Kelly Pavlik will defend his WBC and WBO middleweight titles on December 5th against Paul Williams in a bout that was originally slated for October but Pavlik suffered a bacterial infection on his hand and the bout had to be postponed.
Pavlik, who underwent two surgeries, has stated that his hand is back in shape but what now needs healing is his ego.
“I have a lot to prove,” Pavlik said in the official press conference to announce his title bout against Williams held at the New York Giants practice facility. “Even after the fight with Williams, with a good performance, there is still a lot lef to prove.”
Pavlik (35-1, 35KO) is often criticized for staying with his long time trianer Jack Loew instead of a bigger name and for keeping his camp in the city where he grew up, Youngstown, Ohio. After defending his title twice in less than stellar perforamances against criticited opposition, Marco Antonio Rubio and Gary Lockett, Pavlik was easily handed his first professional defeat at the hands of one Bernard Hopkins.
“In boxing there is always criticism, it doesn’t matter what you accomplish,” Pavlik stated. “If I beat Williams in a convincing manner, they will say that he is a welterweight.”
Williams (37-1, 27KO) hoped to fight before the month of December and his promoter Dan Goosen looked at a couple of other options but he found himself with the same problem that he has encountered in the past with Williams: Nobody wanted to fight him.