December 25th. Merry Christmas!

Christmas is time to share with family and to put thought and action to helping others. Despite negative headlines, rumors and a staph infection that stalled Kelly Pavlik's career in 2009, He kept going about his activism in the community. Most folks know that when Kelly isn't in training he's at fund raisers and charity events often but what folks don't know is that Pavlik takes time out during training camps to be in close contact with his community of friends and fans. Click here to read a Vindicator story about two such instances during the past 5 weeks while he was preparing for his most recent title defense.

December 20th, 2009. Pavlik Espino Post Fight Press Conference.

December 19th 2009. Pavlik wins by KO. It was a war.

Kelly Pavlik landed big shots on Miguel Espino early in the first round but Espino stood tough and made the most of his first World Title shot by engaging in a 5 round war. Most boxing analysts would have strongly advised against a strategy as such by Espino but all the crowd in attendance looked on in amazement as he absorbed insurmountable punishment in order to land shots of his own. Eventually the toll was too much as Kelly Pavlik began to land pinpoint accurate uppercuts that sent Espino's head popping back and eventually crumbled him to the canvas. Espino got up from several knock downs and in round 5, his corner ended up throwing in the towel when he was helplessly pinned to the ropes on the receiving end of a Pavlik barrage. International news coverage as follows:
Los Angeles Times Pavlik Retains his Middleweight Titles
Taiwan News Espino Licked As Pavlik Keeps Titles
British Broadcasting Corporation Pavlik Stops Espino

December 18, 2009. Pavlik Vs. Espino Weigh-In. Ohio Governor Presides.

Kelly Pavlik came in at 160lbs while Miguel Espino came in at 159lbs. The official weigh-in took place at the Beeghly Center and it was officiated by Ohio Governor Ted Strickland. Afterwards, Kelly and his camp endulged in a hearty lunch at his new restaurant "Kelly Pavlik's 13th Round" in Campbell on the outskirts of Youngstown. The fight is Tmrw at the Beeghley Center at Youngstown State University. Tickets still available.

December 19th Defense Against Espino Is A GO! Williams December 5th Clash was cancelled, hand needed a little more time.

A stubborn and potentially fatal bout with a staph infection in his hand has been Kelly's toughest opponent to date. It persisted for most of 2009 and climaxed with an allergic reaction to antibiotics that took him close to death. In the process Kelly canceled an October clash with Paul Williams, rescheduled for December 5th and then asked Williams' people for a few more weeks. Williams decided to find another fight for December 5th. Now, Pavlik will defend his titles on December 19th at Youngstown State University's Beeghley Center against Miguel Espino.
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