Kelly Pavlik produced a rusty performance as he outpointed Alfonso Lopez in his return to the ring in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
Former undisputed middleweight king makes ring return after 13-month absence
Kelly Pavlik produced a rusty performance as he outpointed Alfonso Lopez in his return to the ring in Las Vegas on Saturday night.
The former undisputed middleweight king was coming off a 13-month absence during which he fought a much-publicised battle with alcohol.
And that absence showed as he struggled to hit top gear in a 10-rounder with the hitherto unbeaten Texan.
Lopez (now 21-1) was the more energetic and elusive of the two fighters, but lacked the power to capitalise on his good work and hurt Pavlik.
'The Ghost' was cut in the early going, but it was only a minor nick as a result of a clash of heads.
Pavlik seemed to be gradually shaking off the inevitable ring rust as he took a comfortable lead at halfway, but from there on in he struggled to step up a gear.
Lopez produced little flurries and plenty of movement while Pavlik could only land the odd single shot and seemed to be weary.
It was the 10th and final round before Kelly showed us what he used to be, stiffening the Lopez legs with a couple of quality shots midway through the session.
Kelly finally started to pour it on and had Lopez in trouble and gasping before the final bell sounded.
On the scorecards Adelaide Byrd had the bout level at 95-95 but Pavlik (now 37-2) prevailed on the other two by scores of 98-92 and 99-91.
Pavlik has already been installed as the number one contender for Carl Froch's WBC super-middleweight crown and could be a future opponent for the man from Nottingham.
Arce overpowers Vazquez Jr.
Also in Las Vegas on Saturday, Jorge Arce stopped Wilfredo Vazquez Jr. in round 12 of their WBO super-bantamweight contest to secure a title in a third weight division.
The 31-year-old Mexican started fast but was dropped in round four and apparently starting to tire heading into the final two rounds.
But somehow he produced one final massive effort to take the 11th with astonishing workrate to overpower the younger Vazquez Jr.
And Arce was quickly off his stool to resume the relentless assault in the 12th before Vazquez Jr's corner threw in the towel 55 seconds in.
Arce (now 57-6-2) made his intentions clear right from the start, becoming the aggressor from the opening bell.
He was on the front foot straight away and refused to allow the Puerto Rican Vazquez Jr (now 20-1-1) the time to settle or establish a rhythm.
Arce held sway in the opening three rounds before Vazquez Jr turned the tide right at the end of the fourth as a peach of a left hand dropped the Mexican to the seat of his pants.
That appeared to give the champion renewed confidence and he started to produce more quality in the following rounds while Arce's workrate dipped.
The fight ebbed and flowed and Arce produced a big eighth to re-establish his dominance briefly.
But that appeared to take a lot out of him and Vazquez Jr responded well in sessions nine and 10.
Arce somehow summoned up one final massive effort and a surge of aggression in round 11 had Vazquez Jr on the ropes and in trouble. Punches came in from all angles as the Mexican veteran dominated.
Arce bounded out for the final round and resumed his attack, with Vazquez seemingly powerless to stop him.
Eventually the champion's corner did the right thing, stepping in to save their man from further punishment with just over two minutes remaining.
