As I watched Kelly Pavlik at his post-fight party inside Caesars a few minutes ago, I thought back to his fight with Edison Miranda last May. I remember being inside his locker room afterward and his face was all cut up and bruised and I kept thinking, “Geez, and this ... Read more and add a comment
Kelly Pavlik landed some big shots through the second and third rounds and patiently wore down Gary Lockett. After the third knockdown midway through the third round, the referee stopped it and Pavlik's first title defense was easy and short.
Top Rank's Juan Manuel Lopez scored a first round knockout of Daniel Ponce De Leon in the undercard junior featherweight bout, tagging him in the middle of the round, then ending it with a flurry in the corner just before the round ended.
This will be my last blog before the fight. Boardwalk Hall is about two-thirds full. The only big gaps are in the corners of the upper deck.
Pavlik is wearing light blue trunks with a Ghost logo and an American flag (featuring the insignias of the five branches of the ... Read more and add a comment
Although my blog is called the “Ringside Seat,” I’m not actually ringside. They have a table up against the ring and I’m two rows back. I’d say I’m about 12 feet from the ring. (In Vegas, I was one row back, just in front of Mario Lopez of “Saved by ... Read more and add a comment
A couple thoughts 24 hours before Pavlik’s first title defense (and about 15 minutes after my first blog vanished into cyberspace):
- I have yet to meet anyone outside the Lockett camp who thinks Lockett has a chance or who thinks the fight will last more than six or ... Read more and add a comment
A few minutes ago, Kelly Pavlik's father, Mike Pavlik Sr., walked into the media room and proclaimed the New York Strip from Mortons Steak House, "the best steak he's ever had in his life."
Kelly, incidentally, had the steak, mashed potatoes and "lots and lots of bread." This is ... Read more and add a comment
It's about 4:15 p.m. and we're blogging live from inside the Circus Maximus Theater, where more than 100 Pavlik fans have already gathered inside, even though Pavlik won't hit the scales for almost two hours. Also, the doors don't officially open until 4:30 p.m., but the ... Read more and add a comment
I am a man who lives by certain principles, and here's one of them: Life is too short to eat peas.
I am sitting three stories above the Atlantic Ocean, peering out over the sea as my $25 chicken dinner digests in my stomach. It was a good meal, ... Read more and add a comment
Greetings from wonderful, overcast, slightly chilly, ghetto-adjacent, not-nearly-as-nice-as-Las-Vegas-but-not-nearly-as-expensive Atlantic City. The late, great sports columnist Jim Murray once said the principal export of New Jersey is soot. Jim Murray also once said he’d like to borrow Muhammad Ali’s body for 48 hours because there are three guys he’d like to beat up and four women he’d like to make love to. Jim Murray is a funny man. Read more and add a comment
After winning a brutal 12-round decision against Jermain Taylor, then sitting through a post-fight press conference for 15 minutes, Kelly Pavlik looked like a man who wanted nothing more than to collapse into his hotel bed.
Ronald Hearns knocked out Juan Astorga in the eighth round in the first pay-per-view bout of the night. Hearns’ father, of course, is Thomas Hearns and his son looks like a very good young fighter. He improved to 18-0 with 14 KOs. If Pavlik sticks around at middleweight, Hearns looms ... Read more and add a comment
And I do mean ringside. I’m about eight feet away from the ring. I’d have to work for HBO or become a photographer if I wanted to get any closer. If I get any of Pavlik’s blood on my shirt, I’ll auction it off on eBay. All proceeds will go ... Read more and add a comment
We’re less than 12 hours from the fight and we’ll start off by talking about Kelly Pavlik’s next one. As several news outlets have reported, Pavlik could face former three-division champion Felix Trinidad on June 7 at Madison Square Garden. Top Rank president Bob Arum has already talked with Trinidad’s ... Read more and add a comment
We’re less than 24 hours away from Pavlik-Taylor II. Here’s a few Friday night notes:
If you’re in Vegas and you’re planning to come to the undercard bouts, the doors open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 3 p.m. PST and the first fight will follow soon afterward. ... Read more and add a comment
Couple things to pass on this morning/afternoon (depending on your time zone):
As I wrote in an earlier blog, you can watch today’s weigh-in between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor live at 5:30 p.m. EST on HBO.com. If you’re in Vegas, the weigh-in will be at Studios A&B (right ... Read more and add a comment
After spending a few hours this afternoon hanging out with Kelly Pavlik and his trainer, Jack Loew, I can’t even begin to tell you how lucky I am to be covering the Pavlik camp instead of Jermain Taylor. It would be difficult to be more accommodating than Loew and Pavlik, ... Read more and add a comment
“Live from Las Vegas,” incidentally, is much more fun to type than “Live from Tucson.” This will be a quick blog, as I just got back from interviews with Kelly Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, and Jermain Taylor’s trainer, Ozell Nelson.
As I write this, it’s almost 1 a.m. Thursday in Ohio and just after 10 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz., which, according to most maps, is not located on the same spot as Las Vegas.
This is a problem, particularly if you’re a newspaper reporter who thought he’d be in ... Read more and add a comment
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Posted by scalzo on June 8, 2008
As I watched Kelly Pavlik at his post-fight party inside Caesars a few minutes ago, I thought back to his fight with Edison Miranda last May. I remember being inside his locker room afterward and his face was all cut up and bruised and I kept thinking, “Geez, and this ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
Well, that didn't take long.
Kelly Pavlik landed some big shots through the second and third rounds and patiently wore down Gary Lockett. After the third knockdown midway through the third round, the referee stopped it and Pavlik's first title defense was easy and short.
Pavlik is a ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
Kelly Pavlik entered the ring at 10:45 p.m. to a huge chorus of cheers and chants of "Kelly, Kelly." A waving American flag led him in.
A minute earlier, Lockett entered to boos. Surprise, surprise.
We're starting early and we're ready to rumble. Stay tuned.
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
Top Rank's Juan Manuel Lopez scored a first round knockout of Daniel Ponce De Leon in the undercard junior featherweight bout, tagging him in the middle of the round, then ending it with a flurry in the corner just before the round ended.
It was expected to be a great bout, ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
This will be my last blog before the fight. Boardwalk Hall is about two-thirds full. The only big gaps are in the corners of the upper deck.
Pavlik is wearing light blue trunks with a Ghost logo and an American flag (featuring the insignias of the five branches of the ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
Well, I missed Pavlik's walk on the Boardwalk, so there's not much to update between now and fight time.
I spoke briefly with Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels, who had this to say about Pavlik's future, "We have no idea who he'll fight or where."
So I asked, "What if Pavlik loses ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 7, 2008
Although my blog is called the “Ringside Seat,” I’m not actually ringside. They have a table up against the ring and I’m two rows back. I’d say I’m about 12 feet from the ring. (In Vegas, I was one row back, just in front of Mario Lopez of “Saved by ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 6, 2008
A couple thoughts 24 hours before Pavlik’s first title defense (and about 15 minutes after my first blog vanished into cyberspace):
- I have yet to meet anyone outside the Lockett camp who thinks Lockett has a chance or who thinks the fight will last more than six or ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 6, 2008
A few minutes ago, Kelly Pavlik's father, Mike Pavlik Sr., walked into the media room and proclaimed the New York Strip from Mortons Steak House, "the best steak he's ever had in his life."
Kelly, incidentally, had the steak, mashed potatoes and "lots and lots of bread." This is ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 6, 2008
Greetings from Atlantic City!
It's about 4:15 p.m. and we're blogging live from inside the Circus Maximus Theater, where more than 100 Pavlik fans have already gathered inside, even though Pavlik won't hit the scales for almost two hours. Also, the doors don't officially open until 4:30 p.m., but the ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 5, 2008
I am a man who lives by certain principles, and here's one of them: Life is too short to eat peas.
I am sitting three stories above the Atlantic Ocean, peering out over the sea as my $25 chicken dinner digests in my stomach. It was a good meal, ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on June 5, 2008
Greetings from wonderful, overcast, slightly chilly, ghetto-adjacent, not-nearly-as-nice-as-Las-Vegas-but-not-nearly-as-expensive Atlantic City. The late, great sports columnist Jim Murray once said the principal export of New Jersey is soot. Jim Murray also once said he’d like to borrow Muhammad Ali’s body for 48 hours because there are three guys he’d like to beat up and four women he’d like to make love to. Jim Murray is a funny man.
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 17, 2008
After winning a brutal 12-round decision against Jermain Taylor, then sitting through a post-fight press conference for 15 minutes, Kelly Pavlik looked like a man who wanted nothing more than to collapse into his hotel bed.
His face was bruised. His hands hurt. And a giant crowd of reporters ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 16, 2008
Ronald Hearns knocked out Juan Astorga in the eighth round in the first pay-per-view bout of the night. Hearns’ father, of course, is Thomas Hearns and his son looks like a very good young fighter. He improved to 18-0 with 14 KOs. If Pavlik sticks around at middleweight, Hearns looms ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 16, 2008
And I do mean ringside. I’m about eight feet away from the ring. I’d have to work for HBO or become a photographer if I wanted to get any closer. If I get any of Pavlik’s blood on my shirt, I’ll auction it off on eBay. All proceeds will go ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 16, 2008
We’re less than 12 hours from the fight and we’ll start off by talking about Kelly Pavlik’s next one. As several news outlets have reported, Pavlik could face former three-division champion Felix Trinidad on June 7 at Madison Square Garden. Top Rank president Bob Arum has already talked with Trinidad’s ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 16, 2008
We’re less than 24 hours away from Pavlik-Taylor II. Here’s a few Friday night notes:
If you’re in Vegas and you’re planning to come to the undercard bouts, the doors open at the MGM Grand Garden Arena at 3 p.m. PST and the first fight will follow soon afterward. ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 15, 2008
Couple things to pass on this morning/afternoon (depending on your time zone):
As I wrote in an earlier blog, you can watch today’s weigh-in between Kelly Pavlik and Jermain Taylor live at 5:30 p.m. EST on HBO.com. If you’re in Vegas, the weigh-in will be at Studios A&B (right ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 15, 2008
After spending a few hours this afternoon hanging out with Kelly Pavlik and his trainer, Jack Loew, I can’t even begin to tell you how lucky I am to be covering the Pavlik camp instead of Jermain Taylor. It would be difficult to be more accommodating than Loew and Pavlik, ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 14, 2008
“Live from Las Vegas,” incidentally, is much more fun to type than “Live from Tucson.” This will be a quick blog, as I just got back from interviews with Kelly Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, and Jermain Taylor’s trainer, Ozell Nelson.
I also joined a couple reporters for a ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 14, 2008
As I write this, it’s almost 1 a.m. Thursday in Ohio and just after 10 p.m. in Tucson, Ariz., which, according to most maps, is not located on the same spot as Las Vegas.
This is a problem, particularly if you’re a newspaper reporter who thought he’d be in ...
Read more and add a comment
Posted by scalzo on February 12, 2008
Quick story. In September, I was walking behind Kelly Pavlik's father, Mike, after a crazy weigh-in before Pavlik's fight with Jermain Taylor.
We were going down the escalator and Mike said aloud that he was happy he wore dark pants because he just wet himself.
A few months ...
Read more and add a comment