By Mark Vester
Dan Birmingham, trainer of Winky Wright, is calling for a fight with WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Speaking with The Vindicator, Birmingham issued the challenge to Pavlik's promoter, Bob Arum of Top Rank.
“We’d like to know why Bob Arum avoided the best and most accomplished middleweight out there,” said Birmingham. “The fight people want to see is Winky. The fans want to see Pavlik in a real fight. I believe HBO will eventually force him to fight Winky — after all they are the real promoter. It shows how afraid Arum is of Wink, when he doesn’t mention his name.”
Pavlik will defends his titles against WBO mandatory Gary Lockett on June 7 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. Birmingham feels that Arum is scared of matching Pavlik against Wright.
“Arum is trying to give Kelly a soft defense, which is okay,” Birmingham said. “But, by not mentioning his [Wright’s] name, Arum is showing how scared he is of Winky. Kelly and [trainer] Jack [Loew] both say they want this fight. They both know that in order to be called the best, you have to fight and beat the best.”
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