Former middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik was arrested Wednesday night for allegedly operating a vehicle while intoxicated after he and a friend crashed two ATVs near the boxer's Ohio home.
Pavlik, 29, was nabbed after a neighbor called police and reported that a lamp post on his property and a telephone pole were struck by two men riding large ATVs. The neighbor identified one of the men as Pavlik, according to the report from the Mahoning County Sheriff's Office.
Pavlik acted belligerently while officers interviewed his friend, Daniel Ferreri, about the incident.
The deputy said Pavlik appeared "very intoxicated," and was swearing at him and slurring his words.
The boxer was placed under arrest after refusing a field sobriety test, and charged with operating a vehicle while intoxicated, failure to control a vehicle, and failure to stop after an accident. He also refused to take a Breathalyzer test at the police station, according to police.
He was released on bond early Thursday and is scheduled to appear in court for an arraignment Friday, WFMJ-TV reported.
The police report also said Pavlik was bleeding from a cut on the back of his head, but he refused medical attention.
Ferreri was arrested for obstructing the investigation. Police said he refused to provide a written statement, citing his friendship with Pavlik, after admitting Pavlik had crashed the ATV.
Pavlik, nicknamed "The Ghost," has struggled with alcohol abuse during his career, and checked into the Betty Ford Center a year ago, shortly after pulling out of a scheduled fight because of a rib injury.
Pavlik twice defeated Jermain Taylor in 2007 and 2008 to become middleweight champion. He suffered the first loss of his career to Bernard Hopkins in October 2008, and lost the middleweight title to Sergio Martinez in April 2010.
He returned to the ring in May with a majority decision victory over Alfonso Lopez.
Pavlik lives in Canfield, Ohio, near his hometown of Youngstown.
