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By Steve Kim - The Ohio State Buckeyes are once again expected to contend for the BCS championship in the fall. On September 13, in their third outing of the year, they face the mighty Trojans of USC in Los Angeles in one of the most highly anticipated games of the college football season. But before that they open the season against Youngstown State and then Ohio - programs they are expected to blow out with ease.
Kelly Pavlik, a huge Buckeye loyalist and middleweight champion of the world, could be looking at a showdown with super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe in November. But before that he faces Gary Lockett, who is considered to be about a 15-1 underdog by those who care about such things. This, coming off a stretch where he faced in succession: Jose Luis Zertuche, Edison Miranda and Jermain Taylor, twice.
This bout here, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey this Saturday night, seems to be Pavlik's non-conference tune-up.
But like the manner in which Jim Tressel will undoubtedly go into coach-speak and talk up the Penguins and Bobcats, Pavlik and his team are doing the same thing in regards to their upcoming assignment.
"This is the first title defense, this kid's hungry. Once you get to that level of being a champ everybody is coming out," Pavlik would tell Maxboxing last week from his home in Youngstown, Ohio. "I know I'm getting the best Gary Lockett. We've never had a training camp this hard. We don't want to take no chances, this kid can fight. He's not overly fast, he has enough hand-speed. He's not that big of a puncher but he has enough pop. He doesn't make too many mistakes. So you gotta take the kid serious, this being the first title defense. I'm not going to give this belt up." [details]
Kelly Pavlik, a huge Buckeye loyalist and middleweight champion of the world, could be looking at a showdown with super middleweight king Joe Calzaghe in November. But before that he faces Gary Lockett, who is considered to be about a 15-1 underdog by those who care about such things. This, coming off a stretch where he faced in succession: Jose Luis Zertuche, Edison Miranda and Jermain Taylor, twice.
This bout here, which takes place at Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey this Saturday night, seems to be Pavlik's non-conference tune-up.
But like the manner in which Jim Tressel will undoubtedly go into coach-speak and talk up the Penguins and Bobcats, Pavlik and his team are doing the same thing in regards to their upcoming assignment.
"This is the first title defense, this kid's hungry. Once you get to that level of being a champ everybody is coming out," Pavlik would tell Maxboxing last week from his home in Youngstown, Ohio. "I know I'm getting the best Gary Lockett. We've never had a training camp this hard. We don't want to take no chances, this kid can fight. He's not overly fast, he has enough hand-speed. He's not that big of a puncher but he has enough pop. He doesn't make too many mistakes. So you gotta take the kid serious, this being the first title defense. I'm not going to give this belt up." [details]
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