Monday, November 21st 2011

Round Up: Pavlik Wins by Majority Decision

WORLD WELTERWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Champion MANNY PACQUIAO VS. SHANE MOSLEY

MAY 7TH, MGM Grand Garden Arena, Las Vegas

UNDERCARD

FIGHT: KELLY PAVLIK, 36-2, 32 KOs, Youngstown, Ohio vs. ALFONSO LOPEZ, 21-0, 16 KOs, Cut and Shoot, Texas

DIVISION: 10 Rds. – Super Middleweights

RESULT: Pavlik Wins by Majority Decision

DETAIL: It’s been a long, tough year for Pavlik, who hasn’t fought since 2010, when he lost his middleweight straps to Sergio Martinez in Atlantic City. But the fighting pride of the blue collar city of Youngstown is back. And while he might not be better than ever, he’s still pretty damn good.

Just ask Lopez, who ate some punishing blows courtesy of Pavlik. Though game — and, yeah, equipped with a strong chin — Lopez wasn’t able to keep the former champ from landing punches. He knew it, of course, and tried hard throughout the fight to keep Pavlik off him by wrapping up frequently.

That said, Lopez did have offense on his mind. He threw a high volume of punches, which at times shook Pavlik off his game. Just not enough. Pavlik bit down, maintained his cool, and simply outworked Lopez. Indeed, he showed flashes of brilliance, including in the final round, when he went at Lopez hard. He was obviously looking for the knockout, but again, Lopez is nothing if not tough.
All in all, Pavlik gave a good showing, especially given the unusually large amount of time he’s spent away from the sport. With a solid win under his belt and a new-found sense of purpose, Pavlik can continue his run at a new weight division.

The judges scored it 95-95, 98-92, 99-91.

LATEST NEWS

ico