“I just couldn’t see the shots coming,” Lockett said.
Lockett (30-2) twice went down in the second round, getting up the second
time with five seconds left before the bell, but he wouldn’t make it much
further.
Lockett went down again early in the third round, and even though he
struggled to his feet along the ropes, he clearly had enough. The referee called
the fight at 1:40 of the round.
“I stuck to my game,” Pavlik said. “I knew he never had anybody punching
at him with the pace and power that I have.”
Arum’s choice to put Lockett in against Pavlik surprised nearly everyone,
including Lockett.
But popular Irish fighter John Duddy was badly cut in a fight a few months
ago, taking him off the list of potential opponents. Lockett slid into place
after winning 14 straight over the last six years, a record that looked good on
paper.
Known for his own knockout power, Lockett was certainly right when he
predicted that the fight wouldn’t go the distance, one way or the other.
“He’s a fabulous fighter,” Lockett said. “Every time I threw punches it
seemed like he was making me pay for it.”
Pavlik has said he’d like to follow in the footsteps of Bernard Hopkins by
unifying the division, which would mean future matchups with WBA champ Felix
Sturm and IBF champ Arthur Abraham. But Arum is already talking to British
promoter Frank Warren about a fall fight against Calzaghe, the 168-pound king
fresh off a light heavyweight win over Hopkins.
Whatever is next for Pavlik, one thing is clear: He’s quickly becoming one
of the most popular, and most bankable, stars in the sport.
“Whoever they throw in front of me,” Pavlik said. “Who have I turned
down? Nobody.”
Juan Manuel Lopez stopped Daniel Ponce De Leon in the
first round to capture the WBO super bantamweight title Saturday night on the
undercard of Kelly Pavlik’s middleweight title defense against Gary Lockett at
Boardwalk Hall.
Lopez, who turned professional just a few years ago, knocked down Ponce De
Leon seconds into the fight with a left to the body. The Mexican champion
struggled to get up from that blow, then got trapped in the corner and absorbed
five hard shots to the head before going down for good.
“I knew we were both hard punchers, that wasn’t a question,” Lopez said
through an interpreter. “I thought I had more ability than he did and thought I
could land the punches he couldn’t.”
