Since Kelly Pavlik’s Feb. 16 rematch with Jermain Taylor will be a non-title fight at 166 pounds, the widespread assumption had been that if successful, Pavlik might opt to remain a super middleweight, but promoter Bob Arum now says that, win or lose, Pavlik will defend his middleweight title against Ireland’s John Duddy at Madison Square Garden on June 7. This revamped plan reflects an ever-changing boxing landscape with many moving parts. This year will mark the fourth successive June in which Arum ran a show at the Mecca of Boxing, but the first in which WBA welterweight champ Miguel Cotto is not a participant. Arum had initially hoped to match Cotto against WBC counterpart Floyd Mayweather Jr. on that date, but Pretty Boy appears committed to a September rematch with Oscar De La Hoya, and has no plans to fight before then. Similarly, super middleweight Joe Calzaghe’s agreement to fight Bernard Hopkins (as a light heavyweight, yet) on April 19 puts him temporarily beyond Pavlik’s reach. In the meantime, Cotto has signed to face Alfonso Gomez in an HBO fight in Atlantic City April 26, making him unavailable for a June date. full story: http://www.bostonherald.com/sports/other_sports/boxing/view.bg?articleid=1070953
Bob Arum was getting dollar signs in his eyes...now reality has set in. Pavlik ought to stay MW for at least two more years in my opinion. Then, jump up to super to fight Kessler or Bute, or rematch with Edison Miranda and shut his "weight drained" excuses up.
