Whoever said success breeds complacency certainly didn't have Kelly Pavlik in mind.  Pavlik said he wasn't taking Gary Lockett lightly and would prove it in the ring.  Last night, Pavlik was true to his word, blitzing the overmatched Lockett in three rounds in front of a feverish Atlantic City crowd.  From the opening bell, Lockett was determined to go to toe.  For his troubles, he managed to land an impressive left-hook, right-hook combination that slightly jarred the defending champion.  There was only one problem for the Welshman—they were his best shots and the Youngstown hero hadn't even warmed up yet.  Midway through the first round, Pavlik found his groove, landing crisp jabs followed by his trademark sledgehammer right hand.   Later in the round, another right from the undefeated Pavlik sent Lockett reeling into the corner covering up to survive the first anxious moments of the fight. 

The second round was target practice for Pavlik, as he opened up unleashing right hand after right hand, mixing in body shots to boot.  Pavlik must have been smiling on the inside, as Lockett's lack of movement was making him a human piñata. Lockett was inexplicably languishing on the outside and offering no feints or head movement.  Later in the round, Pavlik set the tone with a blistering one-two combination as Lockett appeared intent on walking into a barrage of combinations.  A punishing body shot—followed by consecutive rights—forced Lockett to a knee to escape the assault.  Pavlik would score again with a picture perfect right hand through the guards, dropping the challenger to one knee for the mandatory eight from referee Eddie Cotton. 

At the end of a brutal second round, Trainer Enzo Calzaghe chewed into Lockett and demanded that he throw punches to keep the relentless Pavlik off of him.  However, at this point there was no one in Boardwalk Hall who believed Lockett could do that. They needed to look no further than Lockett's battered face and poor body language, to find evidence.  Maybe Lockett deserved a pat on the back for making it out of the second round but Pavlik wasn't about to let him enjoy any moral victories.  "The Ghost" showed why he is arguably the best finisher in the sport ending Lockett's forgettable night with—you guessed it—a flurry of right hands. Lockett dropped to one knee for the third time as a towel from his corner sailed into the ring leaving no doubt the slaughter was over.

Pavlik, the 25-1 favorite, did what everyone in the boxing world expected, cruising to 34-0 (30 KO) with the win successfully defending the title he won against Jermain Taylor, in a fight-of-the-year candidate.   The fight took place in the same building and Pavlik's fans have had no problem making the trip to support their hometown hero and seem as ready as he is for his next challenge.

     "Whoever they put in from of me that's up to Top Rank," he said to HBO's Max Kellerman after the fight.   "I've never turned down a fight."        

     There was a smattering of cheers when supper middleweight king Joe Calzaghe's name was brought up.

     "Is that the one you guys want," Pavlik playfully asked the fans.

     Lockett falls to 28-2 (20KO) with the loss.