Kelly Pavlik And Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. A Go For Dec. 4?

A stick of dynamite has been inserted, and lit, on Kelly Pavlik.

Manager Cameron Dunkin knows in his gut that the Youngstown native, with a proper training regimen, away from the comfort and safety of his native region, could and should be able to reign at 160 pounds.

He could and should be able to take down 41-0 Julio Cesar Chavez Jr on Dec. 4, a bout which Dunkin says Bob Arum is in the midst of making. "We are on board with that," Dunkin told TSS on Wednesday.

But this "on board" is vastly different than the "on board" of the recent past. Dunkin is insisting, and says Pavlik (36-2 with 32 KOs) is open to enlisting the aid of expert nutritionists, dieticians and fitness trainers, so he can train the right way, and safely and effectively make 160 pounds.

"We'll get out of Ohio" for a Chavez Jr fight, Dunkin says,"and we'll watch him in a hotel 24-7."

"Sounds like you're talking about Keith Richards back in the day," I said to Dunkin.

He chuckled, but explained further. Kelly hooking on with local fitness experts, this guy with a rubber band regimen, that one with a banging-tires-with-a-sledgehammer workout, is history, if he has his way.

Dunkin said he had his eyes opened with the training methods employed by his guys Tim Bradley, and Nonito Donaire. "Those guys go to workout camps, and they work with the right people. Nonito's 114 1/2 pounds, and he's thicker than JuanMa at 126," the manager says.

Dunkin overheard Donaire while they were out at a steakhouse, after the weigh in to his last bout, a TKO8 win over Hernan Marquez on Saturday, conferring with notorious supplement expert Victor Conte.

Conte told him what to eat, in what order, and how long to chew each morsel. The degree into which Donaire bought in, and his level of stamina, got Dunkin thinking what Pavlik could be if he steered clear of the cheeseburgers and libations.

"Kelly is in 'You lit a fire in my a--, I want to do it' mode," the manager says. "And if he can do it, he'll destroy everyone. Guys like Chavez Jr, and Sergio Martinez will be destroyed. But we've got to be serious about it, and not be 192 pounds going in to camp. Kelly lost 12 pounds the day of the weigh in last time, riding a bike and using laxatives."


Dunkin will wait to see how things play out, if Pavlik can indeed yank himself out of the comfort zone. "It's time to grow up," he says. "I hope he can do it."

In his last outing (April 17), Pavlik ran out of steam against Sergio Martinez (UD12 loss), and then afterwards talked about how making 160, on his 6 2 1/2 frame, was too taxing. A jump to 168 was contemplated.

But Dunkin thinks the class of the training camp, and the class of the fighters' dedication, means more than the weight class. What say you, TSS U? Can Pavlik get more serious about his career, and regain his buzz at 160? Weigh in!