Lockett may not have a ghost of a chance but Pavlik is taking no chances

Pavlik is back to make the first defence of his middleweight titles at the same place he took them from Jermain Taylor last September.

Long reach: Kelly Pavlic packs a 6ft 3" frame into 160lb

Pavlik puts his WBC and WBO middleweight titles on the line tomorrow night when he faces the WBO mandatory challenger Lockett in a 12-round bout at Boardwalk Hall.

The Youngstown, Ohio native, nicknamed 'The Ghost', shocked Taylor 10 months ago with a seventh-round knockout of the former middleweight champion.  

In that fight, Taylor knocked Pavlik down in the second round, but the challenger stormed back and overwhelmed Taylor with his power, eventually flooring him and stopping the bout.  

Five months later, Pavlik proved the victory was no fluke as he outclassed Taylor again to win a 12-round decision in a non-title bout above the middleweight limit.  

Now Pavlik defends the title against a little-known, but dangerous Welshman.  

"Most of the people who think it's going to be easy don't know a left hook from a fish hook," said Pavlik, who is listed as a 25/1-on favourite.  

"I've watched (Lockett's) fights (on film), and believe me, the guy can fight. He can box and he can punch. Plus, I know I'm going to get the best of Gary Lockett because of the opportunity that's in front of him."  

Lockett, meanwhile, claims not to be fazed by Pavlik's popularity.  

"I know there will be a lot of people rooting for him," Lockett said. "But how many of them will be in the ring with him Saturday night? As far as I know, the answer is none. They can boo or cheer all they want, and I won't care."  

Pavlik, 26, is no stranger to tough competition. Prior to his back-to-back bouts with Taylor, he defeated Jose Luis Zertuche in an eighth-round knockout and won by a seventh-round technical knockout against Edison Miranda on May 19 last year in a WBC eliminator bout.  

During the sixth round, Pavlik dropped Miranda to the canvas twice. After the first knock down, Miranda spat out his mouthpiece, causing referee Steve Smoger to deduct a point.  

As the sixth ended, Miranda seemed unable to continue, but came out nonetheless. In the seventh, Pavlik trapped Miranda in a corner with a barrage of vicious shots, forcing Smoger to stop the fight.  

That victory established him as the number one middleweight contender, setting the stage for the Taylor title fight.  

Lockett, on the other hand, has not faced the same level of competition and will be making his debut in the United States.  

Since losing his only fight to Yuri Tsarenko by split decision in 2002, he has rattled off 14 consecutive victories, including a win in the rematch against Tsarenko in 2003.  

In his previous two bouts, he won by technical knockout over Lee Blundell and Kai Kauramaki, making him the top contender for the WBO belt. 

"Don't underestimate fighters that come over from the UK," said Top Rank promoter Bob Arum. "

True, most of Lockett's opponents are not well known over here, but Lockett is tough.   "It's going to be a terrific fight for as long as it lasts, and that's because Lockett will make it one."  

Lockett also points to the first Pavlik-Taylor bout as inspiration. 

"Jermain Taylor dropped (Pavlik)," Lockett said.  

"I don't know if I hit as hard as Jermain Taylor. I do have one-punch knockout power. I know if I land clean, the fight is over."  

On the undercard of the Taylor-Lockett main event, Mexican Daniel Ponce De Leon will face Puerto Rican Juan Manuel Lopez for the WBO junior featherweight title.