By Michael Marley
Top Rank has reached deep into its boxing bullpen for an opponent for former world middleweight champion Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik in catch-weight (164 pounds) fight underneath the Antonio Margarito-Manny Pacquiao main event Nov. 13 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Another fighter to have received an offer to face Pavlik is Giovanni Lorenzo, but there are questions as to whether or not he will be ready in time since he fought on September 4 in Germany, losing to Felix Sturm.
Brian Lee Vera, who still gets some mileage out of a shock upset in 2008 of then 15-0 Irish prospect and Manny Steward protege Andy Lee, fills the bill for Bob Arum and his rehabbing of Youngstown hero Pavlik on several fronts.
First, Vera is a tough Texan fighting in the Lone Star State. He was born in "Cowtown," better known to you drugstore cowboy types at Ft. Worth and now lives in Austin.
Second, he is Mexican-American and so adds a bit more ethnic flavor underneath Margarito.
Top Rank looked closely at "Haitian Sensation" Daniel Edouard (23-3-2, 14 KOs) and briefly at New Jersey based Dominican Lorenzo before locking in on Vera.
"We had to do our due diligence on Edouard because we found out he was hospitalized after hius most recent bout in Panama. We spoke to the commission in Panama and they said he was treated for blood pressure problems. We spoke to John Wirt (Roy Jones' Square Ring outfit) and told him we would pass on Edouard, at least for now. John was very nice, very understanding," Arum told me Wednesday afternoon by phone from Las Vegas.
Rumors buzzing around fight circles had Edourard, who fights out of West Palm Beach, having heart issues but those seem to be merely rumors and not medical facts.
Pavlik, trying to rebound from a title loss to Argentina's brawny Sergio Martinez, has a 36-2 pro log, his other loss being to Hall Of Famer Bernard Hopkins.
Vera's pro mark is 17-5 with 11 KOs to his credit. He's lost three of his last four bouts but all have been competitive. He's been beaten by Maksym Bursek in the Ukraine, Isaac Rodrigues in Verona, NY, and also lost to Scotland's Craig McEwan and fellow Texan James Kirkland.
Kirkland, getting ready to fight against after a federal prison stint on gun possession charges, halted Vera in eight rounds.
Box Rec lists Vera at the 49th rated 160 pounder in the world and eighth best in America.
It looks like mariachis will be working overtime at this Margarito-Pacman show.
