By James Slater: Former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik, now campaigning as a 168-pounder, is in line for a big fight against either IBF super-middleweight champ Lucian Bute or once-beaten but still highly touted contender James DeGale. Having returned to action back in May, “The Ghost” will take another tune-up on August 6th, in his native Youngstown, as he waits to see which fighter he agrees to face.
Tuning up for southpaws Bute and DeGale, the 29-year-old will face 36-year-old Darryl Cunningham of Detroit, 23-2(10). Cunningham is a lefty and if Pavlik can stop him next month he will be the first man to have done so. Not a big puncher but winner of his last 16 bouts (some of Cunningham’s wins coming over recognisable names such as Antwun Echols and Rubin Williams), the Detroit southpaw figures to give Pavlik some decent rounds.
On paper Pavlik should win of course, and he will then move into his big fight; scheduled for some time in November. The Bute fight makes sense, seeing as a win would put Pavlik right back on top. But would a fight with the much younger 2008 Olympic gold medallist from the U.K be a sensible move for Kelly? Wanting to come back from his close loss to archrival George Groves in a big way, “Chunky” (or at least his promoter Frank Warren) is trying to lure Pavlik over to the U.K. But what would a win do for Pavlik? If the former champ were to pound out a points win or even a score a commanding stoppage over DeGale, wouldn’t the critics say the Brit had already been exposed by Groves anyway? And where would Pavlik go if he actually lost the fight?
When it was first suggested there was a chance Pavlik could fight DeGale, I thought such a fight would be a crazy move by DeGale – a potential career-ruining fight even. The former British super-middleweight champ still has a lot to learn, as evidenced by his loss to Groves, and he doesn’t want to have to learn the hard way, which I feel he would do against the lethal-hitting Pavlik.
A Pavlik challenge of Bute is what will probably happen (assuming Cunningham doesn’t manage to pull off a huge upset next month!), and though the unbeaten “Le Tombeur” would likely enter the fight as a considerable favourite to retain his belt, the outcome would in no way be guaranteed. Pavlik would rank as the hardest punching challenger so far in the Romanian’s career, and with his experience, Pavlik could give the Canadian-based star a real battle.
Pavlik’s fight with Cunningham looks like being his last fight at home for a while; before he heads to either Canada or the U.K in November.