Ohio's Boxing Champ Kelly Pavlik: Called A White Guy Who Can Fight

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Newly crowned middleweight Kelly Pavlik gets a big write up today in the Boston Herald via AP sports columnist Tom Dahlberg, who points out the fighter from Youngstown is a white man in a sport dominated by African Americans. Dahlberg thinks that could make Pavlik a 160-pound star. But the whole black/white thing feels uncomfortable, like skin color is more important than athletic ability in boxing.

From the Boston Herald:

"He fights every fight aggressively, never gives ground and has a thudding right hand than can cause an opponent's legs to turn to Jello. It doesn't hurt that he's white in a sport that has always chased the next great white hope. Ironically, though, the color of his skin may have also played a role in slowing his way to the top."