A ‘Grave’ Prediction: Stay Tuned For A Tale Of The ‘Ghost’ And The ‘Executioner’

kelly pavlik30.09.07 – By Vivek Wallace: On the eve of the month that culminates in Halloween, the sport of boxing seems to be right on par. In the midst of the middleweight divisions newly formed ‘Bermuda Triangle’ stands a guy known as ‘The Ghost’ who sits firmly atop.

Below him to the left is the former champion that he dismantled known as the guy with ‘Bad Intentions’, and to his right is the divisions elder statesman, aptly known as the ‘The Executioner’. Slightly north in the super middleweight division stands two nickname-less fighters who are equally scary in talent, thus, need no introduction in Joe Calzaghe and Mikkel Kessler.

For the longest time there seemed to be a certain number of components in place, but the fights among the middleweights for whatever reason didn’t materialize. After the Pavlik/Miranda fight I spoke of high interest in a Pavlik/Calzaghe fight, and at the time, many readers commented that Pavlik was undeserving ‘hype’ and that even considering a Pavlik/Calzaghe fight a possibility put me as a writer high on the ‘moronic’ plateau. Well, here we stand today after the Pavlik/Taylor debacle and all of a sudden that same group of readers have made me appear prophetic.

While some may argue that Hopkins is a bit old to be compared to the others, I can think of a few good reasons why there’s no doubt a fight between he and Pavlik will be made. For starters, the Hopkins’ fights against Taylor were widely contested by viewers. Although one was a little closer than the other, both left fight fans feeling that Hopkins could still compete with the best the division has to offer. Further cementing this argument that Hopkins can still ‘hang’ with the divisions elite was the way he not only went up in weight and handled light heavyweight Antonio Tarver, but also the way he successfully broke the ‘code’ behind the near impenetrable defense of ‘Winky’ Wright – a feat that few others have been able to do recently. You take these examples and couple them with the fact that a CONVINCING win over Hopkins catapults Pavlik to near reason for ego-maniacal proportions, and all of a sudden you have high interest from both parties and a promoter who’s never seen a mega fight he didn’t like.

Jermain Taylor has expressed interest in a rematch against Pavlik but after a super intense fight camp in the Poconos that yielded sub-par results, one has to question what can he really change that would get him over the top against a Pavlik whose confidence is now unshakable against him after a 7th round destruction. That being said, a Calzaghe win against Kessler could setup a monstrous showdown across the pond, and a Kessler victory against Calzaghe would do the same in Denmark. Sounds good in theory, but among all the possible options, stay tuned for the ‘reality’ show…..The one that will take place right here in the U.S.

Bottomline, as long as Oscar can call the services of his always ‘game’ henchman and deliver to Pavlik his biggest payday to date at a weight that won’t require him to tread unchartered waters, consider it a done deal. In another prophetic moment, for whatever it’s worth, this fight will happen no later than the Summer of ’08. I know, I know, call me a moron again. That’s fine. Just do me a favor. When it does happen, this time around at least remember where you heard it first.

(Got Feedback?: Write Vivek Wallace at vivexemail@yahoo.com or show some love at myspace.com/anonymouslyinvolved)