12.03.09 – by James Slater – According to promoter Bob Arum in speaking to ESPN.com, middleweight king Kelly Pavlik will almost certainly face former WBC light-middleweight champ and “Contender” star Sergio Mora next. ESPN reports that Arum and Mora’s promoter Jeff Wald reached a verbal agreement on Tuesday, and that Pavlik and Mora will meet in either late June or July, at The Boardwalk in Atlantic City.
The fight has not been announced as official yet, simply because Arum and Pavlik’s manager and father have a few particulars to work out first, and that these small details cannot be addressed until Arum, who is away on vacation, returns home. However, Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin said he expects no issues whatsoever and that the fight will take place. Wald also stated that Mora has already agreed to the fight.
“When I get back, Kelly and his father and Cameron and I will meet and I will present them with the deal,” Arum said. “We’ll work it out and then we can announce it.”
Arum said there are three dates in mind for the fight: June 20, July 18 or July 25.
Reportedly, HBO, Top Rank and Showtime have all passed on the fight, and now Arum is planning another independent, double venue pay-per-view card similar to the one that hosted Pavlik’s last fight – when “The Ghost” met Marco Antonio Rubio in Youngstown and Miguel Cotto met Michael Jennings in New York.
In the planned card, Pavlik would meet Mora, while over in Mexico, Julio Cesar Chavez Junior will be in action against an as yet TBA opponent. Adding further (some would say needed) intrigue to the planned show is the possibility that the recently disgraced Antonio Margarito may also be in action on the Mexican portion of the show – Mexico, of course being a place where “Tony” can currently fight.
Arum spoke more about his planned doubleheader.
“We’re definitely going to do the show from two sites,” Arum said. “It’ll be a big show from Mexico with Pavlik fighting in Atlantic City. Chavez Junior will be on in Mexico, but Margarito is also possible.”
Arum, as shrewd as they come, will be onto a winner if he does get Margarito on the bill. With the thought of Pavlik-Mora not exactly getting the majority of fans in a lather (decent enough match-up though it is), the chance to see Margarito back in action will almost certainly draw in additional buyers of the pay-per-view offering. One of the most talked about fighters in the world right now, “The Tijuana Tornado” is a fighter the fans will part with cash to see again.
Pavlik against Mora, with all due respect, looks like a pretty safe defence for the middleweight boss, but predicting how Margarito will look in his first fight back after the “loaded gloves” incident is a lot tougher – whoever he may face in the summer.
As such, the Mexican’s “comeback” fight figures to get most of the fans’ attention.