Ok we are jumping the gun with retirement. But he wont beat any of the top fighters at 168. And 160 .. he wont beat Martinez and PW. He lost his mojo.
Wladimir Klitschko should have retired in 2004. Bernard Hopkins should have retired in 1993. Manny Pacquiao should have retired in 1999. Glen Johnson should have retired in 1997.
If the 28 year-old former Undisputed Middleweight Champion of the World is no longer considered capable of putting in world class performances at MW or SMW, he should definitely retire. I am also worried about that. After Hopkins, something changed; he's not the same guy anymore... the fire isn't there anymore... If he doesn't have a good chance of beating Williams or any of the Top SMWs, he should retire. What's the point of carrying on? The big question is: can Pavlik regain his mojo, with another trainer/team? He definitely needs a change of attitude. For too long, he hasn't appreciated how lucky he was to have the promotional support/exposure he's had, and looked down upon other fighters, telling them to get in line and that they didn't deserve the payday only he could give them, etc... whilst often fighting less than stellar opposition. Is his heart still in it? I am not sure it is anymore....:-( The problem is, he cannot rebuild whilst fighting B- level fighters. He's between a rock and a hard place. His next two fights have to be against credible opposition and he needs to make a statement, if he is to be taken seriously as a force at 160-168 lbs.
He just needs to revaluate his career. He lost to a great(Hops) and a very very good fighter(Martinez) it's not like he's getting knocked out or beaten by bums. I still see him being competitive at 160 because of the lack of talent there but I'm not sure how he would do against elite competition at 168. The guy hasn't really got it mentally anymore and needs to regain his confidence. Remember he got off the canvas to get the middleweight championship.
I'm not a massive fan of Pavlik, but I don't think he should retire, he's only 28 and has only 2 losses on his record. I think people are getting a bit carried away. However, he must change trainer. He needs to get his confidence back with fresh ideas and new input from a new training team. That's his only hope, especially if the plan is to move up to 168.
Pavlik was trying to say that he can't see, and his trainer told him not to, because he did not want the fight stopped. Stop the BS that he didn't have the heart, it's just not true at all. And until the cut on the right eye Pavlik actually was winning the fight and had all the momentum. It was not like Kelly was dominated all fight and it wasn't even close. It was very close, perhaps he was even winning, until that second cut, that changed everything. I can't wait to see a rematch. I think it will be another great fight, which could go either way.
Thats why I am a Pavlik fan b/c he used to be mentally tough. This dude now.. is not the same guy. Pavlik was on seek and destroy and went through hell and back to get it done. Nothing came easy for him but he kept with it. Now, he just dont seem like the same dude. Face is cutting up all easy.
I'd still take Pavlik over Williams. (By K.O.) & would pay money to watch Pavlik Vs. Abraham. (what a war that would be....) bottom line don't bury Kelly yet, Dude is only 28yrs old. He just needs to build his confidence again & stay away from fighters w/ a certain "style".
If you think that fight was close you are blind.....Pavlik had it about even after rallying....then he just shut down. He was beaten going away....no contest,....he looked terrible. It wasn't his vision, it was his head that is the problem....:huh
The fight was even at times. Martinez won the very early rounds and very late rounds but the middle was close. Martinez toke over after the very bad bleeding.
He still is tough he just has better competition now.(Taylor fights were great wins though) Agree with what I highlighted.
eh he's still world clas, i mean he was world champion and would probably beat most middleweights/super middleweights out there