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For the past few weeks, four names were on Top Rank promoter Bob Arum's short list as potential opponents to face middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik in his first defense this summer: Marco Antonio Rubio, Gary Lockett, Giovanni Lorenzo and Randy Griffin.
The decision has been made. Gary Lockett -- come on down!
Pavlik will defend his 160-pound title against Lockett, a mandatory challenger from Wales, in June on HBO, Arum told ESPN.com.
June 7 is the probable date, but Arum said it could switch to June 14 if HBO's schedule can't accommodate a live tripleheader.
The site, Arum said, will be either New York's Madison Square Garden or Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., the arena where Pavlik knocked out Jermain Taylor in the seventh round last September in a dramatic fight to win the title.
"The deal is made for Lockett," Arum said. "We're going to decide on the site, the Garden or Atlantic City, this week but we have to sift through the offers. But it will probably be Atlantic City. But everything with the fight has been agreed to. [Lockett promoter Frank Warren] has the papers. It's not fully executed, but it's verbally agreed to."
Arum said he also concluded a deal Monday with Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer to match Top Rank junior featherweight contender Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs) of Puerto Rico against Golden Boy-promoted junior featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce De Leon of Mexico in the Pavlik-Lockett co-feature.
Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs) had been considering a unification fight with Celestino Caballero, who handed him his only defeat, but elected to go with the Lopez fight instead.
If HBO can accommodate a tripleheader, Arum said he said he would put newly signed rising middleweight Andy Lee (15-0, 12 KOs) in the opening bout against Rubio (41-4-1, 36 KOs). Lee would have to get past Brian Vera on March 21 on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" to make the fight possible.
Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) was originally slated to make his June defense against John Duddy, but Duddy suffered multiple deep cuts in a shaky majority decision win Feb. 23, forcing Arum to look for another opponent.
Arum said of the opponents on his short list, HBO liked Lockett, "so I called Frank and I made the deal."
One of the intriguing elements of a Pavlik-Lockett fight is that Lockett is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, the father and trainer of super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe.
"It's a good story with Enzo in Lockett's corner," Arum said. "It sets Kelly up maybe to eventually fight Joe Calzaghe. Joe will probably be around the fight and maybe we can get something going with him. Besides, Lockett is a mandatory, so Kelly would have to fight him at some point anyway."
Said Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's manager: "I like the Enzo Calzaghe angle and from the tapes I have seen, Lockett is a tough guy and it's our mandatory. I think it's a heck of a fight. I think he's well schooled and I think he can be a pretty tough opponent."
If Pavlik defeats Lockett, Arum would like Pavlik to fight two more times in 2008. Griffin may get the shot at Pavlik in the fall in Pavlik's native Ohio. A healed Duddy could challenge Pavlik in December.
Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), nicknamed "Rocket Man," has won 14 consecutive fights since suffering his only defeat, a split decision to journeyman Yuri Tsarenko in April 2002 in Cardiff. Lockett avenged the loss a year later.
Eighteen of Lockett's 21 knockouts have come inside three rounds. However, the 31-year-old has never faced a name opponent. Aside from one bout in Italy in 2005, all of his fights have been in the United Kingdom.
Before the Feb. 16 rematch between Pavlik and Taylor, Lockett predicted that Pavlik would prevail and expressed interest in fighting him.
"It's hard to pick a winner, but I reckon Pavlik will do it again," Lockett said at the time. "Whatever happens, I'd love to meet whoever comes through. I train in a gym full of world champions, and I'd love to get a shot at the big time and establish myself as a world star like [super middleweight champion] Joe Calzaghe, [former cruiserweight titlist] Enzo Maccarinelli and [junior welterweight beltholder] Gavin Rees."
Pavlik, 25, defeated Taylor in a Feb. 16 rematch, but the title was not at stake because they fought at an agreed-upon catch weight, which was Taylor's right based on language in his rematch clause.
The decision has been made. Gary Lockett -- come on down!
Pavlik will defend his 160-pound title against Lockett, a mandatory challenger from Wales, in June on HBO, Arum told ESPN.com.
June 7 is the probable date, but Arum said it could switch to June 14 if HBO's schedule can't accommodate a live tripleheader.
The site, Arum said, will be either New York's Madison Square Garden or Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, N.J., the arena where Pavlik knocked out Jermain Taylor in the seventh round last September in a dramatic fight to win the title.
"The deal is made for Lockett," Arum said. "We're going to decide on the site, the Garden or Atlantic City, this week but we have to sift through the offers. But it will probably be Atlantic City. But everything with the fight has been agreed to. [Lockett promoter Frank Warren] has the papers. It's not fully executed, but it's verbally agreed to."
Arum said he also concluded a deal Monday with Golden Boy Promotions' Richard Schaefer to match Top Rank junior featherweight contender Juan Manuel Lopez (21-0, 19 KOs) of Puerto Rico against Golden Boy-promoted junior featherweight titleholder Daniel Ponce De Leon of Mexico in the Pavlik-Lockett co-feature.
Ponce De Leon (34-1, 30 KOs) had been considering a unification fight with Celestino Caballero, who handed him his only defeat, but elected to go with the Lopez fight instead.
If HBO can accommodate a tripleheader, Arum said he said he would put newly signed rising middleweight Andy Lee (15-0, 12 KOs) in the opening bout against Rubio (41-4-1, 36 KOs). Lee would have to get past Brian Vera on March 21 on ESPN2's "Friday Night Fights" to make the fight possible.
Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs) was originally slated to make his June defense against John Duddy, but Duddy suffered multiple deep cuts in a shaky majority decision win Feb. 23, forcing Arum to look for another opponent.
Arum said of the opponents on his short list, HBO liked Lockett, "so I called Frank and I made the deal."
One of the intriguing elements of a Pavlik-Lockett fight is that Lockett is trained by Enzo Calzaghe, the father and trainer of super middleweight champion Joe Calzaghe.
"It's a good story with Enzo in Lockett's corner," Arum said. "It sets Kelly up maybe to eventually fight Joe Calzaghe. Joe will probably be around the fight and maybe we can get something going with him. Besides, Lockett is a mandatory, so Kelly would have to fight him at some point anyway."
Said Cameron Dunkin, Pavlik's manager: "I like the Enzo Calzaghe angle and from the tapes I have seen, Lockett is a tough guy and it's our mandatory. I think it's a heck of a fight. I think he's well schooled and I think he can be a pretty tough opponent."
If Pavlik defeats Lockett, Arum would like Pavlik to fight two more times in 2008. Griffin may get the shot at Pavlik in the fall in Pavlik's native Ohio. A healed Duddy could challenge Pavlik in December.
Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs), nicknamed "Rocket Man," has won 14 consecutive fights since suffering his only defeat, a split decision to journeyman Yuri Tsarenko in April 2002 in Cardiff. Lockett avenged the loss a year later.
Eighteen of Lockett's 21 knockouts have come inside three rounds. However, the 31-year-old has never faced a name opponent. Aside from one bout in Italy in 2005, all of his fights have been in the United Kingdom.
Before the Feb. 16 rematch between Pavlik and Taylor, Lockett predicted that Pavlik would prevail and expressed interest in fighting him.
"It's hard to pick a winner, but I reckon Pavlik will do it again," Lockett said at the time. "Whatever happens, I'd love to meet whoever comes through. I train in a gym full of world champions, and I'd love to get a shot at the big time and establish myself as a world star like [super middleweight champion] Joe Calzaghe, [former cruiserweight titlist] Enzo Maccarinelli and [junior welterweight beltholder] Gavin Rees."
Pavlik, 25, defeated Taylor in a Feb. 16 rematch, but the title was not at stake because they fought at an agreed-upon catch weight, which was Taylor's right based on language in his rematch clause.
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