BOXING: PAVLIK SEEKING MORE AIR TIME.

Byline: ROBERT MORALES Boxing

Kelly Pavlik has not been able to crack the starting lineup on boxing's two largest networks - HBO and Showtime - and promoter Bob Arum said some of that has to do with Pavlik being white.

Pavlik, of Youngstown, Ohio, is 27-0 with 24 knockouts. He is a top 10 middleweight whose highest ranking is in the World Boxing Organization at No. 3.

Pavlik has never fought on HBO, or on one of Showtime's main cards. Pavlik has fought on ShoBox, a minor-league version of Showtime Boxing designed for up-and-coming fighters. Pavlik also has fought on ESPN.

Pavlik, 23, will take on Jose Luis Zertuche (17-2-2, 13 KOs) of Mexico on Jan. 21 on the undercard of Erik Morales-Manny Pacquiao II at Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. The card will be available on HBO pay-per-view, but Arum was quick to point out that HBO is only carrying this telecast, it is not footing the money for it. Arum is, so he picks the fighters.

Arum, who promotes Pavlik, said the perception many have for white fighters is partially responsible for Pavlik being overlooked.

Arum said that during a meeting with HBO executives about a year ago, he brought up Pavlik in an effort to try to get him a fight on the network.

``They all laughed at me because there is a perception with boxing network guys, with boxing people, that if you are a white guy, you can't fight,'' Arum said last week during a conference call.

``But that is not the case with Kelly, and Kelly Pavlik will fight anybody in the middleweight division.''

Ross Greenburg, president of HBO Sports, hammered Arum when contacted by the Daily News. He said Pavlik's name has come up in the past, and that he would have no problem approving him as an opponent in a big fight.

``It is a disgraceful and undignified remark by a disturbed man,'' Greenburg said of Arum's comments regarding white fighters. ``That is pretty much all we have to say. It is sad. This has nothing to do with race.''

Arum went on to say that he doesn't believe the network executives mean any malice toward white fighters.

``It is not that the people at the networks are bad people,'' Arum said. ``They judge (fighters) by their color or racial background, and the general tendency is that white guys can't fight. Therefore, it is much tougher for a white guy to break through than if Kelly was a different race.''

Race aside, Pavlik is just the sort of fighter a promoter of a champion might want to avoid. Not only does he have 24 knockouts in 27 fights, he is 6-foot-3, which makes him an even tougher nut to crack.

Arum said he would like Pavlik to next fight Jermain Taylor, who holds three of the four middleweight belts, but doubts he can get the deal done. Arum also said he offered Pavlik as an opponent to top contender Winky Wright, but that Wright's promoter, Gary Shaw, ``almost fainted'' when Pavlik's name was mentioned.

``The guy we want to fight, who I'm confident he (Pavlik) can beat, is Jermain Taylor,'' Arum said. ``But here is the problem, and it's a problem that permeates boxing: The Taylor people will not fight Kelly Pavlik at this point because they are afraid of him and they are afraid of him because he presents a real challenge.

``He has tremendous knockout power. In boxing, if you have a champion, you try to keep him away from a puncher.''

Pavlik, who said he is not looking past Zertuche to a shot at Taylor, Wright or anyone else, echoed Arum's sentiments.

``It kind of upsets me a little bit,'' Pavlik said. ``I think I am just an overall good fighter. A lot of the networks, they don't want to see a lot of white fighters because of the reputation that white fighters don't win a lot of titles.

``But if you look out there, there are a lot of good white fighters. White fighters are making a comeback.''

--Mayweather-Judah still possible: Despite an absolutely horrible performance by Zab Judah in his loss to unknown Carlos Baldomir on Saturday at Madison Square Garden, Arum on Sunday said the fight between Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Judah scheduled for April 8 in Las Vegas might still be on.

When it was signed, it was contingent upon Judah defeating Baldomir. But Judah shockingly lost his WBC, WBA and IBF welterweight belts by dropping a unanimous decision to Baldomir, who took only the WBC belt because he did not want to pay three separate sanctioning fees.

``Don King called me (Sunday),'' Arum said of Judah's promoter, ``and he wants to keep it on. I don't know what Floyd is thinking. I would think, probably, it would be off. But maybe not, I don't know.

``Maybe Floyd fights this Baldomir.''

Arum agreed the fight lost plenty of gusto by Judah losing to Argentina's Baldomir, who did not possess half Judah's talent.

``We would have to reduce the purses dramatically. We are not going to make a decision today. Sometime during the week. Needless to say, everybody is in a state of shock.''

Arum said he was so convinced Judah would win easily Saturday, that he didn't even watch the fight. He said that had Judah won, Mayweather was scheduled to make $6 million plus upside from pay-per-view revenue and Judah would have made $3 million plus upside for their fight.

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