By Mitch Abramson, New York Daily News
There was a time when Kelly Pavlik was the omnipresent ambassador of boxing.
After his win against Jermain Taylor in 2007, Pavlik stumped for Hillary Clinton in the Ohio Democratic Primary; he threw out the first pitch for a Cleveland Indians playoff game; Pavlik even spoke to Ohio State before it played Michigan in a college football game.
But in boxing, fortunes can change in a flash, and after Pavlik was dominated by Bernard Hopkins in October of 2008, the public turned on him quickly, according to his longtime manager, Cameron Dunkin.
When Pavlik twice called off a big fight with Paul Williams last year, citing a staph infection on his left hand, the public's reaction was even more unforgiving.
The glamorous public appearances dried up. One Internet report even called Pavlik an "over-hyped white stiff," Dunkin said.
In the face of the criticism, the normally genial Pavlik became withdrawn.
"It hurt him mentally," Dunkin said. "He wasn't happy. He wasn't smiling as much. He thought that people would stand behind him in hard times. He learned how fickle the world can be."
On Saturday, Pavlik (36-1, 32 knockouts) will try to rewrite the narrative surrounding him when he faces the tricky Sergio Martinez (44-2-2, 24 knockouts) at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City for Pavlik's WBC and WBO middleweight titles. The fight, along with a super middleweight scrap between titlist Lucian Bute and Edison Miranda from Montreal, will be shown on HBO.
"This is an important fight for my career," said Pavlik, who turned 28 on April5. "There's no denying that. The plan is to be dominant. To get back to where I was, I need to look good here."
His promoter Bob Arum spoke at a press conference yesterday of a potential fight for Pavlik at the new Cowboys Stadium, perhaps against Williams, if he wins.
But more than just procuring big fights, Dunkin talked of Pavlik's longing to become the apple of the public's eye once again.
"He misses the attention," Dunkin said. "He wants it back. You can see it in his eyes. He's a hungry fighter. He wants to get it back to how it was before. I think he's dying to get back in the limelight."
Source: nydailynews.com
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