By Mark Vester
WBO/WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik has hit back at Joe Calzaghe over comments that were published in The Sun, where Calzaghe claims that Pavlik turned down two prior fight offers and was ducking the fight until Joe signed to fight Roy Jones Jr. on November 8.
"Pavlik is just trying to make a name for himself on my back. I tried to get a fight with him twice before. We approached him immediately after I beat Jeff Lacy in 2006 but he declined," Calzaghe told The Sun. "He fought and beat Jermain Taylor instead and immediately had a rematch with him to dodge me again. It's easy to come out of the woodwork and mouth off when you've already signed to fight somebody else."
Pavlik says Calzaghe is full of it himself, because he was never offered a fight with Welsh champion. Pavlik claims tt was only after he beat Jermain Taylor twice, that Calzaghe began to show any interest.
"Calzaghe's pops keeps throwing shots out," Pavlik said on Steve Bunce's Boxing Hour. "He has Roy Jones and the chances of him getting past Roy Jones are slim. There might not be talk of me fighting Calzaghe if he can't get past Jones. No, they never offered a fight. They did everything but offer a fight with us. They didnt have to take the fight with Jones, it could have been with us."
Calzaghe also that after Pavlik disposed of Gary Lockett in June [Calzaghe's stablemate], he still didn't try to make a fight.
"He didn't even call me out after he beat Gary. And with no disrespect to Gary, he's a totally different kettle of fish to me. When Pavlik beat Gary, he actually didn't say anything about me at all afterwards, "Calzaghe said. "It's funny that he's started to get a bit brave now that I've signed to fight Jones — but you get used to that bulls*** in boxing."
Pavlik says Calzaghe never offered him anything and predicts that Jones will beat Calzaghe. Pavlik faces Bernard Hopkins on Oct. 18.
"After I knocked Gary Lockett out. I see lots of things about Enzo running off his mouth of us. There wasn't talk of Calzaghe until I beat Taylor twice. There is a great chance of Roy Jones beating him. There might not be any talk of me fighting him in the future. I've got to take care of [Bernard] Hopkins. That's my main thing," Pavlik said. "I would like the fight. I've said that on every interview I've said. It is what it is. It would be a great fight. I've got October 18 to worry about."
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