Duddy's chances (or no chance) of victory against Pavlik?

On the undercard of Klitschko/Ibragimov, middleweight contender John Duddy fought Walid Smichet (I had to check fightnews to get his exact name right, which indicates just how unknown he is) and was lucky to escape Madison Square Garden with a W according to many of the journalists and viewers at ringside. During the telecast of Klitschko/Ibragimov, HBO showed some highlights of Duddy's fight and it appeared as though he was taking a really bad beating. He had suffered a number of lacerations on his face and had a really badly busted up left eye.

However, being the a NY fighter and knowing that a potential title fight with middleweight king Kelly Pavlik could potentially be on the horizon for June in that very same ring, the official judges awarded Duddy with a majority decision. The official scores were 95-95, 98-92 (twice). A fight between Pavlik and Duddy will draw the masses from the metropolitan area, possibly Ireland (knowing that Duddy is an Irishman who resides in the NY), and Youngstown OH, but judging from the highlights of Duddy's performance last night, that match up is also going to produce a one-sided massacre!

Kelly Pavlik is a world champion and the jury is still out as to whether Duddy is even world class. He's a hype job who has been carefully protected throughout his career, and taking on Pavlik would be going from a small mud puddle to the ocean. Such a move can almost be classified as career suicide. Based on the cuts on the Duddy's face, and the time it will take for them to heal, a June showdown with Pavlik is likely in jeopardy for the time being.