SI Names Pavlik As Fighter of the Year

Sports Illustrated magazine has recently named undefeated World Boxing Council/World Boxing Organization middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) as fighter of the year for 2007, beating out Floyd Mayweather Jr., who grossed the most amount of money of any boxer in the sport. However, according to SI writer Chris Mannix, the 25 year-old Pavlik accomplished far more than Mayweather did during the year despite not getting paid nearly as good.

Pavlik had three especially impressive wins during the year, beating the knockout artists Jose Luis Zertuche, Edison Miranda and then to cap it off, stopping previously undefeated middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor in the 7th round on September 29, 2007. While the 30 year-old Mayweather was beating the older, seemingly over-the-hill Oscar De La Hoya and the much smaller Ricky Hatton, a fighter that normally fights at junior welterweight, Pavlik was taking on true challenges in tough battles against Miranda, Taylor and Zertuche.

In reality, it isn’t even close to compare Mayweather’s accomplishments with that of Pavlik, and Mannix hit it right on the head with his pick of Pavlik for fighter of the year. At the start of 2007, many boxing fans had little idea who Pavlik was, as he had little television exposure previous to that, even though he was quietly making his mark in the division with wins over Bronco Mckart and Fulgencio Zuniga. However, the victories in 2007, in particular the wins over Miranda and Taylor, has made Pavlik almost a household name over night. Now, with little more than a month to go, Pavlik is about to make an even bigger impact when he takes on Taylor in a rematch which will be held on February 16, at the MGM Grand, in Las Vegas, Nevada.