HBO wants Bute-Pavlik in 2010

by SC on Nov 29, 2009 4:51 PM EST in News Analysis Comment 14 comments

Middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik could be headed for a 2010 showdown with super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute. (Photo by Jed Jacobsohn / Getty Images)

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According to BoxingScene.com's Rick Reeno, sources are indicating that HBO is pushing for a fight between super middleweight titlist Lucian Bute and middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in 2010. Bute knocked out Librado Andrade in the fourth round last night in Quebec City, while Pavlik is set to fight lightly-regarded Miguel Espino on December 19 on Top Rank pay-per-view.

Bute (25-0, 20 KO) and Pavlik (35-1, 31 KO) may well find themselves without any other attractive options, though I'd expect that negotiations could be tough. Bute may be loathe to leave Quebec, where his fights sell out big arenas and make a lot of money. Pavlik has traveled well to Atlantic City for past fights, and would surely object to yielding a home field advantage to Bute, given that Bute has such a large audience in Quebec. The money split, the location, the promoters working together -- all of that could be a chore.

I also think Pavlik will still want to get in the ring with Paul Williams first, should Williams win on December 5 against Sergio Martinez. Pavlik says he's not ducking Williams, but the only way to prove that for sure is to fight him. They've already had a deal worked out, only for Pavlik to pull out of two dates.

If Pavlik were, in theory, to fight Williams after Espino and win both bouts, then it would almost surely be time to fight Bute. The middleweight money fights simply aren't there. The other titlist (Felix Sturm and Sebastian Sylvester) are small names in America and it doesn't appear Sturm is in any rush to leave Germany, where Pavlik would surely not head for a fight.

At the end of it all, Bute-Pavlik just might make the most sense, and if semi-promoter HBO pushes hard enough, itcould surely happen. It could also be a terrific fight, though honestly, I would hazard an early guess that Bute picks Pavlik apart and beats him fairly handily. Bute has developed into a fantastic fighter, and Pavlik has stagnated. Then again, a fight with Bute could be just what Pavlik needs to get his groove back.

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Pavlik relies on his size and strength to impose his will at 160. He’ll never be the same fighter above the weight against bigger fighters. This fight will not end well for him.

by jcarr71 on Nov 29, 2009 5:10 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

The fact that Bute could knockout Andrade says something about his underrated power… and Pavlik doesn’t exactly have the best chin and a tight defense.

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Nov 29, 2009 5:35 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’ve never seen anything to tell me Pavlik has a bad chin.

Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport

by SC on Nov 29, 2009 6:05 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

He has been down far too often( Taylor/ McKart/Zuniga) for me to say he has a good chin. He also doesn’t have laterial movement and gets hit far too often.

I think Bute would just eat him for breakfast…

"Boxing is dirty," said Casamayor. " The day I’m not ready to be a dirty fighter is the day I don’t fight anymore because it will mean that I have no heart for it anymore."

by Zocalo on Nov 29, 2009 6:30 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I’m not saying he’s Professor Steelchin, just that his chin isn’t bad.

Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport

by SC on Nov 29, 2009 7:47 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

His chin may not be great but he has good head movement…..you know for ducking….

by waldo47 on Nov 29, 2009 10:04 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Supposedly, his nickname "The Ghost"

comes from his ability to not be hit, rather than from his ability to lack melatonin.

Bad Left Hook - The SB Nation boxing blog
"Baseball is played on the field, not on a calculator."

by Brickhaus on Nov 30, 2009 5:07 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Yeah, they’re all “The Ghost” because they’re so elusive.

Bad Left Hook
"If bulls**t was poetry, Ray 'Boom Boom' Mancini's name would be Shakespeare." -- Dennis Rappaport

by SC on Nov 30, 2009 6:57 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

Well if you don’t fight you can’t get punched. The ultimate defense!

by waldo47 on Nov 30, 2009 8:18 PM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think his defense is a little underrated. It’s not “bad”, it’s just very basic. He can block and slip fairly well, but he can’t or won’t capitalize the way a good counterpuncher can.

"This fight'll be the nastiest thing you'll ever see. I been sober for six weeks, and that makes me vicious."
-- Randall 'Tex' Cobb

by jrok on Nov 30, 2009 10:07 AM EST up reply actions 0 recs

I think Pavlik needs to get back on track before moving up to fight probably the #1 guy in boxing’s best division. The winner of Williams-Martinez makes much more sense for him. I do think a Bute-Pavlik fight would be competitive, with a moderate edge to Bute.

by drivlikejehu on Nov 29, 2009 6:55 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

I’ll believe it when I see it. I was disappointed many times this year waiting for the Williams fight to happen.

by cyke on Nov 29, 2009 7:05 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

if pavlik wins impressively against espino i wouldnt complain if this fight got made …

by boxzilla on Nov 29, 2009 11:08 PM EST reply actions 0 recs

He should fight Williams. It’s his best move and the only right move in his career.Everybody’s callin him a dodger.Personally,I think his staph infection was bad, and he knows he needs his hand to be fully healed to fight a fighter with such a high caliber like Williams.He probably thinks he can get past Espino pretty quickly even if his hand isn’t fully healed.I also think Bute is too fast and is that awkward southpaw that’ll make em look bad and dominate him.(Williams can do the same). But I do see the Bute fight happening in the near future though..

by killah27 on Nov 30, 2009 11:26 AM EST reply actions 0 recs