Author Archive

Kelly Pavlik trained hard, came into camp in great shape, and had more muscle mass than he ever had before.  Making weight was an issue because of the size.  Adding weight, Pavlik may have made himself slower as Sergio Martinez scored a unanimous 12-round decision.

Pavlik showed heart by finishing the fight, but the night belonged to Martinez who raised his record to 45-2-2 and became the new champion in thunderous fashion.

After the fight, Pavlik said, “He caught me with a nice left hand and he cut me pretty good.  I wasn’t shocked by how aggressive he finished the fight.  It was hard to make the weight, but I hate losing, we will definitely go back to work and get ready for a rematch.  He was a smart fighter and doubled up with the jab alot.”

The first round was pretty uneventful as most traditionally are.  The two fighters spent the majority of the round feeling each other out.  Martinez danced around Pavlik and connected often enough to win the round.

In the second round, Martinez widened a cut on the side of Pavlik’s left eye that may have originated in round one.  Martinez then went into cocky mode as he dropped his hands to his side a couple of times before retaking a boxer’s stance.    Martinez wins the round however, to take a 2-0 lead in rounds.

In round three, Pavlik landed a couple of good shots and the round could be scored either way.  Martinez was doing a good job controlling the action to this point in the fight, but Pavlik was getting closer to landing shots of his own.

Round four was another round for Martinez, who was smiling as he was landing each punch.  Pavlik was slower than Martinez, and had yet to deliver a trademark Pavlik power punch.

In round five, Martinez continued circling Pavlik but the champ started landing.  Pavlik landed his best punches of the fight and staggered Martinez about two minutes in.  The momentum felt like it was starting to shift toward the champion.

Round six saw more of the Martinez cockiness disappear,as he was much less glitzy than the first four rounds.  Another round for Pavlik who was obviously starting to slow down Martinez and was landing shots much more frequently.

In round seven, Martinez hit the canvas in what Martinez argued may have been a slip, but the ref delivered a standing eight count and Pavlik had his most dominant round of the fight picking up a 10-8 session. Martinez continued to slow and Pavlik continued to pick up steam.

The fight seemed even heading into the eighth round.  Pavlik and Martinez were close on the cards.  Martinez was working harder but Pavlik seemed like he was picking up a pattern and connecting more frequently than the earlier rounds.  The judges would have a tough one to score in the round.  At the end of eight, I had the fight scored evenly.

This is where the fight took a turn.  Jack Loew’s prediction earlier in the week had him looking like a genius to this point.  Loew had stated that it would take Pavlik a few rounds to get the rhythm of Martinez timed up and that by round five, Pavlik would connect.  What Loew didn’t expect was for Martinez to open cuts on Pavlik’s face making it hard for the champ to see.

In round nine, Martinez bloodied Pavlik pretty badly.  The cut from earlier in the fight on the champ’s left side and a new cut, much bigger on the right side had Pavlik’s face a pool of blood by round’s end.  Big round for Martinez, arguably a 10-8.

Round ten was a big round for Martinez.  Landing huge shots, the doctors checked Pavlik at the end of the round to see how severe the cuts were and decided the fight could go on.

The last two rounds were target practice for Martinez.  Pavlik was fighting hurt or lacking vision for a good part of the end of both rounds.  At the end of the tenth, eleventh and twelfth rounds, the blood was streaming down both sides of Pavlik’s face.

Give credit where credit is due, Martinez showed up big on this night.  Unfortunately, Martinez is linked to Lou DiBella.  At the post-fight press conference DiBella was like a drunken pirate who just found the treasure chest on a map he found in a trashcan somewhere.  He gloated, took a few verbal shots at Loew who did well restraining himself, and just carried on and on and on.  Bob Arum even looked disgusted while DiBella rambled.  The one thing DiBella said that was respectable was that the decision of a rematch was totally in the hands of Team Pavlik.  “If Kelly decides to move up to 168, we would consider a fight at 154 against [Antonio] Margarito.  It is in the hands of Top Rank.  Pavlik was gracious enough to give us a chance, and we would do the proper thing by honoring his rematch clause.”

On the potential rematch, Loew remarked that, “I don’t have an answer yet, obviously.  Cameron Dunkin, Mike Pavlik, Bob Arum, Kelly, and myself will sit down over the next couple of weeks to make a decision.”

Pavlik’s cutman, Sid Rumbach said Pavlik would need a dozen stitches inside and at least two dozen stitches outside to close the cuts suffered during the fight and Pavlik went to the hospital immediately after leaving the ring, thus missing the press conference.

All-in-all, the Kelly Pavlik vs Sergio Martinez undercard had plenty of good stuff.  It was a step forward for many of boxing’s future stars as well as some current fighters.  Kudos to Top Rank and Bob Arum for presenting a very good undercard.

In the opener, Dominic Guinn scored a 7th round TKO over Terrell Nelson.  The fight had a good pace for heavyweights and Guinn landed the big blows when he needed to.  Guinn improved to 33-6-1 while Nelson fell to 8-10 as a pro.

A battle of 142-pound fighters saw Vincent Arroyo hand Jeremy Bryan his first pro defeat in 14 fights.  Arroyo had a mad flurry in the fourth round knocking Bryan down.  The ref could have counted to 40 instead of 10, either way, Arroyo improved to 10-1 with seven KO’s.

Ronald Hearns, son of Thomas “Hitman” Hearns ran his record to 25-1 with an impressive first-round TKO over Delray Raines.

Chris Hazimihalis then took out Ramon Ellis to extend his unbeaten streak to 2-0.  After his debut in December, when he admittedly came out nervous before unwinding, Hazimihalis came out full steam ahead in picking up the impressive win.

Undefeated Chris Jones (21-0) looked impressive in carving up Hector Munoz (18-3-1) in five rounds.  Jones claimed the NABA Welterweight Title with the win in front of a very partial Philadelphia-based crowd.  Jones tagged Munoz frequently and when he wanted to in posting the impressive TKO victory.

In a battle of 160-pounders, Josh Snyder challenged Matt Korobov of Russia.  Snyder gave Korobov everything he had and both fighters landed several big shots in a very entertaining contest.  In the end, the judges awarded a unanimous decision to Korobov who ran his perfect record to 11-0.

The last fight before the main event featured another local favorite in Glen Tapia as he faced James “Shotgun” Winchester in a 152-pound battle.  Tapia bloodied Winchester with some big shots in the second round.  Winchester wasted more energy taunting than fighting at various stages of the contest.  All three judges scored the four-round fight 40-35 in favor of Tapia who jumped to 6-0 with the win.

Chris Hazimihalis knows about being fortunate enough to fight on big boxing cards.  In just his second fight, Hazimihalis again was on a Kelly Pavlik Top Rank undercard with a big audience.  The foe challenging Hazimihalis was Ramon Ellis from  Philadelphia.

Hazimihalis wasted little time making a first impression knocking Ellis to the canvas in the first round.  The ring nerves that Hazimihalis had a problem with in his first fight were nowhere to be found.  Hazimihalis caught Ellis with a powerful short overhand right that sent Ellis down in the middle of the ring.  Once Ellis rose, Hazimihalis went to work using a strong corner flurry to end the fight in the first round.

The fight was stopped at 1:28 of the first round.  Campbell, Ohio had plenty of representatives in attendance including family and friends of Hazimihalis who ran his record to a perfect 2-0 in impressive fashion.

After the fight, Hazimihalis was happy he put on a good show in front of so many media members and onlookers.  “Jack [Loew] wanted me to come out fast, it is how I trained for this fight.  I wanted to stay relaxed, and I was very relaxed for this fight.”

Hazimihalis went on to add, “I will take them any way I can get them.  I wanted to fight my hardest with this opportunity and show everyone exactly what kind I fighter I am.”

Youngstown State Head Coach Jerry Slocum proudly unveiled the signing of Josh Chojnacki to a National Letter of Intent.  Chojnacki (pronounced “shuh-NAK-ee”) comes from Erie, PA., where he was a standout for Mercyhurst Prep.  The 6’9″ recruit was named a Class AA First-Team All-Pennsylvania selection last season.

Last season, Chojnacki averaged 21.6 points and 11 rebounds per game and finished his career as the second leading scorer in Mercyhurst Prep history compiling 1,321 points and as the school’s all-time rebounder with 775  in his four letter-winning years. 

“In the Horizon League, when you have a post player that can step out and hit the perimeter jump shot, which Josh does extremely well, and have the ability to score around the basket it makes for a very special player,” Slocum said.

Chojnacki, who joins Kendrick Perry in the 2010-11 recruiting class, carried a 3.9 grade-point average in high school and plans on pursuing a degree in business while attending YSU.

“Youngstown State has been recruiting me since my junior year and I felt a real connection with Coach Slocum and (Assistant) Coach (Michael) Wernicki,” Chojnacki said. “I liked the campus, and it’s close to home so my family can see me play.”

Youngstown State University announced the hiring of Bob Boldon as the new Lady Penguins basketball coach.  Boldon, who grew up in Louisville, Ohio, was a standout point guard for Walsh University.  Coach Boldon has ten years of experience coaching basketball, five at the Division I level.  His most recent venture was in the role of top assistant coach for Division I Florida Gulf Goast University.

Boldon is in a unique situation with the new task he has accepted.  On one hand, there is nowhere to go but up as the Lady Penguins are coming off an 0-30 season and hold the longest losing streak in Division I.  On the other hand, he will have to establish his ways to two other coaches recruits while trying to sign a few student-athletes to attend YSU.

“I am very excited about the opportunity to be the next head coach at Youngstown State University,” Boldon said.  “Mr. Strollo has a great vision not only for the future of the women’s basketball program, but the entire athletic department.  I am excited and honored to be a part of it.  I am also thrilled that my family and friends will have an opportunity to share in the excitement of re-establishing a winning tradition for the women’s basketball program at YSU.”

Boldon has coached at Akron, Walsh, Gannon, Wilmington, Lambuth, Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, and the University of Arkansas at Monticello.  His track record would suggest he is a good fit for the current situation of YSU basketball because he seems to go into struggling programs and turn them around for the better.

Kelly Pavlik was very recently interviewed about his upcoming fight with Sergio Martinez.  Thanks to Team Pavlik for the above interview.  Pavlik definitely gives Martinez his props and shows alot of respect.  Having spoken with Pavlik this past weekend, I noticed alot of pep in his step and sensed that he just seems to be enjoying what it is he does. 

Jack Loew claims that The Ghost is heading into the nationally televised fight in the best shape he could be in.  Pavlik seems confident and happy, like he is in a good place right now.  Based on his good attitude and the positive feedback I have received from just about everyone I have spoken to on the inside, Pavlik will look sharp.  Expect a good showing.

As stated here in earlier articles, this fight can be a springboard to so many other options if Pavlik looks dominant.  When the fight was signed, everyone rambled on about how bad Kelly would be beaten because he didn’t care about the sport anymore.  The facts are that the medication he had to take for a dangerous staph infection is no longer needed, the hand is 100% for the first time in over a year, and showing up in shape before training camp started would all signify a  hunger to remain the champ. 

I love being the guy on the internet who defends Pavlik, because the “boxing experts” keep picking him to lose, dating back to Pavlik-Taylor I, and have been wrong all but once.  Again, my money is on the champ.

I am heading to Atlantic City to cover the fight and will be doing stories all week long leading up to Saturday night.

As I approached the Covelli Centre to check out the bull riding event, I saw a whole demographic of people who probably do not head into town much.  The men were wearing cowboy hats and boots, the women were wearing flannels, and anyone not wearing blue jeans stood out like dandelions in a well-manicured yard. 

Not sure what to expect, I headed in and first noticed that the usually pleasant-scented venue smelled like the Canfield Fair, where people pet a pig on their way to grab a sausage sandwich.

Over the course of the next few hours, I gained admiration for the men who were courageous enough to mount bulls, I learned how someone wins, and I talked with several polite people with the PBR who saw past my ignorance of their craft with a pleasant and insightful demeanor.

The crowd of close to 3,000 was larger than I thought it would be.  Robbie Hodges (above) served as the announcer/comedian in his self-proclaimed title of barrel clown.  Hodges had one of those hands-free Janet Jackson headsets on and was very active.  Hodges main job is to serve as the space filler between rides by telling jokes, dancing, jumping around, and basically doing whatever it takes to keep the audience going.

Jimmy Brownlee, of Cocoa, FL, tours with the PBR and serves as a judge.  I asked him to explain how and what the participants win.  “We mark the rides on a scale of 1-25 on the animal and 1-25 on the ride.  You have to ride at least eight seconds to get a score.  We also look at the degree of difficulty on the bull with bucking, kicking, and spinning.  The guys can win money and a prestigious belt buckle if they are crowned the winner.”

OK, so far so good.  The guy on the horse in the above photo has the responsibility of roping a bull once the rider has been thrown.  He was pretty accurate from the distances he was heaving the lasso and I only saw him miss once all night.  Once the bull is roped successfully, it is led back to the storage cages behind the start chutes.

Once the rider is mounted in the start chute, the gate is pulled open and the bull basically starts a very unpredictable series of movements.  Many of the riders were thrown into the air and have no choice but to take the hard landing.  The way a ride ends, good or bad, is by being thrown from the bull, so the poor guy who only lasted three seconds and the rider who can survive for ten seconds realize the same fate in the end, and knowing how to fall and dodge is a key to lasting in the sport.

Besides Hodges, there are two other clowns who try to get the attention of the bull after the rider has been tossed.  In my opinion, these two guys had the riskiest job in the building.  They had to deal with every bull on every ride. 

How fast would you move? 

All-in-all, the crowd seemed pleased and enjoyed the efforts that the PBR Show brought to Youngstown.  If you ever get a chance to take your family to something different than a movie and dinner, throw this event on the list, you will not be disappointed.  Kasy Hays was crowned the winner of the ‘final round of ten’.  Afterwards, an autograph table was set up in the concourse where fans lined up to meet their favorite PBR personalities.

 

To sit there and watch World Middleweight Boxing Champion Kelly Pavlik and U.S. Congressman Tim Ryan look over a sheet with defensive schemes and offensive formations was just scary.  Pavlik and Ryan served as honorary coaches for the Red team in Saturday’s Spring Football Game at Stambaugh Stadium.

Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams (pictured) and State Senator Joe Schiavoni served as the honorary coaches for the White team.  Williams and I shared some good conversation on the elevator.  Amongst the topics were the rust working itself out of his golf game and what a beautiful day we had for the Spring game.

New YSU President Appointee, Dr. Cynthia E. Anderson, was also on the sidelines and having a good time.  I asked her how she could be an honorary coach and not be wearing headphones or instructing players.  Dr. Anderson laughed and replied, “I am much better at cheering and clapping and being happy.  I know nothing, so I am just going to stand here and be happy.  Seriously though, I think this is wonderful.  We have perfect weather and the school spirit is on display here today.  There is going to be alot of excitement here this year and we will have alot of people coming out.”

Former State Senator Harry Meshel was on hand to show his support for the program.  “The crowd is exhillerated.  Wolf brings alot to the coaching situation, you can see it in the ballplayers, even the ones who are a little shorter.  The guy [Wolford] has so much spirit, and we just have to keep making this game bigger every time we do it.”

At one point in the second half when the Red scored a touchdown, someone from Team Pavlik shouted out, “Nice call Kelly!”  Pavlik turned back with a keen smirk nodding his head saying, “Yeah, it was nice, wasn’t it.” 

A couple of moments later the chants of ‘Kelly-Kelly-Kelly’ started in the lower bleachers to which Pavlik turned, smiled, and tipped his cap to the fans.  The only other chant even close was a ‘Wolford-Wolford-Wolford’ chant that went up in the first half.

New YSU Coach Eric Wolford advised all to circle the annual Red-White Spring game on their calenders.  He promised at halftime of the home basketball game against Butler that there would be tailgating for the first time ever as a way to hype things up and a way for the community to enjoy fellowship and networking.  Wolford had to be happy with the upgrade from Spring games past as the Red got by the White, 48-20, in front of well over 2,000 fans.

The way the game was set up, the Red team were the “ones“, or first teamers.  The White team were the “twos“, or second teamers.  According to Wolford, no one was guaranteed anything, so with a strong showing against the Red team, any member of the White team could be promoted to starter status.

The two big questions coming into the game remained unanswered.  Marc Kanetsky and Kurt Hess (above) both had good showings at QB as they alternated series with both offenses.  Kanetsky finished the day 20-32 for 213 yards and a TD, he also ran one in from two yards out.  Hess was 26-33 for 350 yards and 3 TD.  Statistically, the edge goes to Hess, but Kanetsky did a better job leading drives that resulted in scores.  Hess was critical of himself afterwards.  “There were some reads that I made not as fast as I would have liked to, but getting the ball to the receivers we have so they can do the things they do worked out well for me today.”

The other unanswered question was will the special teams be a drawback as they were last year?  There were two field goals attempted, one by starter Stephen Blose, that were missed.  Blose also missed an extra point attempt while succeeding six times.  There were a couple of mishandled punts that rolled around on the turf.  The blocking on punts was not full contact, so that was an untested commodity.  Special Teams will win or lose a team games and Wolford knows how important they become when in a close one.

The factors that were expected to click did not disappoint.  Dominique Barnes caught 10 passes for 174 yards and two TDs.  Both of Barnes’ touchdowns (27 and 35 yards) came from Hess passes.  Jelani Berassa stepped it up catching 8 balls for 107 yards and a touchdown. 

In the rushing department, Torrian Pace (above, being served water by injured Torrance Nicholson) ran hard and got 13 carries for 109 yards and a pair of scores.  Jamaine Cook (pictured below) got 14 touches for 48 yards.  Dan Banna, the younger brother of Red team FB Kyle Banna, had 10 carries for 93 yards to lead the White team.  Dan Banna commented on what it was like to play against a team his brother was on fo the first time ever.  “We are always competing, but usually on the same side.  Today you got to see which Banna was better,” remarked the younger Dan as brother Kyle laughed.

Pace praised the offensive line and gave his thoughts on what will happen at quarterback.  “The O-line did a great job and it all works because of them.  Both of the quarterbacks played well and it is in the coaches hands.  I have faith in both of them and trust whoever I am lined up behind on the field.  I think they can both play”

After the game, Coach Wolford commented on the positives.  “I’m excited by the great turnout today.  I was happy with things I saw on both sides of the ball and you really have to credit the White for playing very competitively.  We are now entering the most important phase of the year, our Summer program.  As coaches, you cannot monitor the players but it is a time when you can make the biggest gains or losses and we need to make alot of gains.”

A man of his word, Wolford and members his staff went through the tailgate lot visiting the fans who came out in celebration of YSU Football.  “It was good to see.  This community is ready to change and we are all going to work together to do positive things.”

In December, another professional boxer from the Mahoning Valley with promise debuted.  Chris Hazimihalis couldn’t ask for more that night.  He was launching his pro boxing career on the undercard of a pay-per-view fight, his family and friends could all come to root him on, and the partisan crowd would surely give him the additional adrenaline he would need to reign victorius.

Hazimihalis got by Norman Allen with a third-round TKO.  It took him a couple of rounds to work the nerves out, but once the stagefright disappeared, Christo Hazimihalis was able to methodically pick apart his opponent, showing the promise and instincts needed to succeed in this profession.

On April 17th, Hazimihalis gets back into the ring to continue his climb.  This time he will be facing Philadelphia’s Ramon Allen.  Jack Loew, who is training Hazimihalis, has studied the tapes on Allen.  “He is very durable and will push Chris to go more rounds and we want that.”

Loew also complimented Hazimihalis on his preparation.  “Chris is a workoholic, he has a very good training regimen, is gifted with natural ability, and puts his time in at the gym.”

Hazimihalis, who greeted me and wanted to squeeze in one more lap before the brief interview,  also credited other sports in developing aspects of his boxing strengths.  “I played alot of soccer which helped me out with my footwork in the ring.” 

Hazimihalis respects what he saw of his next opponent on film.  “He [Ellis] has a good chin and can take a punch.  He is always coming forward and seems to be in really good shape.  I need to make sure I throw some good combinations.”

With Easter ending the fasting period, Hazimihalis is back to his regular diet.  “I was away from my normal diet while I fasted through Lent.  I ate good Easter Sunday and have resumed my normal diet, so the weight is coming off pretty good.”

Two Pavlik fights in a row, Hazimihalis has been on the undercard.  “I have been trying to get a fight for the past few months.  We had something scheduled for February 19th, but it fell through.  Then on March 19th, I was supposed to get another fight and the show got cancelled.  I guess I am just lucky that Jack [Loew] is my trainer and he also happens to train the middleweight champion of the world.  I’m grateful that I get the opportunity to fight on that kind of show and I need to make the most of my opportunities.”

Before parting ways, Hazimihalis informed me that he was going to run up the First Street Hill in Campbell.  It is a pretty steep incline, and his legs will get a good burn.  “Somebody over there has pit bulls”, said Hazimihalis.  Fearlessly, he and family members went knowing there was still more to do.