By James Slater: One fighter’s injury has led to another fighter getting a big opportunity. Lightweight Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios had to pull out of his scheduled July 7th fight with light-welterweight Maurico Herrera, which was set for The Home Depot Centre, L.A. Rios has an arm injury – and now HBO have replaced the telecast with former middleweight king Kelly Pavlik against former amateur star Will Rosinsky.
ESPN.com reports how the two super-middleweights will clash over a scheduled ten-rounds on July 7th – a night that will see a full boxing calendar (Klitschko-Thompson II, Maddalone-Fury, Kell Brook-Carson Jones, and more). Pavlik-Rosinsky will be fought at a weight no higher than 169-pounds.
Pavlik, 39-2(34) fought just last Friday, hammering out a one-sided 7th-round TKO over a game but overmatched Scott Sigmon; while Rosinksy, 16-1(9) fought even more recently: this past Thursday night. Winning an 8-round UD over Aaron Pryor Junior, the 27-year-old says he is ready to fight again in just over three weeks.
Beaten only by top contender Edwin Rodriguez – a ten-round UD loss back in October of last year – “Power,” as the warrior from Ozone Park is known, has won two in a row since. Also, even though he lost all ten rounds on all three cards in the Rodriguez fight, the scoring did not accurately reflect the good, exciting action. Some people thought a draw might have been a good idea.
Rosinsky, at 5’10” will be giving away a fair amount of height and reach against the 6’2” “Ghost,” but promoter Lou DiBella sees this as a tough test for Pavlik. Rosinsky has been aching for a big chance after the disappointing (and unfairly wide) points loss to Rodriguez, and he is hungry to make the most of it against Pavlik.
Rosinsky says he wasn’t too impressed with Pavlik’s hammering of Sigmon, and it’s almost a certainty that he will test Kelly far, far harder than the club fighter. Rosinksy is tough, he has skills and he has a solid amateur background. The July fight should give us much more of an idea as to whether or not Pavlik can become a two-weight world champion.
I have to lean towards 30-year-old Pavlik, via decision. But it could be a great action fight.