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In a nutshell, according to police, Pavlik and an off-duty sheriff's deputy working as a bouncer tussled after the deputy tried to throw the unruly fighter and some friends out of the establishment. Police say Pavlik punched the deputy, which the fighter denies.
Pavlik was charged with felony assault of a peace officer, among other charges, but pleaded no contest to a single reduced misdemeanor assault charge and will be sentenced Feb. 13.
He faces a maximum of six months in jail and a $1,000 fine, although chief assistant city prosecutor Anthony J. Farris doubts Pavlik will spend much, if any time, behind bars.
"He's not a guy who's been in trouble," Farris said. "I've been prosecuting cases here for 10 years and I've never heard anything bad about him. He's not a troublemaker. In fact, we're all proud of him. We want him to become champ."
Pavlik, so soft-spoken that he had trouble doing interviews early in his career, said the incident "has been blown way out of proportion" but blames himself.
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