Pavlik makes Espino pay

Pavlik: Back with a bang

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Kelly Pavlik retained his WBC and WBO middleweight titles in style with a fifth-round stoppage of fellow American Miguel Espino.

Back in action after a 10-month lay-off due to a hand injury, the fighter known as 'Ghost' turned the bout into a nightmare for his opponent.

Pavlik had promised to make up for lost time and he stayed true to his word, dropping the plucky Espino twice in the fourth round.

A series of right uppercuts did the damage and although the challenger managed to survive through to the bell, it was all over in the next.

Espino was sent down to the canvas for a third time before referee Steve Smoger stepped in to stop the contest in Youngstown, Ohio.

Job done

"I'm definitely back," Pavlik, who now has a 36-1 record, said afterwards.

"We're not going to have another lay-off. The hand held up great. It's a little tender, but nothing ice can't fix. It definitely wasn't one of my better performances. We got the job done."

Pavlik could now be set to meet Paul Williams, who he would have fought on October 3 had it not been for his injury, or WBA champion Felix Sturm.

To his credit, Espino had tried to match the champion in the opening rounds, though his desire to make an impact also saw him overstep the line.

Referee Smoger was forced to deduct the 29-year-old a point when he continued to throw punches after the bell had sounded to end the first.

The official also had to hand out warnings to the Californian for low blows in both the second and third rounds.