Big-Fight Options Aplenty For Pavlik: If “The Ghost” Beats Bryan Vera!

By James Slater: As fight fans know, former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik faces former “Contender” Bryan Vera in November, on the under-card of the big Manny Pacquiao-Antonio Margarito fight in Texas. The fight is a must-win affair for “The Ghost,” and Pavlik himself has referred to the Nov. 13th, 164-pound catch-weight fight as “life and death for me as a fighter.”

Pavlik, who lost his middleweight titles to Argentina’s Sergio Martinez back in April, knows his career at top level will be pretty much over if he loses for a third time. However, the Youngstown star is not thinking negatively, and he also knows big fights are out there for him if he does win against the tough Texan.

In a news story on ESPN.com, Dan Rafael has revealed how Pavlik will very possibly have the opportunity to choose from three big fights if he beats Vera. A fight with IBF super-middleweight champion Lucian Bute is one fight that is being discussed, a rematch with Martinez is another possibility; while a clash with Paul Williams (who Pavlik was supposed to have met already by now, only for the fight to fall apart for a number of reasons) is could also happen, if “The Punisher” can again defeat Martinez, in their November return fight.

Pavlik’s co-manager, Cameron Dunkin, spoke to ESPN.com about Pavlik’s future options, and he said that while a fight with Canada’s unbeaten Bute is a “doable” fight, his gut feeling is that Pavlik wants to regain his old middleweight crown. Pavlik fights next at 164-pounds, but he has yet to make up his mind about whether or not his immediate future lies at 160 or 168.

“Everybody [Mike Pavlik, Jack Loew and Pavlik himself] is open to the fight,” Dunkin informed ESPN.com regarding the Bute fight. “[but] I think in Kelly’s heart he wants to be middleweight champion again. I think he really wants that belt back. After that, he’s very game to fight at 168. He respects Bute and all the good guys up there.”

Dunkin said Pavlik’s next move will depend greatly on the result of the Williams-Martinez rematch next month. If Martinez wins on Nov. 20th, and HBO are interested, Pavlik will look to fight the 35-year-old southpaw again. But if Williams repeats his win of last year, Pavlik will look to finally get it on with the 29-year-old lefty. Either fight is a potential smash hit, and then a fight with the superb Bute could happen for Pavlik afterwards.

It’s clear to see then, that 28-year-old Pavlik, 36-2(32) could well reach the heights he once scaled, and that his marquee-name career is far from over. For if Pavlik were to win either of the three possible bouts mentioned, the hard-hitting blue-collar hero would have well and truly revived his somewhat flagging reputation. Pavlik feels he can beat Martinez in a return and maybe, without the nasty cuts that served to hamper him in April, he could do so. As for Pavlik-Williams and Pavlik-Bute, both fights would be huge attractions, and no-one could be too sure of the outcome of either match-up.

All this talk will come to nought if tough guy Vera upsets Pavlik next month, though. As Kelly says himself, the Nov. 13th ten-rounder is “life and death.” “The Future is now,” Pavlik also said.