In a surprise announcement, former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik said on Saturday that he is retiring from boxing. Siting concerns about the long term impact boxing will have on his health, Pavlik felt it was time to step away now, before it was too late.
“When you stay in the sport too long you have health problems. That’s a big, big thing for me,” Pavlik said. “I’m not talking about now. I’m talking about in the future. I’m talking about when I’m 55 or 60. What’s gonna happen to me then? Why take any more chances, especially in that sport. It’s a brutal sport and you never know what can happen.
“I won the world title, I defended my title, I was champ for three years and I made good money. Why take the chance of medical problems? That’s a big part of it. I also don’t think the drive is there anymore. I’m moving on to a new chapter in my life.”
The announcement is particularly surprising considering Pavlik was scheduled to challenge super middleweight champ Andre Ward for his title on Jan. 26. Ward was forced to bow out of the fight, however, when he needed surgery on his injured shoulder.
Pavlik isn’t so sure that the cancellation of the fight wasn’t the best thing that coul;d have happened.
“I’ve been a pro for 13 years and doing this since I was 9,” he said. “I go away for two or three months at a time (to train) and I’m tired of leaving my family. It comes to a point where you just don’t want to do that anymore. I put my money away and then with the Ward fight being canceled, well, health and time with my family is more important at this stage, especially with no guaranteed big fight or date.”
Kelly Pavlik, who is just 30 years old, held the middleweight title from 2007 until 2010. He captured the title in dramatic fashion, when he recovered from his own knockdown to stop Jermain Taylor in the seventh round. Three years later he would finally relinquish the title in a bloody fight with Sergio Martinez. The reign included three successful defenses of the title, a non-title rematch win over Taylor and a lopsided non-title fight loss to Bernard Hopkins.
During his championship run, Kelly Pavlik became a huge star. But he also was overwhelmed by his demons, which led to large chunks of time away from the ring. He had trouble with alcohol, serving two stints in rehab, was arrested on a DUI charge, and had management and training issues.
In 2012, it seemed he had got things back on track with three dominating victories which led to the scheduled matchup with Andre Ward.
“I had a pretty good career,” Pavlik said. “I was 40-2 and I only lost to two of the best guys, Martinez and Hopkins. I’m content. It’s not like I got knocked out. It’s not like I got knocked out the way Manny Pacquiao got knocked out (in December by Juan Manuel Marquez).
“I’m fine physically. But I feel like why keep pushing the envelope? I made it this long and this far and I have had fights that were tough fights. I got dropped by Jermain Taylor, got dropped earlier in my career. But you constantly take punches and it all adds up. When you’re done, you might have brain problems, you might be punchy, you might develop Parkinson’s. Why push it? I don’t need it and my heart’s not in it anymore. So why take the chances? I’ve been very fortunate up to this point.”
Now that his in-ring career is behind him, Pavlik is looking forward to the next chapter in his life. He said one of his first ideas is to open a gym in the Youngstown area as well as focus on a shopping plaza he and a partner own.
“That’s been going very well,” he said. “We have 13 units and all of them are filled. When Andre Ward pulled out of our fight, maybe it was for the best. This is a new chapter for me. I know people will say this is because I have problems with (drinking), but that’s not true. I’m fine. I have stopped caring about what they will say.
“I know this — if it had been me who pulled out of the Ward fight, I would have been reamed. At this stage, I am just tired of the negativity and comments and a whole bunch of things. But I know people will think I’m drinking and it will be the first thing people go after.”
Pavlik is married with two kids. He said his wife had been hoping he would make this decision.
“For two or three years, she was telling me she wants me to be done. She said when I got to the age of 30, she wanted me to retire, so she backed it,” Pavlik said. “Her biggest fear was long-term (physical) affects of boxing. My parents are behind it. They always said if I am not going into the ring 100 percent mentally ready, they didn’t want me doing it, so they’ve been supportive of it.”
The burning question for boxing fans will be whether or not Pavlik will stay retired. At just 30 years of age, he is much younger than many other fighters who find it so difficult to walk away from the sport forever. At least for now, he insists, the decision is meant to be permanent.
