Kelly Pavlik Stops a Very Game Miguel Espino in Five

At the Beeghly Center in Youngstown, Ohio, WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik (36-1, 32KOs) stopped Miguel Espino (20-3-1, 9KOs) in the fifth round when Espino's corner threw in the towel.

Espino was trying to keep it on the inside in the first. Pavlik was pounding the body and throwing shots to the head with body hands. Espino started trading body shots with Pavlik. Pavlik landed a big uppercut and Espino threw a right hand. Pavlik was throwing harder and landing better. Espino and Pavlik started trading shots in the final ten seconds. Espino hit Pavlik after the bell and they nearly started fighting. The ref Steve Smoger took a point from Espino for the foul.

At the start of the second round, they went right back to trading punches in the round. Espino was going toe to toe with Pavlik. Pavlik landed a big uppercut that made Espino hold on. Pavlik went back to the body and Espino was hitting him right back. Pavlik was digging hard to the body. The faces of both guys were red and bruising by the end of the second.

Espino charged at Pavlik when the third started. He went right back to trading punches to the head and body of Pavlik. Espino was landing some good punches. Pavlik came right back and busted Espino's nose and dug to the body. They were trading a lot of punches at close range. Espino was trying to outwork Pavlik. He may have been trying to get him tired to wear him out. The fourth round was a wipeout, Pavlik battered and busted up Espino. He used the uppercut to send Espino down for a count of nine. Espino got up and went to war with Pavlik. He went down again from a Pavlik uppercut. Espino again made it up at the count of nine. He went right back to fighting Pavlik and was nearly put down again in the final ten seconds.

Espino ran right at Pavlik at the start of the fifth and stood on the inside fighting. Pavlik went back to landing the heavy uppercuts to send Espino down again. Espino got up fight with Pavlik some more but Espino's corner threw in the towel to stop the fight.