Kelly Pavlik KO’s Lockett Calzaghe is Next?
June 8, 2008
The boxing action along the Atlantic City Boardwalk was short but sweet, as Kelly Pavlik and Juan Manuel Lopez were knockout winners in Saturday night’s HBO telecast.
Pavlik made the first successful defense of his middleweight crown with a three round, three-knockdown blitzing of hapless Welshman Gary Lockett, while Lopez made an explosive statement with a shocking first round knockout against Daniel Ponce de Leon.
The bouts headlined a six-fight card at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Pavlik was a whopping 25-1 favorite heading into the bout, but had to wait at least a round to completely dominate. Lockett, 159.5, landed the first significant punch of the fight, a straight right that touched Pavlik’s chin, though it didn’t take long for Pavlik – or his legions of Ohio supporters who made the trek to the Boardwalk – to get going.
The undefeated linear middleweight kingpin landed a right hand of his own to get a rise out of the spirited crowd. Another Pavlik right hand later in the round produce the first anxious moments of the fight, with Lockett pinned in a corner, forced to play defense. The challenger survived the brief storm, and even managed to fight back a bit prior to rounds end.
Pavlik, 159, turned up the heat in a brutally one-sided second round. A one-two combination set the table for the rest of the frame, with Lockett offering nothing in return. The safest place in the ring for the Welshman turned out to be the canvas, as a pair of knockdowns provided the only 20 or seconds in which he didn’t take punishment. A body shot followed by consecutive rights put Lockett down midway through the round. The right hand was also the weapon of choice later in the round, when Lockett took two on the beard before dropping to a knee for a mandatory eight.
Everyone in the arena sensed the end was near in the third round, and Pavlik didn’t disappoint. Youngstown’s favorite son finished the job with – you guessed it – a series of right hands, including three straight to send Lockett to a knee for the third time in the bout. Referee Eddie Cotton administered a full eight count when a stoppage seemed more appropriate. Lockett’s corner would give him an assist, literally throwing in the towel to end the massacre.
The official time was 1:40 of round three.
Pavlik cruises to 34-0 (30KO) with the win, which marked the first successful defense of the linear middleweight crown he won from Jermain Taylor last September in the very same arena. A decision win in the rematch earlier this year ended Pavlik’s knockout streak at ten. A new streak begins with tonight’s win, though such appeared inevitable the moment the bout was put together.
The more pressing question – who’s up next.
“Whoever they throw in front of me, that’s up to Top Rank. I leave that up to them,” Pavlik told HBO’s Max Kellerman after the fight. “I wouldn’t mind facing Arthur Abraham, Joe Calzaghe, Bernard Hopkins, whoever.”
The response of Calzaghe drew a favorable reaction from the fans, both from Ohio and Lockett’s – and Calzaghe’s native Wales.
“Is that the one you guys want,” Pavlik playfully asked the crowd afterward.
That said, contracts suggest that it’s Marco Antonio Rubio next on tap, in a planned September showdown. The matchup doesn’t scream anticipation, though as Gary Lockett learned, a Pavlik right hand or 92 (the amount of punches he landed in 7 ½ minutes) can quickly change that.
Lockett falls to 28-2 (20KO) with the loss. The bout was his American debut, as well as first against anyone of note. Chances are, his name won’t ring out in the foreseeable future.
One name that will ring out for the time being, and perhaps years to come is Juan Manuel Lopez, who made an emphatic splash into the richly talented super bantamweight ranks with a first round knockout over Daniel Ponce de Leon in the televised co-feature.
Whether or not Lopez, 121, could take a punch was the one remaining question in his otherwise impressive repertoire. The question didn’t necessarily get answered, though it certainly wasn’t a liability against the free swinging Mexican.
Ponce de Leon, 121, started off the bout in typical fashion, swinging for the fences and missing wildly. He quickly found his range, even if most of his punches were catching gloves. Still, the activity was enough to momentarily force Lopez to put up the earmuffs while he sought to ride out the storm.
The tide quickly turned midway through the round, when Lopez landed a right hook and a straight left. Chants of “Pon-ce” came from two sections of the arena for Ponce de Leon, though that portion of the crowd would quickly discover they were considerably outnumbered.
A right hook by Lopez caused a delayed reaction, with Ponce de Leon stumbling to the canvas seconds after having his chin checked. He beat the count, but was never able to get back into the fight. Lopez kept his foot on the gas, pummeling the Mexican before sending him to the canvas for the second time in the bout. Referee Michael Ortega began his mandatory eight count, but quickly waved it off the moment Ponce de Leon stumbled into a neutral corner.
The official time was 2:25 of the first round.
Lopez rolls to 22-0 (20KO) with by far the biggest win of his young career. In an already loaded super bantamweight division, the question is no longer how well he can absorb, but how soon Lopez will be for the very best.
With the loss, Ponce de Leon snaps a three-year, ten-fight win streak. He falls to 34-2 (30KO).
Both bouts were aired live on HBO and presented by Top Rank. The main event was presented in association with Frank Warren’s Sports Network (Lockett), with Golden Boy Promotions representing Ponce de Leon in the co-feature.
UNDERCARD
British super featherweight Kevin Mitchell (27-0, 20KO) kept his undefeated record intact with a fifth round stoppage over Colombian power puncher Walter Estrada (30-6, 20KO). A back-and-forth second was the only point in which Estrada was in the fight. A body shot by Mitchell floored Estrada just before the bell to end the fifth. Estrada beat the count, but was unable to convince the referee of his ability to continue. The official time was 2:59 of round five.
The final undercard bout before the televised portion went to the scorecards, producing a minor upset as Eberto Medina won a four-round majority decision over pro debuter Arman Ovespian (now 0-1). Scores were 40-36,39-37, 38-38 in the junior middleweight swing bout. Medina evens up his record at 3-3-1 (1KO) with his first win in 18 months.
Power punching super lightweight newcomer Demetrio Soto made his East Coast debut, though didn’t stick around for very long as he blasted out Gustavo Mejia in just 58 seconds. A clean-up left hook sent Mejia crashing to the canvas, causing the referee wave off the bout and ringside physicians to jump into the ring for immediate medical attention. Soto, fighting out of Los Angeles, rolls to 4-0 (4KO). Mejia dips below .500, now at 2-3-1 (2KO).
Jersey City-based bantamweight Jorge Diaz (5-0, 4KO), opened the show with a six round decision over Gino Escamilla (5-2-1, 1KO). Scores were 60-54 (2x) and 59-55.
Comments
Got something to say?
