Youngstown's Kelly Pavlik paid his celebrity dues last week, when unfounded rumors circulated that the WBC-WBO middleweight champion checked into an alcohol rehab unit. All he was doing was digging a pond on his property.
Seth Wenig/Associated PressKelly PavlikKelly Pavlik had to pay his celebrity dues last week.
A rumor on the Internet had the middleweight champion from Youngstown checked in at an alcoholic rehabilitation center. However, the fighter was actually busy digging a pond at his new home in Hubbard.
Go figure.
Pavlik is no wallflower. He likes to play darts, which tells you right there that drinking beer is a part of his makeup. But unless he gets in trouble, cut the guy some slack.
The biggest news to come out of it was that the WBC-WBO champ is in serious negotiations to face WBA champion Felix Sturm of Germany. Co-manager Cameron Dunkin said getting that bout together for the fall and a subsequent unification match against IBF champ Arthur Abraham in early 2010 is the current game plan.
The sooner the Sturm bout gets made, the better to put rumors to rest.
Pro show: The combination professional-amateur show is on for Saturday at the Memorial Field House in Campbell, Ohio, at 7 p.m.
Cleveland lightweight brothers Mickey Bey Jr. (12-0, 7 KOs) and Cortez Bey (8-0, 5 KOs) have confirmed they will be coming in from Las Vegas later this week for bouts against unnamed opponents. Cleveland junior middleweight Dante Moore (3-0, 2 KOs), junior welterweight Will Nixon (2-0, 2 KOs) and debuting Julius LeeGrand are also on the pro side.
Tickets are $60, $30 and $20. Call 330-219-2290 or 330-692-0692.
Mark Keppler/Associated PressWladimir Klitschko, (53-3, 47 KOs) from Ukraine, exalts after retaining his IBF-WBO heavyweight titles Saturday in Germany. Klitschko defeated Ruslan Chagaev, from Uzbekistan, with a technical knockout in Round 9.Around the ring: Shawn Porter upped his record to 8-0 (7 KOs) with a first-round stoppage of replacement Brandon Wooten (6-14-1, 1 KO) on Friday in Salisbury, Md. Porter, who is calling Cleveland home, was supposed to meet unbeaten junior middleweight Dion Savage (5-0). . . Akron heavyweight Nicolai Firtha (16-6-1, 7 KOs) lost in the sixth round to Tye Fields (42-2, 38 KOs) on Saturday in Edmonton, Alberta. . . . Former lightweight champion Paul Spadafora (41-0-1, 16 KOs) returns to the ring tonight in his hometown of Pittsburgh when he faces Ivan Bustos (25-12-3, 8 KOs) of Argentina. Spadafora has brought in Pernell Whitaker to work his corner for the bout at the Amphitheatre at Station Square. . . . More than 61,000 fans turned out in Germany to watch Wladimir Klitschko (53-3, 47 KOs) retain his IBF-WBO heavyweight titles Saturday as he overpowered Ruslan Chagaev (25-1-1, 17 KOs), who did not come out for the 10th round.
Amateur news: It’s also not too early to start thinking about Northfield Park’s “Night at the Races” fund-raiser by the Cleveland Area Golden Gloves on Friday, Sept. 11. Tickets are $40 and include admission, parking and buffet dinner. Call the Golden Gloves office at 216-662-7445.
TV Friday: The ESPN2 “Friday Night Fights” are in Tucson, Ariz., for a middleweight affair between Daniel Jacobs (16-0, 14 KOs) and George Walton (20-3, 12 KOs). Olympic bronze medalist Deontay Wilder (5-0, 5 KOs), the only American to earn a medal in Beijing, is on the show at 10 p.m.
Saturday: Showtime will have same-day coverage of IBF middleweight champ Arthur Abraham’s title defense against Mahir Oral (25-1-2, 10 KOs) at 9 p.m. Abraham (29-0, 23 KOs) cannot afford to stumble if he wants to get his biggest payday against Pavlik.
Of course, it would be as much a disaster for Pavlik if Abraham were to lose and ruin their much-anticipated unification bout next year.
If for some reason you want to shell out $39.95 pay-per-view television dollars, the WBO junior featherweight title bout between Juan Manuel Lopez (25-0, 23 KOs) and challenger Olivier Lontchi (18-0-2, 8 KOs) is on from Atlantic City, N.J., at 9 p.m. That’s the card Pavlik was supposed to headline against Sergio Mora.
