Jerry Glick reporting: Will "Power" Rosinsky knows that he is a fortunate guy. First he won a fight only two weeks ago over a son of a legend, Aaron Pryor Jr., in impressive style, then, a few days later, while riding in a car with his lovely fiancé Jessica behind the wheel the big call came in; “Be ready in three weeks to fight former middleweight champion Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik on July 7th”.” The caller was his long time adviser Keith Connolly.
“He asked me did I have any bruising, any cuts,” recalled Rosinsky. “How do I feel? I feel great, I said. I feel like maybe I sparred yesterday. He said be ready in three weeks and I said absolutely.” And so Ozone Park’s local prospect, Will Rosinsky, 16-1 (9 KOs), will soon be looking across the ring at what may be his destiny. A win over a fighter of Pavlik’s stature will elevate Rosinsky to a place that he has not been before.
“It’s a good opportunity,” added Will. “At the same time he was a guy I was looking at as someone I wanted to fight soon. So it worked out in my favor.” Nevertheless, he admits that it came as a surprise.
The opportunity arose when former lightweight titleholder Brandon Rios injured his arm and cancelled his bout with Mauricio Herrera. Promoters looked for a fight to replace it and Pavlik vs Rosinsky was born.
I spoke to Rosinsky at the Universal Gym in Ozone Park, Queens, NY, as he sparred with tall Joe Smith Jr., and Daniel Jacobs. Both made him work hard as trainer Felipe Gomez watched intently.
For Rosinsky, 27, it is a chance to change the air that he breathes, to put his career in high gear. It will make him eligible to fight at the very top of the 168 pound division. Maybe even get a shot at one of the belts. For Pavlik, 39-2 (34 KOs), who has been there, done that, it is little more than a keep busy, payday for the ex-champ at middleweight who is now campaigning at super-middleweight.
Was it serendipitous, that he faced a tall opponent in Pryor, then finds himself in a big fight against another tall foe, or was the Pryor fight fought in preparation for a planned shot at Pavlik? “Absolutely a coincidence,” insisted Rosinsky, “Actually a good coincidence.”
Before the last fight he admitted concern that he would have difficulty with the 6’4” Pryor. Might he still have concerns with the tall Pavlik? “Not so much,” said Will. “Believe it or not, 6’2 ½” is a big difference from 6’4”, but more so with Pryor it was his reach. Even though he’s 6’4”, he has an 84” reach, seven feet; that’s unheard of. Pavlik has a 75” reach; that’s not new. I’ve sparred with and fought a lot of guys about that height and with a similar reach.”
Rosinsky sees an upset coming. In many ways he believes that this is the right fight at the right time for him, but maybe not for the ex-champ. “He’s very vulnerable. He’s trying to make a comeback; it’s not like he’s in his prime.”
Rosinsky doesn’t believe that Pavlik is the fighter he used to be. Not as fast, “He’s strong, and still has power,” observed Rosinsky, “But he gets hit, and I think that there will be a lot of openings that I will be able to capitalize on.”
He draws a comparison between Pavlik and the only guy to put an “L” on his own record, Edwin Rodriguez. He lost a lopsided decision, but all the rounds were competitive. He said that Rodriguez is at or is approaching his prime, while Pavlik appears to have traveled a bit past his, plus he has suffered from alcohol addiction and other personal problems that have prompted him to leave his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, and his longtime trainer, Jack Loew, and move to the Robert Garcia Boxing Academy in Oxnard, CA, to work with Garcia. Will expects a tough fight no matter what has transpired for Pavlik. He knows that he will be facing a very experienced guy with a lot of pop in his punches regardless which side of the hill his career is on. He added that the loss to Rodriguez showed him that he belongs in the ring with the better fighters.
He believes that his stock rose in spite of the defeat by Rodriguez because of his performance. While he knows that that was an important fight, the Pavlik fight will be on HBO and that is huge. He knows that it will be a big fight atmosphere, something that is old hat for Pavlik, but new to him. “Between the media and the fans I can block it all out. It’s what happens in that 20 by 20 foot square that will matter.”
He also knows what a win on the seventh will do for him. “A win over Pavlik, 30, will lead to much bigger and better things,” he said. “I’ll be a name, I’ll be one of the top guys and I will be talked about. Although Pavlik may not be the big name that he was a few years ago, he will still be a great name to have on my resume’. For me it is no risk and all reward to fight him; and for him it’s no reward and all risk because of where we are in our careers.” He believes that Pavlik is underestimating him; maybe even looking past him. We all know that doing that can lead to disaster, but can Rosinsky take advantage of Pavlik’s flaws? “All he talks about is his next fight,” said Will.
He is more concerned with getting a fair shake from the officials. “One of my concerns is that it’s fair fight when it comes to the judging,” he said. “Because I’m just a guy that nobody knows about; and he’s the favorite, I’m the underdog; he’s a star, I’m not….yet. So I’m just hoping it’s a fair decision.”
He added that he knows that he needs to be concerned with his opponent’s power. “I have to do what I need to win,” said Rosinsky. “I respect his power, but I don’t fear it. His experience will be an issue that I need to address. Guys like that know how to steal rounds but I’m not going to let him do that. This is all stuff that will be in my head going into the fight.”
He has been studying videos of Pavlik against Hopkins, Martinez, and Taylor along with trainer Felipe Gomez who will accompany him when they move the camp to Freddie Roach’s Wild Card Boxing Club on Sunday, the first of July.
This fight may not have been planned and prepared for over a long period of time, but with both having just fought relatively easy fights for which they trained, they should both enter the ring in top shape. For Rosinsky it is a fortuitous chance of a lifetime.
ROSINSKY’S PREDICTION: “I never predict a knockout,” said Will. “So I’m only going to predict that I’m going to win. I’ll also predict that a lot of people will have their jaw hitting the floor when they realize that he’s in a much tougher fight than people seem to think.”
