Pavlik’s plate full with choice morsels Williams, Sturm, Martinez, Bute, and Super 6 winner

Kelly pavlik Paul Strauss: You could easily throw a few more intriguing names into the pot as well, such as Allan Green in one weight direction and Yuri Foreman in the other direction. Undoubtedly the winner of the Super Six will not come out unscathed, so there could be other possibilities from that group in addition to the tournament winner. Pavlik can be just about as busy as he wants to be in the next couple of years, and hopefully salt away big bucks for those cold nights in Youngstown, OH. Who should he consider first and what are his chances?

It’s a safe bet most would say Paul Williams should be first if for no other reason than they were set to go until Kelly developed the stubborn staph infection in his finger. Kelly and Jack Loew claim they tried everything they could medically to get the infection healed, and they only took the Miguel Espino fight because they were pretty much told by the regulatory bodies. They had to comply or lose the belt(s). They weren’t about to let that happen, so they made the fight. Considering the long lay-off Kelly has had, he looked pretty good against the rough Espino. Kelly had his uppercut working especially well, and Miguel could not adjust.. However, it’s not likely he would beat Williams with the same punch. No, his best bet would be to get Williams to engage in a full fledged exchange, which shouldn’t be hard, and then count on having the superior punching power to hurt Williams and possibly take him out. Williams only knows how to put pressure on and then when things aren’t going as well as he wants, he puts more pressure on and again and again, unit his opponent wilts. It’s probably not going to happen with Kelly. Sergio Martinez proved that Williams can be out-boxed and can also be hurt. Sergio managed to time Williams’ volume punching style and beat him to the punch. Martinez is not noted for being a big puncher, certainly nothing like Kelly, but he still managed to knock down Williams and shake him up on several other occasions. Williams is tough though, and throws so many punches. Go with the naturally bigger man (except for reach) and the harder puncher. The smart money is on the Ghost.

Another interesting possibility is Felix Sturm. Sturm is an excellent boxer, as he proved when he fought (and many thought beat) Oscar De La Hoya. He also avenged his only other loss, which was by TKO to Javier Castillejo. Now that he has signed on with Freddie Roach, it is interesting to contemplate whether Freddie will add any new wrinkles…….i.e. an increase in punching power? But, will it be enough to hurt Kelly, who everyone knows takes a good shot.
Smart money stays with Kelly.

Martinez would also make for a good fight, just as he did against Williams. He has speed and elusiveness, but again just as with Sturm there isn’t enough power to carry him to victory. The smart money is still with Kelly.

Bute would really be an interesting challenge for Kelly, especially after his impressive kayo of Andrade. He is bigger than Sturm and Martinez, and after his KO win over granite chinned Andrade, it’s obvious he has power. He’s another southpaw as well, and has very fast hands and punches in combinations. Plus, he is hard to hit. He ran out of gas in the first fight with Andrade, but it’s doubtful he will let that happen again. As everyone knows, Kelly was schooled by the Hopkins, the wily veteran, and likely Bute will be watching and learning from film of that fight before ever stepping into the ring with Pavlik. His speed and sharp combination punching might earn him a close decision over Kelly. Keep your money in your pocket if that one comes about, unless odds get out of whack for either guy. Then go ahead and take a chance with the underdog.

Current speculation with the Super 6 leans toward Ward or Abraham coming out as the winner. Abraham definitely hits hard enough to stop Pavlik, who was dropped by the much lighter hitting Jermain Taylor. The question is whether King Arthur has the skills. There’s a good chance Kelly would blast through the King’s defense and administer a whipping on the undefeated Armenian. The King has the punching power to be a legitimate threat though, and with one shot he might end things. Even the knockout artist Kelly doesn’t have that kind of power. If you like the big hitter and raw power, definitely place your bet on the King. If you think size, skill and good power will prevail, go with the Ghost. .

Andre Ward remains somewhat of a question mark simply because of his relative inexperience. He looked extremely good against Edison Miranda, and then in his win over favorite Mikkel Kessler. Andre has the size, speed and toughness to give the Ghost fits. He definitely knows how to change angles, transition to southpaw, and feint Kelly into mistakes. Like most good fighters, Kelly needs to be able to land his jab before everything else falls into place. Hopkins managed to take his jab away through a variety of tactics. He would slip it, block it, counter it, and beat him to the punch with lead rights, plus use his own jab effectively. It’s a safe bet Ward will do all of those things, including coming in with his head, but all of them will be done faster. It’s also doubtful Kelly would have the same success with the uppercut against Ward that he enjoyed against Espino. If Ward manages to come through victorious in the Super Six, then the smart money may very well be going with him over the Ghost.