Then why the hell is he picking on small midget fighter? Why not face the big name in middle weight division...
The night Martinez beat Pavlik a lot of other guys would have beat him too. Can you honestly claim that version of KP would have walked right through Miranda's right hand? Do you really believe that version of Pavlik would have got up from te ass whoopin' JT put on him in round two of their first fight. This fight screams out for a rematch. Last April Martinez said, "He can have a rematch anytime he wants one." Now that it would be super easy to set up a fall fight Pavlik says, "I want my rematch." Martinez won't even talk about it.
I'll tell you who's scared: it's Kelly Pavlik. He and his people clearly don't want to run the gauntlet at 168. He'd rather get in the mix there ONLY if it thins out a bit. If he goes to 168, people will be looking to see him fight Bute, Ward, Froch, Dirrell -- he loses badly to at least 3 of those guys. Kelly should be calling out Lucian Bute. He's already acting like he's unable to make 160, which is where Martinez MOVED UP in weight and stripped his ass of the title in emphatic fashion. Pavlik had a rematch clause but chose not to take it. Now he's pining for a rematch at a catchweight after losing to a smaller guy? Martinez even waited for Kelly to exercise the option BEFORE he signed to fight his next opponent. They were going to give Kelly his contractually obligated rematch. Kelly sat there and waited for the window of time to expire. Pavlik made the infamous "sick" excuse after the Hopkins ass whipping. Booradly was on here also bitching about the weight difference, even though B-hop weighed 180 to Pavlik's 174 on fight night. :deal Now he's on here trying to say that Kelly was drained/drunk just because he got turned into a bleeding vagina by the smaller man he was trying to feast on. Always an excuse after a boxer boxes the **** out of him. This is a silly thread. Kelly Pavlik needs to get down to 160 and make himself semi-relevant again. He can go KO Pirog (a guy who Sergio seems to truly be ducking) and put pressure on Martinez's camp that way. Or he can say "**** it" and go fight Bute at '68 for a nice payday on HBO. Bute has wanted that fight for a very long time and Pavlik might be a bigger guy than him at this point (he weighs over 190 out of the ring). The fact is, a rematch would be interesting to see at 160. You can't keep asking a guy to move up every time he beats your ass. Kelly should have taken the fight at 160 when he had the chance. Martinez camp is smart to look for newer options, but they can offer Kelly a rematch at MW or no fight. He should've used his damn rematch clause. If Kelly really wants the fight, he'll take it at the weight he claimed he was best at post-Hopkins. Otherwise, his best bet is to stop sitting in limbo, bite the bullet and go to '68 and take his lickings.
No...the fight doesn't scream for a rematch when two guys are in different weight classes, not to mention one guy got his face shredded, athletically outclassed and followed the fight with rehab, followed by no fights, and has a scheduled fight he hasn't gotten out of the way. Martinez was willing to give him the contractually agreed upon rematch, is my understanding, but at middleweight, where it was agreed to be, if at all necessary, considering he was supposed to be on that stretcher. That's the rematch he was game for and the one Pavlik simply doesn't seem able to partake in. Too bad, so sad, not Martinez's fault or problem.
I'm genuinely surprised at how many excuses Boo is making. I like Pavlik a lot but it's clear to everyone who saw that fight, that Martinez is the superior boxer and a terrible styles match up for Pavlik. Yeah, this is where the Pavlik fans will say "My man was controlling the middle rounds until the cut" but that's besides the point. The cut happened because Martinez was landing at will throughout the fight, but apart from that, Martinez losing stamina towards the end of fights has hurt him previously, so I don't think there was anything more to it than Martinez simply taking a few rounds off. It wasn't that everything Pavlik did started to negate what Martinez was doing. The dynamics of the fight changed, absolutely, but looking at the first and last four rounds, it's clear that Martinez is the better fighter. What is annoying though is this "Martinez is scared nonsense". You're talking about a rematch yet Pavlik can't even make the weight of the first fight. Whilst Martinez has grown into the middleweight division, are we now to say he's scared because he won't move up to fight a guy he's already beaten? What would he prove? Maybe 2% of boxing fans actually believe this nonsense that Pavlik can beat him, so what does Martinez have to gain? It's not even a big fight considering how Pavlik's stock has fallen. And apart from that, Pavlik had the chance for a rematch written into the contract yet didn't take it. It's just ridiculous to accuse Martinez of being scared. He's the better fighter - End of.
Martinez is the guy who just happened to be in the right place at the right time. He is a better fighter than a weight drained and mentally ****ed up Pavlik, but so are a lot of other guys. Sergio's supporters are a baffling lot. On the one hand they claim Martinez is a P4P world class champion headed for all time great status, but when the subject of moving up a mere 5 pounds comes up, they have a million excuses why he can't do that. And yet, not one of you has answered the question, "Who is a better fall opponent that would bring more money and credibility, and actually wants the fight?" Name somebody.
You know I love ya, Boo, but Sergio isn't scared. That said, I would not be surprised to see a better version of Pavlik at 166lbs turn in a very competitive fight.