Kelly Pavlik vs. Paul Williams in the Works!!!!!

Arum scraps offer to Mora, now in Pavlik-Williams fight talksBy Dan Rafael
ESPN.com

Unable to agree on financial terms, Top Rank promoter Bob Arum withdrew an offer he made to junior middleweight titleholder Sergio Mora to challenge middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in the fall, instead turning his attention Thursday to making a deal with Paul Williams, a welterweight titleholder who would move up in weight for the title shot.

If Pavlik-Williams is made, it would take place Sept. 27 on HBO, Arum told ESPN.com, adding that the site would probably be Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J. That is where Pavlik has drawn good crowds and where he won the title last fall by knocking out Jermain Taylor and where he defended it for the first time June 7 with a third-round knockout of Gary Lockett.

Since the prospect of a fight between Pavlik (34-0, 30 KOs) and light heavyweight and super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe evaporated a couple of weeks ago, when Calzaghe declared his intention to instead face Roy Jones Jr., Arum has been in talks with Mora promoter Jeff Wald of the Tournament of Contenders.

However, they could not agree on the money. Arum offered $1.2 million and Wald countered with $1.5 million, they both told ESPN.com.

Mora (21-0-1, 5 KOs), the first-season of "The Contender," defeated Vernon Forrest to claim a 154-pound title last month but was contractually obligated to give him a rematch. In order for Forrest and promoter Gary Shaw to allow Mora to bypass an immediate rematch, Wald would have had to pay them an undisclosed amount to step aside. Mora and Wald didn't think Arum's offer was enough for them to be able to satisfy the step-aside payment and themselves. Arum wouldn't go any higher and withdrew his offer Wednesday.

"It's a business," Wald said. "We need to honor obligations we made to Forrest and Shaw and there needed to be step-aside money acceptable to everyone. But we weren't there. I told that to Bob and he withdrew the offer. It wasn't acrimonious at all. They made an offer and I came back with what I needed and then they came back and they withdrew the offer, which is his prerogative. We would have taken the money Bob offered if we didn't have this situation [with Forrest] to deal with."

Said Arum: "Between what Mora wanted and the amounts that had to go to these other people like Shaw and Forrest, the deal was not doable. We're not mad. Jeff was a gentleman. It just didn't work out. He needed a certain amount of money based on the economics and I could not give that kind of money based on the economics."

So what's next for Mora, who also had a possible fight with Shane Mosley fall through for the same reason?

"I guess we start negotiating money for a rematch with Vernon Forrest," Wald said.

Mora also has a mandatory obligation to Sergio Martinez, a fight that the WBC has ordered.

"I don't want to discuss that yet," Wald said.

Arum has talked about several fall opponents for Pavlik. Besides Mora, there was Calzaghe and lesser bouts with fringe contenders John Duddy and Marco Antonio Rubio, neither of which HBO or Showtime were interested in as network fights or pay-per-view bouts.

So now Arum is talking with Dan Goossen, Williams' promoter.

"With Williams, I am hopeful," Arum said. "I'm talking to Goossen and [HBO senior vice president] Kery [Davis] is trying to be helpful."

But it is a hard deal to make because of the financial expectations of both sides. At one point, Goossen asked for $2.5 million, which is as much as Pavlik earned for the Lockett fight. Still, Goossen was hopeful they could strike a deal.

"I don't like to talk too much about possibilities, but we have interest in the fight, otherwise we wouldn't be pursuing it," Goossen said. "Hopefully, we can come to an agreement to get it done. Pavlik has been one of the guys on the top of the wish list for Paul and [trainer] George [Peterson]. It's always great when you can have a fight of this magnitude on HBO. It's a big fight for the industry. It's two young men in their primes."

Williams, who defeated Antonio Margarito to win a welterweight belt last summer, lost it in his first defense when Carlos Quintana scored a major upset decision win Feb. 9. However, in the immediate rematch, Williams blew him away in the first round to retain the belt last month.

At 6-foot-1, Williams (34-1, 25 KOs) has struggled to make 147 pounds and might be better suited to fight at middleweight. He would be similar in size to the 6-2 Pavlik.

It's a fight that appeals to Pavlik manager Cameron Dunkin.

"I think it's a hard style and a tough fight, but it's a good fight," Dunkin said. "Kelly will have to be really, really prepared. Paul Williams is a tough fighter. He's probably better suited for (160 pounds) than welterweight anyway. He's not a little guy moving up. I like the fight, HBO likes the fight, but nothing is done."

Arum added that he would also be paying attention to Saturday's middleweight title bout in Germany, where beltholder Felix Sturm (29-2-1, 13 KOs) meets American Randy Griffin (24-1-3, 12 KOs) in a rematch of their draw last fall.

"Right now we're talking about Williams, but there's a fight this weekend in Germany," Arum said. "I know they won't give me Sturm [because of the money he generates there], but I'm sure I could make a deal for Griffin if he wins."

Arum said he had investigated a possible Pavlik-Winky Wright fight, but Wright's financial demands were "way too high."

"The economy is struggling. It's not like the good old days, but Winky Wright doesn't want to know that," Arum said. "It would be a great fight and so forth, but when you pay Winky Wright there's nothing left for anybody else. You can't afford Winky Wright. We'd love to fight him, but we don't have the money for it.

"They laughed at my offer and I offered him in the neighborhood of what I offered Mora. And that fight would have been on pay-per-view, so if it was a hit, he would make a lot more money. But I can't manufacture money out of the sky for Winky Wright."

Dan Rafael is ESPN.com's boxing writer.

 

pavlik will break him like a toothpick opcorn:

 

WOW this would be awsome! Williams will take a career ending beating! For the first time I will root for Pavlik!!!!ray:

 

Yeah, Steve Kim mentioned the fight this morning on the Max forums. I just can't see Paul hanging with Pavlik.

 

Pavlik is a joke.

 

I mentioned this fight in joking months ago...a little surprised it's happening now, though I did think it could happen eventually.

I think Williams is probably better than some of the middleweight contenders around, but I just don't see the need to rush Williams into this fight now two divisions above where he can still make weight...and it's the same way with Diaz-Katsidis fighting after both had losses.

It's like there's no patience in boxing anymore.

 

Well, I wouldn't point the finger directly at Pavlik.... I think he'll fight anyone they put in front of him. He's similar to Cotto in that way.

Arum is trying to build an "attraction".

 

Patience....or respect for your fighter. No idea what the Williams camp see's outside of dollar signs.

 

Who should Pavlik fight instead, Tam? Who's available?

 

it's a decent fight....arum is talking about not being able to fight duddy cos he is fighting phillips....good....this is a much more intriguing bout. One does have to favour Pavlik's size (although in terms of height, there isn't much in it) and power, but Williams will go into this as the one with nothing to lose.....he'd have a good speed advantage too

 

If this passes for a good fight, I'll be fucked. Boxing sucks.

 

Winky Wright.

 

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The part of the article I found interesting was about Winky Wright. The guy cries about being "ducked" but he won't take fights. No he wouldn't make as much to fight Pavlik as he has made in some other fights but right now that's just how it is. There is no big money out there for Wright. He can retire or take less. :dunno:

 

Yep, you're right. Dammit, I was this close to forgetting about Winky.

 

It depends a little bit on what "in the neighborhood of what I offered Mora" means.

Wright's priced himself out of a number of fights in the past so I don't have a great deal of sympathy for him at the negotiating table, and he has to be realistic about the situation. Pavlik isn't going to generate for him the same price tag some others have brought him.

Still, he's also one of the only legitimate middleweight contenders there is and he is still a name.

The middleweight division is extremely weak. It's Wright and Abraham and not much else.

I think that is an important fight for Pavlik to take while he's waiting on Abraham...and I question whether Arum seriously wants to make it.

 

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Winky Wright hasn't done a whole lot of anything to be needed by anyone. I like the guy but the truth is the truth. He doesn't seem to want to fight anyone except where he can make bigger money. The problem for him is he's not going to make what he made to fight guys like Taylor and Hopkins. He hasn;t exactly been winning ANY big fights so to be honest I can't say he really deserves it anyways. Wright can sit back and cry about being ducked while he overprices himself. Boxing doesn't exactly need him. Most people hate him anyways.

 

Fuck old ass Winky Wright!

Having said that, Paul will get destroyed.

 

I agree with the criticism of Wright. He wants to be given a big money fight and he's wasted his breath on DLH for years.

Still, how many names have been mentioned or rumored for Pavlik's next fight that aren't even middleweights?

Abraham is about the only active middleweight people really want to see him fight.

Wright isn't really active, but he's still a much more credible name than Rubio or Sturm or Duddy (who's looking to move down).

Wright represents a legitimate fight at 160, which I'd certainly prefer of the fishing expidition Arum's doing of the lower weight classes with names like Mora and Williams.

 

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A lot of that is true but the fact is if Winky wants the fight he can't overprice himself. He needs to know what he's worth. He thinks he is worth MUCH more than he really is. Winky is the type of guy who needs to be winning big fights or else he doesn't bring much to the table.

 

wright doesn't need to take a tough fight like pavlik for a couple hundred thousand, when its all said and done.

he's paid his dues, and if that's all the shit is worth to hbo and top rank then fuck um.

not worth it. he should retire.

 

mark my words.. IF this fight happens.. and I kinda doubt it..

Paul will be knocked the f out

 

Paul Williams might be more of a challenge then most people think but I would much rather he move up to 154 first before he jumps 2 weight classes like that. I would rather Pavlik fight Winky right now. I hope Winky go ahead and accept what there offering.

 

so there's no middleweights available?

Arum is a joke!

 

Kelly dont want it with Kess.

 

Paul has no defense whatsoever, he doesnt have the power to seriously hurt Pavlik, and the height advantage he has over guys at 147 he WONT have over Kelly. Williams wont last the distance.

 

if williams doesn't receive a career altering beating then its a good move. he isn't getting any big money fights at welter @the moment.

 

After he moves up 160, I wonder if he'll even be able to make 147 anymore. He'll probably campaign at 154.

 

Yep. It's not the size or weight of Pavlik, because Williams isn't much shorter than Pavlik and has a longer reach...and he's fought enough at/near junior middleweight that the weight shouldn't be a huge factor.

It's his utter lack of defense.

And I'm still waiting to see whether he can be the same fighter he was in the Quintana rematch for more than just one round.

 

Ridiculous.


#1. Why the fuck would Mora turn down 1.2million? Does he really think he's that big of a star?

#2. Why would Paul Williams people throw him to the wolves like this. Pavlik could ruin him and it seems he has plenty of future prospects closer to his fighting weight.

#3. Pavlik is officially on the watch list. First Lockett and now this. These guys fight twice a year, he doesn't need these light touches. It's not like he's had a career full of tough fights before the Taylor fights.