[KOpower]

He said he doesn't want to risk his health and he doesn't have the motivation to train at a high level. He is only 30. It sucks because he makes some exciting fights. I would love to see him in there with Froch, Kessler, or Bute. Those are all exciting fights. Pavlik just lost the desire. It wouldn't be surprising to see him back in 2 or 3 years.

[Cheesey1]

That sucks, but I respect his decision.

[mrchitown]

Can't fault him for that, a fighter knows

[daprofessor]

thanks for a great career and memories!!! i wish him well.

i'll just echo...i would have loved to see him fight froch! that was a very winnable fight for him.

[checkleft]

Great especially if he's back to drinking and especially since he acknowledges that he doesn't have motivation to train at a high level. That's how you get retired if you get back to the ring

[mitukczuk]

I have always liked Kelly. I was pretty sad when he got into alcohol and I was actually looking forward to his return against Ward.
In boxing, when you worry about your health too much, you will never give it 100% as you are more in the "stay safe" mode rather than in "Let me dish it out" mode.

I hope he'll be ok and the alcohol won't return into his suddenly "unemployed" hand.

[Dolimite]

They all say this until they miss the roar of the crowd, the exposure, the big money purses, and the life of a boxer. He will be back. He needs to clear his head. Look at Sweet and Low Mosley, he can't hang them up, the Real Deal Holyfied can't let go either. Roy Jones who really needs to stop has a match this year. I pray Pavlik gets his mind right, he has heart and he just needs a vacation.

[checkleft]

They all say this until they miss the roar of the crowd, the exposure, the big money purses, and the life of a boxer. He will be back. He needs to clear his head. Look at Sweet and Low Mosley, he can't hang them up, the Real Deal Holyfied can't let go either. Roy Jones who really needs to stop has a match this year. I pray Pavlik gets his mind right, he has heart and he just needs a vacation.

All the guys you have mentioned have had bad money problems, which is the reason they are in boxing still.

Some older guys who haven't retired for the love of the sport could he Hopkins marquez maybe Ma
rtinez even...

But I remember when he was involved in Bute talks he talked about retiring because he felt disrespected because of the money offered. I believe he said something about being good financially if I'm not mistaken.

This post has been edited by checkleft: Jan 20 2013, 05:42 PM

[Franchize]

thanks for a great career and memories!!! i wish him well.

i'll just echo...i would have loved to see him fight froch! that was a very winnable fight for him.

I immediately thought of you when I heard this.

Kelly had a lot of heart and I wanted to see him match talents vs a few fighters but I can't blame him for handing em up. Honestly, he didn't seem motivated in his last fight and let's be frank, if you're not in it mentally, the last person you need to be fighting is Andre Ward.

The hyperbole was there in the beginning about this guy and I had my questions about his skill but I've always appreciated the heart he brought to the ring. Unlike many sob stories, his story about roughing it in Youngstown was very compelling and inspiring. Kelly was the epitome of that blue collar fighter. I hope he finds peace in his down time and uses it productively. In other words, I hope those demons have escaped him for good and he goes on to bigger and better things. Wouldn't mind seeing him pick up training and teaching some youngster that wicked 1-2 he delivered so beautifully straight down the pipe throughout his career.

[Cshel86]

I'm glad he decided to call it quits, but I feel that he could've waited around for the Ward fight.

Since Ward recently had surgery, I feel that Pavlik would've had a bit more time to prepare and do some soul-searching while he was at it. Trust me, I'm not knocking his decision, but I just wished that he would've gotten that last big payday that he came back and worked hard for.

He had the Ward fight in his back pocket, and if push came to shove, he could've still gotten a big payday against Chavez, if it came down to it. At the end of the day, Im glad that he decided what was best.

Im just big on fighters being financially stable after they leave, excuse me for being a douche. I just cant get with the likes of Shane Mosley giving it a go...50 million times. I believe he'll be the guy to "Brett Favre" it, for the rest of his career.