By Mark Vester
In a recent interview with BoxingScene.com's Jose Aguirre, promoter Bob Arum of Top Rank said that WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik will lead the way to boxing's revival and his knockout win over Jermain Taylor is the biggest blow that the UFC has suffered to date.
"The way he fights. People love to see his fights, the heart that he shows. The whole package. He's very articulate and he comes from an area that has been depressed and it's going to be elevated I think because of him," Arum said. "I just think that he's going to revive boxing in the Midwest and it's going to spread to the rest of the country. I'll tell you, this was the biggest blow to the UFC since the sort of competition began because all the young kids are going to come back to boxing. There is nothing in UFC or any of this martial arts bullsh*t that compares to this."
Arum then touched on the rematch clause with Taylor. He says that a rematch with Taylor should happen, but not right away. A fight with undefeated John Duddy at New York's Madison Square Garden is an option for March.
"There is a rematch clause. I think it would be silly to do an immediate rematch. That makes no sense. Lou (DiBella) is a sensible guy. We'll sit down and talk about it. But my feeling is that Kelly should do a title defense, Jermain should do a fight and then maybe have a rematch," Arum said. "And keep it at 160-pounds, neither guy had trouble making the weight. My goals for this kid are enormous. People have mentioned a fight with John Duddy. That would be right before St. Patrick's Day. I spoke with Jim Dolan. That would be huge in Madison Square Garden."
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