We all know pavlik is fighting taylor---heres just the latest hometown interview. YOUNGSTOWN As Kelly Pavlik was working his way through the middleweight ranks, knocking out pretty much everyone in his path, there were a few times he wondered whether he'd ever get his shot. He doesn't have to wonder any longer. The South Sider (31-0, 28 KOs) will fight WBC champion Jermain Taylor (27-0-1, 17 KOs) for the title Sept. 29 at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The fight will be televised nationally on HBO. "It's done," said Pavlik's co-manager, Cameron Dunkin. "Nothing has been signed because there's still a few details to be ironed out, but we're ready to go." Top Rank president Bob Arum, whose organization represents Pavlik, is vacationing in Europe but has reached an agreement with Taylor's manager, Lou DiBella. "When Bob gets back, they'll go back and forth and bicker at each other for a while," Dunkin said. The contract must be signed by July 14, Pavlik said. This content is protected "I've heard it's definitely a go, even though we haven't signed anything yet," said Pavlik. "I'm 99.9 percent sure. But until we get something on paper, there's always that one-tenth of a percent." Money matters Pavlik, the WBC's No. 1 contender, was guaranteed a title shot after knocking out Edison Miranda in Memphis in May, but many wondered whether Taylor would choose to vacate his title, leaving Pavlik to face another top contender. But HBO reportedly offered more than $4.5 million for the fight, which was enough to satisfy Taylor's handlers and keep the fight off pay-per-view. "We're still negotiating money right now," said Pavlik, who made $450,000 for the Miranda fight. "It's going to be a good bit more than the last fight, but Taylor is still hogging up most of it right now." Said Dunkin, "We're still talking money and I'm asking for more." Pavlik's profile got a huge boost with his dominating performance against Miranda in the undercard of Taylor's bout with Cory Spinks. Taylor won that fight by decision, but the performance didn't impress the fans, who booed the lackluster performance. Afterward, Taylor vowed he would fight Pavlik only "if the money is right." East Coast bout Most observers figured September's bout would be held in Las Vegas or Los Angeles, but Caesars and Bally's Atlantic City came up with a good enough offer to sway promoters. "They had the best offer and they always take the best offer," said Dunkin. The site pleased Pavlik, who was hoping to fight on the East Coast so more of his friends and family (not to mention his fans) could attend. Atlantic City is about a seven-hour drive from Youngstown. "I love it; I think it's great," said Pavlik. "It's closer. We had a good amount of fans down in Tennessee for the Miranda fight and this will allow more people to watch the fight." Pavlik has never fought in Atlantic City, although he fought as an amateur in nearby Philadelphia. Pavlik turned pro in 2000 and never imagined it would take this long to fight for a championship. "When I was coming up, they were putting guys in front of me and I kept taking care of business," said Pavlik. "Top Rank put me up against guys who were supposed to go the distance against me and I was taking them out early. "But I still heard every excuse, that I wasn't fighting anybody. And I thought, 'What else do I have to do?' " Breaking through Pavlik finally broke through over the past few years with wins over Bronko McKart, Jose Luis Zertuche and Fulgencio Zuniga, winning the NABF title by knocking out Zuniga. "For a while, the credit wasn't coming," Pavlik, 25, said. "There came a point in time when I wondered if I'd get a chance at the title. I wondered if some fluke was going to happen. "The thing is, in boxing, losses come. To go 31-0 over the past seven years, I give myself a pat on the back. You can get robbed, you can get hit by a phantom punch. To try and keep that record going, it always plays on your mind." Even after his knockout of Miranda, Pavlik's own handlers felt Taylor would duck him, opting instead to move up a weight class. Pavlik prepared himself for the worst, figuring he would at least get a title shot no matter what. "I didn't want to get false hopes," said Pavlik. "But two weeks ago, my agent told me it was real close. Then there was talk of HBO offering good money and then I saw Taylor was running his mouth in the paper again, so that made me feel really great about it." Hasn't started training Pavlik, who trains with Jack Loew at the SouthSide Boxing Club, has been jogging twice a week to keep in shape, but he won't start training heavily until early August. He trained for six weeks for the Miranda fight and said training more than six or seven weeks takes its toll. "By the time I fought Miranda, I had some aches in my lower back, my elbows and my legs," said Pavlik. "It's pretty demanding on the body." September's fight will be the first middleweight title bout held in Atlantic City since Bernard Hopkins defeated William Joppy in December of 2003. It will be the third major fight at Boardwalk Hall in 2007. Sultan Ibragimov won the WBO heavyweight title last month against Shannon Briggs and, Friday, Arturo Gatti will fight Alfonso Gomez in a welterweight bout. "We worked hard and stuck through a lot," said Pavlik. "Fortunately for us, everything worked out in the end."
