Pavlik has to realize that his stock has significantly dropped since receiving those large pay days. He needs a big win to once again position himself to earn the higher purses. His lack of humility considering all that he's gone through is off putting.
Didn't address the drinking and accepted a fight without a contract or even an estimate of how much he was going to make? WTF... yeah... businessman my ass
He refuses to acknowledge how much his stock has dropped. He was a scorching hot fighter when he went up against Hopkins and Lockett -- these days, a seven-figure purse is the best he can ask for. I agree from the standpoint that Bute is a poor matchup for him, but what big name in the division makes more sense? My preference was for him to fight Abraham, but in any case he handled this situation with zero intelligence or class.
It's one thing to turn down a fight when you want more money. It's a whole different story to pull out of a fight 4 days before it is to be fought, pissing off hometown fans and a big cable network.
The "minimum" purse is always the actual purse. You never get more, unless you're Oscar DeLaHoya or Bernard Hopkins. Pavlik was getting robbed. Isn't it enough that they robbed him of his title?