Kelly Pavlik vs Will Rosinsky Preview July 7th
Kelly Pavlik, the former WBC and WBO middleweight champion, will be stepping into the ring again for the second time in just over a month when he takes on Will Rosinsky in a 10-round super middleweight tilt at Carson, California’s Home Depot Center. This will be Pavlik’s fourth bout in the super middleweight division.
Pavlik upped his record to 39-2, with 34 KOs on June 8 when he beat Scott Sigmon by a seventh-round TKO and the 30-year old is hoping to earn a title shot or big-money fight before the year’s out. The 27-year-old Rosinsky of New York, who has a 16-1, record with 9 KOs, pounded out an eight-round unanimous decision over Aaron Pryor on June 14, meaning he’s actually had less time than Pavlik to prepare for this bout.
Rosinsky’s a good boxer and in his prime, and shouldn’t be a pushover for Pavlik. His lone loss came to Edwin Rodriguez by a 10-round unanimous decision last October. He’s 5-foot-10 with a 70-inch reach while Pavlik of Youngstown, Ohio stands. Just over 6-foot-2 and has a 75 inch wingspan.
Pavlik has had trouble with alcohol addiction over the past couple of years and moved to California to get away from his bad hometown influences. He’s been working with new trainer Robert Garcia for the past couple of fights and is determined to put his name back on the top of the boxing map.
Rosinsky said it’s going to be the toughest fight of his career, but he’s definitely ready for it. He said he wasn’t really impressed with Pavlik’s performance last month in the win over Sigmon and thought Pavlik looked slower at the heavier weight and had lost some of his power. He added that he’s got nothing to lose since he’s the underdog and believes Pavlik can be beaten. He also feels Pavlik is a little burnt out since he’s been a pro for a dozen years now, but still regards him as a great fighter.
Pavlik will be motivated for this bout and he knows he needs to win it in impressive styles if he’s going to get a big fight in the near future. He won’t take it easy on Rosinsky, but he won’t find it easy either. Pavlik’s used to the big name bouts and needs to realize this is a 10 rounder, not 12. He won’t be able to afford to give any rounds away and needs to take control right from the get go. He’s only lost twice in his career, to Bernard Hopkins by unanimous decision in 2008 and to Sergio Martinez by unanimous decision in 2010.
Prediction
Rosinsky will need to fight on the inside and try to stop Pavlik from extending his longer arms. Pavlik will be trying to keep his opponent at bay and will be looking to land his powerful straight right hand. Pavlik can launch himself back into the limelight with a win here, but a loss will probably see him struggle to become a serious contender again.
Knowing there’s so much on the line; Pavlik should be able to stop Rosinsky in the second half of the fight.
Written by: Ian Palmer
Kelly Pavlik betting • Will Rosinsky betting