Pavlik closes loopholes

When Kelly Pavlik enters the ring for his middleweight rematch against Jermain Taylor on Saturday at the MGM Grand Garden, he might have to wait a little longer than usual for the opening bell.

But he won't mind.

In the time it takes ring announcer Michael Buffer to run down Pavlik's lengthy list of title belts and introduce him as the current world champion, there might be enough time to rush to the concession stand.

"It may be weird hearing that," Pavlik said Tuesday after his arrival at the MGM Grand. "It may be a little longer (introduction) than I'm used to."

Pavlik has the WBC, WBO and Ring titles, winning all of them by knocking out Taylor on Sept. 29 at Atlantic City, and he plans on hanging on to them for a while. Those belts won't be at stake Saturday, but Pavlik's perfect record -- 32-0, with 29 knockouts -- is on the line, as it always is.

Maintaining that unblemished record is Pavlik's main motivation -- that, and proving what he did in Atlantic City in September was no fluke.

"You never want to lose," he said. "I want to keep that zero intact."

Pavlik's promoter, Top Rank president Bob Arum, said he thinks his fighter could be the greatest middleweight in boxing history. Pavlik said that notion intrigues him.

"It's a helluva compliment," he said. "Me, I just focus on one fight at a time. But it's definitely a goal. ... But the first goal is to win a title."

That, he has done. Pavlik knows to defeat Taylor again, he has to fight smarter and not leave himself open to Taylor's big right hand.

In their first fight, Pavlik was careless in the second round, when Taylor tagged him behind his left ear and sent him stumbling to the canvas. Pavlik claims he wasn't hurt, but he was stunned.

"I knew where I was," he said. "When you get hit behind the ear, it's going to mess with your equilibrium.

"I probably got hit five or six times in the back of the head. We've made some adjustments to make sure that doesn't happen again."

Pavlik said his September success didn't go to his head. He didn't go out on a wild spending spree. As he has for all his fights, he returned to his parents' house in Youngstown, Ohio, where his father and co-manager Michael oversaw his training regimen and diet. He slept on the living room couch and kept any potential distractions away.

"The most demanding part was all the appearances -- the charity events, getting to talk to the teams I rooted for growing up, Ohio State, the (Cleveland) Browns," Pavlik said. "That part was kinda cool. But there was no Bentleys or Mercedes or mansions. Everything else pretty much stayed the same. Everything's simple."

Pavlik's willingness to forge straight ahead and mix it up makes him a fan favorite.

"My style of fighting is my style," Pavlik said. "If it makes it exciting, if it helps boxing, great."

What really has Pavlik excited is that for the rematch, he hasn't had to starve himself to make weight. In fact, he said he weighs 163 pounds, three under the prescribed catch weight of 166 for this fight.

"Last time, I had to run three miles the day of the weigh-in to make 159," he said. "I was eating these tiny portions of chicken. It was brutal.

"Now I eat whatever I want and I feel great. I didn't think I could have a better camp than the last one. ... I'm strong and ready to go."

Ironically, Pavlik had more stamina at the end of the first fight than Taylor, who admitted he had not done an adequate job of training for 12 rounds. Taylor said he was worn out after the second round, and Pavlik, who claimed to be weak, somehow got stronger as the fight wore on.

"I can't explain it," Pavlik said. "I guess it was like a wake-up call after he knocked me down in the second round. It sort of re-energized me."

He'll need that extra energy Saturday, if for no better reason than having to stand around waiting for Buffer to finish introducing him. It will be like training for 13 rounds than 12.

Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or (702) 387-2913.