Saturday night in Atlantic City, Youngstown's own Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik will make his first middleweight title defense. The champ will step in with mandatory challenger Gary Lockett. Who exactly is Gary Lockett? Not too many people really know. He is currently 30-1 with 21 knockout victories. Looking at his fight history, I did not see one name I recognized. He is currenly trained by Enzo Calzaghe, father of Joe Calzaghe. This fight will be his first fight in the United States and he is in for a very rude welcome.
Kelly Pavlik is the hottest thing in the world of boxing right now. He sits at a very impressive 33-0 with 29 knockouts. His come at you style makes him very easy to watch. He wants to stand and bang and throws every punch with bad intentions. Pavlik beat up Jermain Taylor twice and gained a whole new fan base in the process. The destruction of Edison Miranda leading into the Taylor fights was one of the more impressive wins we have seen in some time as boxing fans.
Pavlik's attitude and the way he approaches the sport makes it hard not to root for him. He is a true professional and that is why he is being billed as the next big thing in the world of boxing.
Gary Lockett is currently a ten to one underdog in this fight meaning oddsmakers are giving him almost no chance to win this fight. How could they give him of a shot, nobody knows who he is. Lockett himself said to the media that nobody has heard of him. 2008 has been the year of the upset, so don't be surprised if he wins right? Not a chance.
Kelly Pavlik is a fantastic all around fighter. He has excellent hands with knockout power in every punch. His movement is very solid to go along with his underrated speed. The only place where Kelly could use a little work is on his defense. It's tough to find a weakness on him because of his straight ahead style, but he does tend to take a lot of punches.
Gary Lockett is looked at as a sacrificial lamb. He just might be but he does have a puncher's chance. People say that he also likes to come forward and mix it up. That could make for a very quick night for Mr. Lockett. If he can somehow make it into the later rounds, you never know what might happen.
The real fight boxing fans want to see is Joe Calzaghe taking on Kelly Pavlik. There are already discussions going on for that to happen later this year. Hopefully, Pavlik is not looking past the training partner of Calzaghe's. If so that would be a disaster for the new king of the boxing world.
I fully expect to see the best Kelly Pavlik. He is a very focused and determined young man who loves the sport and respects it. It is first title defense which a lot of people tend to forget. The rematch with Jermain Taylor was at a catch weight and there were no belts on the line in the Pavlik victory.
Gary Lockett is in for a bad night. He is facing the wrong guy at the wrong time. Kelly Pavlik is going to put on a show and prove he deserves mention as one of the top three or four fighters in the world pound for pound. Look for Pavlik to score early and often and win by a knockout no later than the sixth round.
With a victory, Pavlik would set up a megafight with Joe Calzaghe. It would be two undefeated superstars and nobody would want to miss it.
Make sure you check out Kelly Pavlik to see what all the hype is about. The guy is a great champion and will put on a display for all of his fans in Ohio and everywhere else for that matter. You shouldn't miss this guy anytime he fights, he's that damn good.