By Dan Ambrose: Former WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (39-2, 34 KO’s) dispatched Scott Sigmon (22-3, 12 KO’s) in the 7th round on Friday night in the 30-year-old Pavlik’s second tune-up fight in a bloody bout that was more of slaughter than anything resembling a real fight.

Pavlik still isn’t ready to step it up against quality opposition yet. Pavlik told RingTV “One more [easy fight]. And then, that one has to be a bigger fight, upper fight.”

Pavlik’s manager Cameron Dunkin mentioned Mikkel Kessler, Adonis Stevenson and Carl Froch as guys that are interested in facing Pavlik. Based on how Pavlik looked last night against the much shorter 5’9″ Sigmon, I wouldn’t favor Pavlik against any of those guys. He’s too slow, his offense too limited, and his power not big enough to beat those fighters. Pavlik was a big puncher at middleweight, but at super middleweight, he’s nothing special. He’s just another slow plodder with poor footwork, limited punch arsenal and no inside fighting skills. Froch is a much better fighter because he throws shots from a lot of different angles and he’s able to counter punch. Froch is also a bigger puncher than Pavlik. I see Froch as an improved version of Pavlik.

Pavlik is wasting his time taking another tune-up fight because there isn’t any improvement that I can see since he started training with Robert Garcia. If he’s still looking the same as he always did in his two fights with Garcia, I can’t see Pavlik changing if he decides to fight another 3rd tier opponent. He’ll just knock him out easily or batter him like he did against Sigmon, and look like the same basic fighter he’s always been.

Pavlik did okay initially against Sigmon when he was fighting on the outside, but from round three on, Pavlik gave away his height and allowed Sigmon to smother him on the inside. In close, Pavlik showed little ability and was hit a lot by the light hitting Sigmon. It’s a good thing for Pavlik that Sigmon didn’t have much inside skills himself – or power – because Pavlik would have been in a world of hurt had that been Andre Ward he was in there with inside of the harmless Sigmon.

I think Pavlik is wasting his time. He either needs to move back down to 160 or just look for one big fight at 168, and after loses that fight either retire or move back down. If he can’t move back down in weight, I don’t see Pavlik being anything more than a gatekeeper at super middleweight.