20.06.08 – By Max Lom: If there is one boxer in the world that can get the sport back in the spotlight in the United States, even to the level of the 1990’s, it is Middleweight champion Kelly “The Ghost” Pavlik. Sure, the 90’s were the time period in which the sport of boxing’s popularity fell the furthest, but the attention paid to big fights in that time still far exceeded what we see today.
For a sport with only one true remaining crossover star, a Mexican-American named Oscar whose career in the ring is clearly on the verge of death, the 90’s are sadly something to shoot for, and Pavlik is the best hope for the once-proud sport.
Why Pavlik? Because he’s everything a casual American sports fan can want to see in a fighter.. Yes, that does include his skin color, which may be an unfortunate condemnation of our race relations, but is still an important ingredient in drawing the interest of Joe Six-Pack, exactly the kind of fan that has been lost in the era of pay-per-views and poor fight-cards.
More than his race, though, Pavlik embodies many of the qualities Americans are drawn to in and out of the ring. The fighter Pavlik is a relentless power-puncher who has reduced the iron-fisted Edison Miranda to rubble, and out-pounded Jermain Taylor in seven of the most thrilling rounds we’ve seen in a long time between two American fighters.
The person Pavlik is a humble, yet fearless man raised on the modest, blue-collar streets of Youngstown. His decision to embrace his background and not flee to a secluded mansion after his first pay-day should endear him to many fans, and build a strong bond between him and the white working class of America as they relate to his lifestyle.
We have already seen his ability to connect to these kinds of fans with his massive (by today’s standards) following from Ohio and the surrounding Midwest. Last October, they made Atlantic City, an 8-hour drive from his hometown, feel like he was fighting in his backyard against Taylor. Even against unknown Gary Lockett, an impressive contingent of several thousand Ohioans made the trip.
I don’t believe any other fighter near his weight would have drawn half that many people to see a fight with Gary Lockett in New Jersey. So what next should be the next steps for “The Ghost” and his promoter Bob Arum as they look to create him into boxing’s next crossover star?
First, he needs to get exposure. If that means rejecting big pay-days against washed up fighters in order to stay on regular HBO, then so be it. He and his team will have to show restraint and patience in order for him to fulfill his marketing potential. Since Joe Calzaghe seems unwilling to fight Pavlik now, a fight which would be by far the most challenging of the Welshman’s still slightly questionable resume, Pavlik will have to look elsewhere for his next opponents.
A bout with mandatory challenger Marco Antonio Rubio in October may not be as exciting, but it gives him more flexibility in what he wants to do with the fight. For me, it should be a showcase of Pavlik to his home fans. They’ve done their traveling, and I think it’s time to reward them with a fight in Cleveland. His camp has talked about it in the past, and if he could come close to selling out Cleveland Browns Stadium with affordable tickets, it would do a lot to improve his reputation.
A massive crowd for a fight can only help a fighter gain more exposure, and having it at home will cement the state of Ohio, and a good part of the Midwest as home turf for “The Ghost” as he moves on in his career. The more people get to see him, the more they will be willing to travel to boxing’s capitals in Vegas, Atlantic City, and Madison Square Garden.
Speaking of the Garden, his next fight after an expected October win vs. Rubio should be in New York, and it would be a great idea to have him fight Irishman John Duddy, who has a very solid following in the city. The two were all ready to go for the last fight until Duddy gave a less than spectacular showing against the underwhelming Walid Smichet. If Duddy gets back on track, then this fight could help Pavlik with an east coast fan-base, which could be key for big fights down the road.
After these two relatively easy wins, Pavlik will have to face a tough test to unify the middleweight belts. While he fights Rubio and Duddy, German Arthur Abraham must be doing his part to gain exposure in the U.S. and build toward their eventual fight. Providing that Abraham makes it past Edison Miranda this weekend, and then continues to win after that, a unification bout in Las Vegas should be quite an event for the sport.
It will be hard to predict the winner of that fight, but for the sake of this column, “The Ghost” is victorious in what should be a terrific fight. At that point, it will be hard for Joe Calzaghe to ignore him, and a massive fight for both his belts should take place somewhere on the east coast to allow for traveling fans from both Ohio and the UK. We’ve seen how Brits have traveled for Ricky Hatton, and if 10,000 will go to Vegas for him, then surely several thousand will cross the Atlantic to see Calzaghe fight somewhere on the east coast.
A win in the Calzaghe fight and Pavlik will have certainly “arrived” as a mainstream figure in American sports. If he can stay away from pay-per-views for all of these fights then it will only happen faster. With the rest of his career ahead of him, he’ll be able to pick and choose the very best from the 160-175 weight classes, and his star-power alone should be able to sell the fights the way De la Hoya has.
Unlike Oscar though, Kelly is a true knockout puncher, and it will be his boxing style and attitude that gains popularity; not his looks. It may be a long way back to the top for the sport of boxing, but a simple white guy from Youngstown, Ohio is the best one to count on to start the climb.