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By Jake Donovan - The boxing action along the Atlantic City Boardwalk was short but sweet, as Kelly Pavlik and Juan Manuel Lopez were knockout winners in Saturday night's HBO telecast.
Pavlik made the first successful defense of his middleweight crown with a three round, three-knockdown blitzing of hapless Welshman Gary Lockett, while Lopez made an explosive statement with a shocking first round knockout against Daniel Ponce de Leon.
The bouts headlined a six-fight card at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Pavlik was a whopping 25-1 favorite heading into the bout, but had to wait at least a round to completely dominate. Lockett, 159.5, landed the first significant punch of the fight, a straight right that touched Pavlik's chin, though it didn't take long for Pavlik – or his legions of Ohio supporters who made the trek to the Boardwalk – to get going.
The undefeated linear middleweight kingpin landed a right hand of his own to get a rise out of the spirited crowd. Another Pavlik right hand later in the round produce the first anxious moments of the fight, with Lockett pinned in a corner, forced to play defense. The challenger survived the brief storm, and even managed to fight back a bit prior to rounds end. [details]
Pavlik made the first successful defense of his middleweight crown with a three round, three-knockdown blitzing of hapless Welshman Gary Lockett, while Lopez made an explosive statement with a shocking first round knockout against Daniel Ponce de Leon.
The bouts headlined a six-fight card at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Pavlik was a whopping 25-1 favorite heading into the bout, but had to wait at least a round to completely dominate. Lockett, 159.5, landed the first significant punch of the fight, a straight right that touched Pavlik's chin, though it didn't take long for Pavlik – or his legions of Ohio supporters who made the trek to the Boardwalk – to get going.
The undefeated linear middleweight kingpin landed a right hand of his own to get a rise out of the spirited crowd. Another Pavlik right hand later in the round produce the first anxious moments of the fight, with Lockett pinned in a corner, forced to play defense. The challenger survived the brief storm, and even managed to fight back a bit prior to rounds end. [details]