get some sparring partners in.”

Pavlik said the ideal fight date would be late March or early April.

“At the latest, the end of April but I don’t want to go any longer than that.”

Pavlik said he’s willing to fight Williams, but doesn’t think it’s likely.

“We’re hoping,” said Pavlik of a Williams bout,” but for some reason he doesn’t want to take the fight. We’re trying everything. He outpriced himself again for this fight so ... if by some chance we can come to an agreement, I’d like to fight with him. Right now, for me, Sergio Martinez is a better fight. In the last fight, I thought Martinez beat Paul Williams.”

Arum believed he had a deal in place with Williams’ adviser, Al Haymon, on several occasions in the summer of 2008. The deal broke down when Haymon kept increasing his demands (from $750,000 with perks to $1.5 million), prompting Top Rank to arrange a Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight instead, Dunkin said.

Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) lost that fight by unanimous decision, although he retained the titles since the bout was held at 170 pounds.

Then, last fall, Pavlik twice postponed a Williams bout (first in October, then in December) due to the hand injury, prompting the Williams camp to accuse Pavlik of exaggerating his injury because he was scared to fight Williams. Pavlik’s camp, in turn, accused Williams of only arranging the fight because he knew Pavlik was banged up.

“They never wanted to fight Kelly,” Dunkin said. “I think the kid [Williams] does. I think his trainer does. But I don’t think [Al] Haymon and [promoter Dan] Goossen does.”

After Pavlik knocked out Miguel Espino on Dec. 15 to defend his title, Arum approached Williams’ handlers with the same offer they made last fall, with Williams getting $1.2 million. Williams’ camp came back with the 50-50 demand.

“Until they change that, it’ll never happen,” said Dunkin.

One Web site reported Pavlik’s camp has agreed to a deal with Martinez, but those reports are premature, according to Dunkin, Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels and Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew.

“It looks like they’re pushing the Martinez fight,” Loew said.

The 34-year-old Martinez, who hails from Argentina and now lives in Spain, suffered his only other loss to Antonio Margarito in February of 2000. He’s known as a speedy left-hander with decent power and good boxing skill.

Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), who lives in Augusta, Ga., is more of a slugger than Martinez, although he also has good boxing ability.

[maninthemiddle]

I wonder if he meant RHODES. It wasn't his quote that the fighter was 14-0-1 by the loks of it the paper jumped to this conclusion. Whilst Brian is making decent progress I doubt Pavlick's people would be sizing him up.

[sweetscience]

I wonder if he meant RHODES. It wasn't his quote that the fighter was 14-0-1 by the loks of it the paper jumped to this conclusion. Whilst Brian is making decent progress I doubt Pavlick's people would be sizing him up.

yeah..must be Rhodes

[bigdaddy]

what a fight for Brian

[SOUTHPAW]

I wonder if he meant RHODES. It wasn't his quote that the fighter was 14-0-1 by the loks of it the paper jumped to this conclusion. Whilst Brian is making decent progress I doubt Pavlick's people would be sizing him up.

yeah..must be Rhodes

WAS THINKING THE SAME

[crusader]

If he meant Rhodes, which I presume he did, then I guess he is expecting to beat Rhodes in the same type of fashion he beat Lockett. Rhodes would provide a tough challenge and easily put up more of a fight than Lockett, but he would get stopped at some point or take a drawn out beating.

[Asterix]

Brian Rose, Ryan Rhodes. Love it.

[Hagler2002]

Get the greatest middleweight there's ever been in with him, the man I talk of is John Duddy

[bennie]

Amir Khan's American dream could also become reality for Ryan Rhodes if rumours are true and Kelly Pavlik defends his 'world' middleweight titles against the Sheffield man in the States shortly.
Nothing is yet confirmed, but Pavlik, struggling to rebuild from an embarrassing points defeat to the canny but pensionable Bernard Hopkins, has already destroyed one British middleweight and clearly views Rhodes as patsy II. Nicknamed "Ghost", Pavlik dropped a howler by labelling Rhodes "Brian Rose" in a recent interview. It sounds similar, I suppose, similar enough for Pavlik, who outgunned Welshman Gary Lockett in three rounds in the summer of 2008. Lockett had beaten Rhodes, so what does Pavlik care? It reminds me of the time Larry Holmes, interviewed in the old World of Sport days, forgot Frank Bruno's name completely, but at least Larry admitted to it and did not second-guess, and Larry is hardly known for his tact.
Pavlik dropped a bigger howler taking on the 45-year-old Hopkins - a man with one of the most awkward styles in boxing today (ask Joe Calzaghe). Before a huge pro-Pavlik crowd in Atlantic City in October 2008, the then unbeaten, formidable-looking Pavlik was never able to crack Bernard's defence or got past his jab. Frankly, he took a pasting. Will the quick, slick, unorthodox, dangerous, vastly experienced Rhodes do precisely the same? He could, you know. Hopkins was a big underdog; Pavlik might just be overrated. He won his world titles (WBC & WBO) from Jermain Taylor, since stopped by our own Carl Froch, of course. Taylor nearly finished Pavlik in a first fight between them (Pavlik came from behind to win in seven) and went the distance with him in a close rematch.
Back to Hopkins, and since losing to him the 27-year-old Pavlik has stopped two highly beatable opponents to take his record to an imposing 36-1 (32). He can whack but struggles desperately to make middleweight and seems to have 'lost' something, mentally, in the wake of his only defeat. He went from headlining arenas such as the magnificent MGM Grand in Las Vegas and the vast Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City to topping pokey little centers in his gritty home city of Youngstown, Ohio. He also seems to be picking up a lot of injuries, although those 'injuries' may be delaying tactics in order for him to get down to middle.
With just two fights in the last 15 months, with everything else, this looks like a great time to challenge the American for the sensational Rhodes, who picked up the European light-middleweight title with a quite brilliant seven-round stoppage of Jamie Moore last time out and is no stranger to the middleweight division, where he floored and nearly stopped the burly Lockett in 2006 in Cardiff (Lockett's manor). The 12-round decision triggered ugly crowd scenes. Rhodes, a pro since 1995, has lost only to Lockett in the last eight years.
Back even further, Muhammad Ali barked "What's my name?" to Ernie Terrell as he dished out a sustained 15-round beating. A similar sustained 12-round beating would do for our Ryan, and for every British fan. His name, Kelly, is Ryan Rhodes.

[Autobarn]

weird fight, as pavlik hardly got credit for beating lockett, and lockett beat rhodes.

i can see why it could happen, with rhodes holding a top 10 world ranking, albeit down at light middle, following a scintillating win over jamie moore. makes you wonder, if moore had managed to win, maybe his big chance would have finally come.

i don't know if pavlik called ryan rhodes "brian rose", the counter punching, slick manchester fighter who has yet to headline a domestic show let alone win a major domestic belt. it could well have been the youngstown vindy writer who wrote it down wrong.

[stujones]

Ryan's got to earn a coin I know - but he always goes on about being undefeated at Light Middle - he should really try and force something there.

[Deserter]

Back even further, Muhammad Ali barked "What's my name?" to Ernie Terrell as he dished out a sustained 15-round beating. A similar sustained 12-round beating would do for our Ryan, and for every British fan. His name, Kelly, is Ryan Rhodes.

Love it, love it, love it Great pay-off line Bennie.
Unfortunately, don't fancy Rhodes' chances in this one - he's more effective at light-middle and Pavlik is a big middle.

[Poncey]

To be fair, he looks like a Brian. 8)

[whiskey]

Kelly Horlicks.

[jwrench]

funny if he meant bri.... kick ass rosey lad! hooooooooooooooooooo

[Adamj1987]

what a fight for Brian

ill ak bryan now

[DG.]

Pavlik is a bit of a joke these days.

Hope RR sparks the knob.

[Adamj1987]

Brian says

No, not heard anythig, I'm pretty sure its a mistake mate