Thread: Pavlik vs. Alfonso Lopez on the undercard of the Pacquiao-Mosley PPV.

May 7th - Kelly Pavlik vs. Alfonso Lopez, 10 rounds, super-middleweights, Pavlik's first fight back after losing his Middleweight title to Sergio Martinez and going into rehab a year ago.

Pavlik's opponent Lopez is undefeated (won 21 (KO 16) + lost 0) and although not a 'can, shouldn't be that much of a challenge for Pavlik in his first effort at super-middleweight.

I'd like to see Kelly comeback, overcome his problems and be in the mix @ Super-middleweight, but I have my doubts that he'll be a force in boxing again.

Thoughts?

Like you I really, really struggle to see him becoming a force. I suspect we saw the best of Kelly 3-4 years ago. He needed a high-end trainer and someone to help keep his life together. He had neither.

I don't know much about Lopez, but he hasn't fought anyone of note that I can find. I will say one thing though. Pavlik was a HUGE middle and now he's going to be in with guys where they more or less share dimensions. That goes for this guy Lopez who has regularly fought at 175 and cruiser.

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

Like you I really, really struggle to see him becoming a force. I suspect we saw the best of Kelly 3-4 years ago. He needed a high-end trainer and someone to help keep his life together. He had neither.

I don't know much about Lopez, but he hasn't fought anyone of note that I can find. I will say one thing though. Pavlik was a HUGE middle and now he's going to be in with guys where they more or less share dimensions. That goes for this guy Lopez who has regularly fought at 175 and cruiser.

I hope Kelly is able to pull it together, and resurrect his career, I love it when boxers overcome personal problems, and become champions again, Pavlik is still only 29, so it's possible. Like you said though, a change of trainers might make a big difference, the one he's got now, (Jack Lowe?) seems to be a liability for Pavlik.

Originally Posted by Mars_ax

Originally Posted by marbleheadmaui

Like you I really, really struggle to see him becoming a force. I suspect we saw the best of Kelly 3-4 years ago. He needed a high-end trainer and someone to help keep his life together. He had neither.

I don't know much about Lopez, but he hasn't fought anyone of note that I can find. I will say one thing though. Pavlik was a HUGE middle and now he's going to be in with guys where they more or less share dimensions. That goes for this guy Lopez who has regularly fought at 175 and cruiser.

I hope Kelly is able to pull it together, and resurrect his career, I love it when boxers overcome personal problems, and become champions again, Pavlik is still only 29, so it's possible. Like you said though, a change of trainers might make a big difference, the one he's got now, (Jack Lowe?) seems to be a liability for Pavlik.

I said 3-4 years ago the next step for Pavlik was to have a truly high-end trainer sit him down and watch films of Danny Lopez. They share the same strengths, height, reach, heavy hands and a solid chin as well as the same limitations, slowish feet, mediocre handspeed and limited overall athleticism. Lopez was taught to do just a couple of technical things correctly (attacking from different angles, side stepping between combinations and varying combinations) and that put him on another level from Pavlik. But Jack Loew seemed unable to recognize, or teach, what Lopez could do. I don't see any reason to believe Pavlik could not have absorbed those lessons.

At this point if Kelly lives a sensible life I'll be happy for him. Boxing is a bonus.