I’m what you call “painfully Midwestern”; due to my sensibilities,
my affinity for shoveling snow and my awkward sometimes misplaced pragmatism.
We’re somehow born sensible, this is why many of us in order to “be” something
must get out of our comfort zones and either move east or west. Many of my
friends are the kind of guy’s sitcom TV sells back to the nation, unpretentious
and simple, proof that there is actually “the” kind of guy you want to have a
beer with. One such guy, let’s call him Chad innocently asked me way back in
2005 if there were any “white guys who could fight” and without even
considering the cultural context of the question (I’m Midwestern) blurted out “Kelly
Pavlik” and chided him for not knowing the name. At 160 lbs. Pavlik burst on
the scene looking like Tommy Hearns inside out, without the jab of course but
crushing right hand power and an ability to fight through adversity when hurt.
Maybe that’s the Youngstown in him, given the fact that my beloved Midwest is
rusted over in many places I can understand the mettle -like I said I’ve got
friends like him.
He may have ended Jermaine Taylors career the first night
they met with the future on the line, and he may have ended his own “after”
many of his fights through excess. There are many places whereby the local bar
is the social epicenter and drinking is the great consolidator, places where
sometimes 3 generations of family settle in for Saturday Afternoon Football and
Saturday Night regrets. Pavlik remained in this setting throughout his career,
remained uniquely “of” this setting and now after announcing his retirement
will hopefully be “for” something healthy in his hometown. Being “for”
Youngstown is a little more complicated than delivering that right hand in the
closing rounds of high action bouts, it involves being proactive when it comes
to being a role model so that the next generation can follow the footprints
left. When reading Pavliks comments he seems to already be on the track to
being healthy because he sounds like a mature man, someone much less addicted
to the opiate of being a fighter.
Andre Wards shoulder injury was a Godsend in more ways than
one, and it gave Pavlik time to consider the monotony of filling his time with
the grind of lesser bouts. Thoughtful and more candid than most about the specter
of longtime damage Pavlik articulated a desire to enjoy life at 55, an age
where grotesquely a lot of fighters still ponder getting in the ring. Sometimes
we forget the value of being a man, who as Clint Eastwood says in “Magnum Force”
knows his limitations, and Pavlik knew his style was never built for longevity,
it was built for the riches he earned in that brief window between 2007 and
2010. The advice Hopkins gave him after schooling him at 170 lbs. (2008) didn’t
fall on deaf ears, it merely withered in the harsh reality of the old Cus D’Amato
saying about square pegs never turning round. Pavlik was never going to be able
to defend himself against the speed of Martinez nor the guile of Hopkins; and Andre
Ward possessed both attributes in spades. Kelly assures us that he put his
money away and I for one hope he isn’t lying, it’s bad enough that fighters go
on too long but for all action guys like him it’s downright suicidal.
He was thinking of retiring before Ward was presented to him
as the ultimate cash out, the fact that he wanted the fight was one last evidence
that the kid was always a “big game hunter”. Considering Pavlik’s struggles
with substance abuse I don’t feel like the shadows of Boxing’s “D League” is a
place that inspires anything positive for him. I will always root for guys to
step away from the ring before the ring sends them away, the latter is always a
proposition that you have to live with, the kind that dwindles away at the
faculties you don’t take for granted with age. Hopefully the Ghost won’t be a
stranger, Boxing is in his blood and Cold turkey is the one thing that can
drive him back to the sport in an unhealthy way. Maybe the kids of Youngstown
who grew up just like him can benefit from his presence, from a great gym and
guidance like the kind that helped him in his life. Maybe involvement in our
broken amateur system could fill that void, and of course he would be valuable working
with Boxers who deal with substance abuse issues.
The bottom line is Pavlik should be lauded for his frankness
and ability to know himself, something he will need a lot as he deals with the
issues that will always be nearby. We rarely applaud the fighter who walks away
early and spares us the misappropriation of resources networks are forced to
invest on men in their late 30’s and 40’s. Sanity prevailed, as well as the no
nonsense virtues that make Midwesterners what they are, unassuming, down to
earth and just plain “good folk”. If he comes back we’ll all shrug and say
“That’s Boxing” but I for one don’t believe he’s coming back. He’s been a lot of
things in his brief time in the spotlight but reliant on that spotlight isn’t
one of them. Pavlik fought with heart but something in his personality knew there’s
nothing more morbid than an all action fighter in his 30’s, something Ricky
Hatton came back to learn firsthand. So Farewell to you Kelly Pavlik; Boxing
welcomes another man leaving with his health and money intact and hopefully you
won’t be the last.
