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HBO World Championship Boxing Recap

June 7, 2008

Boardwalk Hall-Atlantic City, New Jersey

Ring/WBC/WBO Middleweight (160 pounds) 12-Round Championship Match:

Kelly Pavlik (33-0, 29 KO's, 159 pounds) (c) vs. Gary Lockett (30-1, 21 KO's, 159.5 pounds)

Pavlik won these titles in an action packed match over Jermain Taylor via technical knockout at 2:14 of round 7 on September 29, 2007 at Boardwalk Hall. To read a full recap of that match visit my new website www.number1contender.net This is Pavlik's first defense of these titles.

Pavlik is an exciting power puncher, that appears incapable of having boring matches. Kellerman argues that Pavlik may be the hardest punching American boxer, and may be the hardest punching boxer in the sport with both hands, pound-for-pound.

The champion's last match was the only match of his career to go past 9 rounds. It was a non-title 12-round unanimous decision victory over Jermain Taylor in an immediate rematch that Taylor called for to be contested at the catch weight of 166 pounds on February 16, 2008 at Madison Square Garden.

Pavlik is The Ring Champion at 160 pounds and the magazine's number 8 boxer, pound-for-pound.

Lockett was not the first choice for this title shot. It was supposed to go to John Duddy. With Duddy's strong drawing power in New York the match was going to main event a card featuring Puerto Rican boxers at Madison Square Garden the weekend of the city's annual Puerto Rican Day parade. However, Duddy was badly cut in numerous places on his face in his last match in February on the undercard of Sultan Ibragimov vs. Wladimir Klitschko. The cuts required 23 stitches to close and Duddy was not medically cleared to box in the early June window. Therefore, Lockett, who was the mandatory challenger to Pavlik's WBO belt, was given the shot.

The Welshman also serves another purpose by being Pavlik's opponent in this match. Lockett is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, 2007's Trainer of the Year and father of 2007's BBC Sports Personality of the Year, Joe Calzaghe. By defeating one of Enzo's charges, the hope is that Pavlik will be able to get a match with Joe. Pavlik's trainer Jack Loew has been exchanging verbal jabs with Enzo regarding Joe and Joe's match up with Bernard Hopkins. Loew can not believe what he is saying, but is rather laying the ground work for Calzaghe vs. Pavlik. A match between Pavlik and Joe could be great. Also, if Mayweather is truly retired the winner would have to be considered the best pound-for-pound boxer on the planet, having claim to the true championships at 3 different weight classes simultaneously.

Lockett's last match was a technical knockout victory 1:09 into round 2 against Kai Kauramaki on December 15, 2007 at Meadowbank Sports Centre in Edinburgh, Scotland. Kauramaki entered the match on a 4-10 streak that included 7 knockout losses. Based off that impressive win, Lockett was named the mandatory contender and makes his first trip to box outside of the United Kingdom as a professional or amateur for this match. HBO.com's Ron Borges joked that Kauramaki's nickname should be "Who?" That was based on the fact no one has ever heard of him, and the same goes for the majority of Lockett's opponents. Jim Lampley, who is doing play-by-play of this event for HBO, admitted he had only heard of 1 of Lockett's 31 opponents.

Lockett has been making ominous statements at press conferences recently that if it is his last match he should get paid well for it. The $250,000 he is making to potentially get beat into retirement, is roughly 5 times more then he has made for any other match in his career. Conversely, Pavlik is making $2.5 million for this match, and his purses are only going to grow over the next few years if he continues to knockout opponents in impressive fashion.

Lockett is unranked by The Ring, but the number 28 ranked boxer at 160 pounds by boxrec.com.

At 26-years-old, Pavlik is 5 years younger then the 31-year-old Lockett. Pavlik has the height advantage standing 6' 2" tall, while Lockett stands 5' 10" tall. The champion has the reach advantage with a 24.5" arm length,compared to the challengers 22.5" arm length. Both boxers have rehydrated to 170 pounds on the unofficial scales, approaching match time. Both boxers will employ the orthodox stance. According to HBO.com, Pavlik enters the match as a 16-to-1 favorite.

The judges keeping official score of this match from ringside are from Nevada, New Jersey and New York. The referee is Eddie Cotton.

Pavlik wins round 1 easily, 10-9. The Welshman is standing directly in front of Pavlik and the champion is landing almost every punch. Lockett landed good punches at times on Pavlik, but they had no effect on the Youngstown, Ohio native. Lederman scores round 1 for Pavlik, 10-9. With 1:31 to go in round 2, Lockett takes a knee. That may have been a delayed reaction to a powerful right hand to the body from Pavlik. Pavlik has landed about 3 of those already this round, and the punch may end up stopping Lockett. Lockett gets up at the count of 8, and is allowed to continue with 1:18 to go in the round. However, there is significant swelling around Lockett's left eye, and possibly a cut near the corner of the eye. It should not play apart in the waning seconds of this match. Lockett's taking the knee was code to his corner to throw in the towel. Lockett has had enough of Pavlik and wants out. That is only the second knockdown of Lockett's career. After Pavlik has bloodied Lockett's nose with an uppercut, the champion throws a straight right that causes Lockett to step back and take a knee, again of his own choice. His corner has to throw in the towel, now. Pavlik is not rushing to finish Lockett or doing anything foolish. The champion's normal deliberate pace has Lockett desperately looking for someone to save him from having to say, "I quit." Lockett stands at 8 and the referee allows him to continue with 7 seconds to go in the round. Pavlik wins round 2, 10-7. It could be scored 10-6 or more, because Pavlik's dominance in the round was so great it could count as an additional knockdown or 2. However, this match is not going to the scorecards, making the point irrelevant. Pavlik wins round 2 on Lederman's scorecard, 10-7. In round 2, Pavlik threw 82 total punches and landed 41 of them. Pavlik landed a ridiculous 35 of the 52 power punches he threw, for a power connect percentage of 66% in round 2. Following a right hand from Pavlik, Lockett takes a knee for the third time in the match with 1:35 to go in round 3. The referee should not even put in a count here. Lockett stands up at 8, and as the referee asks the Welshman how he is doing, Lockett's corner mercifully throws in the towel. There were 3 quick knockout victories tonight, and this was the most impressive.

The official outcome from Michael Buffer is that: at 1:40 of round 3 the referee has called a halt to the contest making the winner by technical knockout, still undefeated, and still the Ring, WBC, and WBO Middleweight Champion of the World, Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik. The win moves Pavlik to 34-0 with 30 of those wins coming by way of knockout.

The final punchstat numbers are overwhelming, with Pavlik landing 92 of the 214 total punches he threw for a 43% total connect percentage. The power punching stats for Pavlik are borderline inhuman with the champion landing 66 of the 119 power punches he threw, for a 55% connect percentage. Lockett landed 32 of the 89 total punches he threw, for a 36% total connect percentage. The Welshman landed 18 of the 50 power punches he threw, for a respectable 36% power connect percentage.

Pavlik said in his post match interview that he will face whoever he is asked to face, but did not call out anybody. That was despite the crowd urging him to call out Joe Calzaghe.

The champion was great in this match. His defense is continuing to improve, and was stellar in this match. Pavlik showed an ability to throw every punch in the book with power in this match. This may have been the most complete performance by Pavlik, which says a lot. Pavlik has a long list of potential opponents. He is listed as facing Calzaghe on October 18 in the United States on boxrec.com. According to wikipedia Pavlik's promoter, Bob Arum, said that match would be for Pavlik's titles at 160 pounds on May 28, but no contracts have been signed.. However, ESPN, HBO, and Pavlik have made no mention of such an agreement in the last few days. Therefore, It is safe to assume that a match under those conditions will never happen. Calzaghe who can struggle to make 168 pounds will not drop to 160 pounds to face Pavlik. Calzaghe's next opponent appears to be Roy Jones, Jr., with Pavlik a potential opponent for 2009. There is a chance Pavlik could face Arthur Abraham who holds another belt at 160 pounds in the fall. However, Abraham has to beat Edison Miranda in a non-title catch weight match on June 21 on Showtime first. (There will be no recap of that event, unless there is an overwhelming demand.) Pavlik's next match will most likely be against another mandatory contender or some other soft opposition. It is not Pavlik's fault, though. The 160-pound division is currently very thin, and Pavlik is obligated to continue knocking out everyone in the division until a true contender emerges.

Lockett appeared to unofficially retire before the match. The beating he got from Pavlik in this match may have made that decision official. If not he will probably go back to boxing nobodies in the U.K.

The one-sided Pavlik match is as good as that type of match gets. Pavlik appears to be the future of American boxing, and watching him continue to grow as a boxer for free is enjoyable. Again, Pavlik appears incapable of having boring matches.