Pavlik vs Martinez Set For April

[Zilla]

I think a 50-50 split with Williams would be fair. Kelly is the bigger name still, but Williams has been the one who has been active and actively seeking this fight. I think ppl would have equal interest in seeing Paul. At any rate, this would be more fodder for The Punisher to state how avoided he is.

[BritBox]

I think Hopkins exposed some serious leaks in Pavlik's defense and I think Martinez's electric speed and movement makes him a stylistic nightmare for Pav.

Props to Pav for taking this one on and is willing to test himself against the best, but I would go for Martinez taking this one on points.

[TigerFan]

Here's the latest Pavlik article from Vindy.

Vindy.com Local News Youngstown, Warren, Columbiana Ohio - news, sports and information - Pavlik camp eyes April

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

YOUNGSTOWN — With Paul Williams pricing himself out of a possible middleweight title fight with Kelly Pavlik, the door has been opened for Sergio Martinez.

But it’s not yet an open-and-shut deal.

Martinez, who lost a majority decision to Williams last month, is the front-runner out of four finalists to meet Pavlik in a possible April or May bout on HBO.

Top Rank chairman Bob Arum, president Todd duBoef and Pavlik’s co-manager Cameron Dunkin will meet with HBO officials next week in New York to discuss Pavlik’s future.

Possible opponents include Martinez, Anthony Mundine, WBA middleweight champion Felix Sturm and a fourth possibility that Top Rank is keeping under wraps for now, Dunkin said.

Williams, who was scheduled to fight Pavlik on Dec. 5, does not appear to be among the finalists. After agreeing to fight Pavlik for $1.2 million in December, he now wants to split the proceeds 50-50. Pavlik’s handlers have refused.

“That’s not happening,” Dunkin said.

Martinez (44-2-2, 24 KOs) served as an injury replacement for Pavlik when he had to cancel his Dec. 5 bout with Williams due to a left hand injury. The bout became a “Fight of the Year” candidate with some observers (including Pavlik’s camp) believing Martinez did enough to win.

Pavlik’s preference is to fight Williams, but the 50-50 demand and the bad blood between the two camps makes the fight unlikely for now.

After dropping the puck for the ceremonial faceoff before Saturday’s Phantoms game at the Covelli Centre, Pavlik dropped the name of the possible fourth contender.

“And we’re looking at a fight over in England against a guy by the name of [Brian] Rose,” Pavlik said.

Rose is a light middleweight who is 14-0-1.

“Right now, everything is up in the air and we’re hoping to find out within a week,” said Pavlik. “The quicker the better. The faster we find out the better so we can start preparing for the fight, take care of training, get some sparring partners in.”

Pavlik said the ideal fight date would be late March or early April.

“At the latest, the end of April but I don’t want to go any longer than that.”

Pavlik said he’s willing to fight Williams, but doesn’t think it’s likely.

“We’re hoping,” said Pavlik of a Williams bout,” but for some reason he doesn’t want to take the fight. We’re trying everything. He outpriced himself again for this fight so ... if by some chance we can come to an agreement, I’d like to fight with him. Right now, for me, Sergio Martinez is a better fight. In the last fight, I thought Martinez beat Paul Williams.”

Arum believed he had a deal in place with Williams’ adviser, Al Haymon, on several occasions in the summer of 2008. The deal broke down when Haymon kept increasing his demands (from $750,000 with perks to $1.5 million), prompting Top Rank to arrange a Pavlik-Bernard Hopkins fight instead, Dunkin said.

Pavlik (36-1, 32 KOs) lost that fight by unanimous decision, although he retained the titles since the bout was held at 170 pounds.

Then, last fall, Pavlik twice postponed a Williams bout (first in October, then in December) due to the hand injury, prompting the Williams camp to accuse Pavlik of exaggerating his injury because he was scared to fight Williams. Pavlik’s camp, in turn, accused Williams of only arranging the fight because he knew Pavlik was banged up.

“They never wanted to fight Kelly,” Dunkin said. “I think the kid [Williams] does. I think his trainer does. But I don’t think [Al] Haymon and [promoter Dan] Goossen does.”

After Pavlik knocked out Miguel Espino on Dec. 15 to defend his title, Arum approached Williams’ handlers with the same offer they made last fall, with Williams getting $1.2 million. Williams’ camp came back with the 50-50 demand.

“Until they change that, it’ll never happen,” said Dunkin.

One Web site reported Pavlik’s camp has agreed to a deal with Martinez, but those reports are premature, according to Dunkin, Top Rank spokesman Lee Samuels and Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew.

“It looks like they’re pushing the Martinez fight,” Loew said.

The 34-year-old Martinez, who hails from Argentina and now lives in Spain, suffered his only other loss to Antonio Margarito in February of 2000. He’s known as a speedy left-hander with decent power and good boxing skill.

Williams (38-1, 27 KOs), who lives in Augusta, Ga., is more of a slugger than Martinez, although he also has good boxing ability.