By Mark Vester
At the recent pep rally at the Chevrolet Centre in Youngstown, Ohio, Jack Loew, trainer for WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik, said that Kelly has put down an old dog in Bernard Hopkins when the two fighters meet on October 18 at the Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City. The fight takes place at the catch-weight of 170-pounds.
Keeping at the same pace, there was no real trash-talking between the fighters and Hopkins was once again on his best behavior. For his last few fights, Hopkins has used every trick in the book with elbows, head butts, holding and hitting - and some those tactics have helped make the fights very close. After every loss, Hopkins complains of a robbery. Pavlik doesn't want a close fight. He wants to dominate the action in every round and leave no doubt at the end on who won the contest. And if Hopkins gets in trouble, Pavlik would love to become the first fighter to knock him out.
“Our plan is to leave no doubt about the outcome. We don’t want it to be close on the scorecard. I love fighting the best fighters in the world,” Pavlik was quoted as saying by Joe Scalzo of The Vindicator. “You know how I fight, you know my style. Nothing’s gonna change.”
The paper says that Hopkins, at age 43, told the crowd that he wants to prove that he still has what it takes to beat the best fighters in the world. Hopkins predicts a great fight and said either of them could hit the floor during the action.
“I go in the ring with one thing in mind — win,” said Hopkins. “Hit him more than he hits me. Pavlik’s style is self-explanatory. I’m a throwback. This fight has the potential to go either way. Both sides have the potential to taste canvas. I’m a legend; everyone knows what I’ve accomplished. I want to show people I haven’t lost it."
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