By Mark Vester
Former two-division champion Bernard Hopkins predicts a grueling war when he meets undefeated WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City on October 18. The fight takes place at a catch-weight of 170-pounds. Speaking with BoxingScene.com’s Bill Emes and other media, Hopkins feels that he’s got more to lose in the contest than the younger Pavlik.
“[It’s going to be] a bloodbath. A bloodbath. Of course Kelly will have all the blood on him. And at the end of the day - he was too much of a novice for Bernard Hopkins, but not for anyone else. You see, if Kelly Pavlik loses to a Bernard Hopkins it wont be a surprise. Bernard Hopkins loses to Kelly Pavlik they'll just say I’m old. I have more to lose in this fight than Kelly Pavlik does,” Hopkins said.
Hopkins doesn’t plan to run and hide from Pavlik’s power. He doesn’t want any excuses after fight over the agreed upon catch-weight, as Pavlik needs to move up by almost two weight-divisions for the challenge. Hopkins points out that he moved up by two full weight-divisions in 2006, when he jumped from 160 to 175 to challenge Antonio Tarver, who Hopkins dominated over twelve-rounds.
“Styles make fights. I have 43-year-old legs. I'm not running around, I never did run around. That's not my style. Defense, offense, slick, hit and not get hit, not run. He's right there, he's taller, he's leaning over you trying to hit you with that right hand. He's not mobile, but he has heart like Philadelphia fighter,” Hopkins said.
“I want to reserve this reminder. When Kelly Pavliks loses this fight, remember he's undefeated. Remember he beat three top middleweight fighters, Miranda, and Jermain Taylor twice. After that no disrespect but I don’t know what else is on his resume, but you know mine. Ya'll will not be shocked because this is a dangerous fight. Give him credit for taking this fight. He took the fight and I'm here. It's going to be a professor in there with a feisty lion who needs to be tamed and believe that I'll have the intelligence and the energy to do it.”
Hopkins knows that Pavlik is coming to hurt him and knock him out, but he was quick to point out that most of his past opponents also planned to hurt him and knock him out - and failed. Pavlik told BoxingScene that knocking Hopkins out would be a great goal to achieve. Hopkins doesn’t compare Pavlik’s high workrate to the high workrate of Joe Calzaghe. He says Pavlik is far more dangerous than Calzaghe.
“I think last 20 people planned to knock me out. If they plan to knock me out, to only get a victory - they already lost. I can get knocked out just like anyone can get knocked out but Bernard Hopkins is not a guy where you can crack the safe easy. I think the last 15, 20 years of fighting, I think I'm the most defensive fighter that came in my generation. I don’t get hit, I’ve never been cut in boxing,” Hopkins said.
“I've never been cut in 58, 59 fights. Matter fact, name a fight where I got beat up. Just doesn’t happen. I’m not saying that it wont never happen. You can get beat up and still get a victory, but Bernard Hopkins is a guy who will be more appreciated as time goes on. Kelly Pavlik's style is different than Joe. Joe throws 50 pitty-pat punches, lands only 5 and the fighter comes out without even a scar on him,. He threw punches but they were ineffective. Kelly Pavlik is a little different. I think people need to give Kelly Pavlik a little more credit for being a guy that when he throws punches, he throws punches to try to hurt you. He punches to try to put damage on you. I think he's a slightly better puncher than I am but my accuracy is not questionable when it comes to accuracy and systematically breaking a guy down from body to head. “
Hopkins is 43-years-old, fighting one of the most dangerous fighters in the sport. He says the fact that he’s still fighting is not the remarkable thing about him. According to Hopkins, the remarkable thing is his ability to take part in strenuous training camps.
“I'm still fighting because I can and because I still have the love for boxing. I still have the gut and determination to get up and train. The questions that you need to ask is why do I get up in the morning seven days a week and get up at 5:30 in the morning to go running,“ Hopkins said.
“I was boxing when I wasn't getting paid. I was boxing without gloves in the penitentiary. Fighting is easy to black folks in the ghetto. Boxing comes easy to us. Fighting comes easy to us. The training, seven-weeks away from your family, that's really the hard part that you still gotta have after achieving everything financially and career wise. I still have the fire to go through that and put my body through that. That's one of the reasons, the main reason that I'm here.”
“I've got to be the most fresh 50-plus fights under my belt fighter, never been knocked out, never been cut, never been beat up in the ring - in boxing history.“
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