lmfao Kelly pavlik: "Byron mitchell fights amazingly like Hopkins"

is the guy having a ****ing laugh? He's gonna be in a lot of trouble if he thinks thats the case On Oct. 18, Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik will face off against Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins in a light heavyweight battle at Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall. The fight will be live on pay-per-view at 9 p.m. ET/6 p.m. PT. Before the bout, FOXSports.com asked Pavlik and Hopkins about the upcoming battle. FOXSports.com: How has your training been going so far? Kelly Pavlik: Training camp has been great. I'm in terrific shape and I have worked as hard as I ever have preparing for a fight. I've been sparring with Byron Mitchell who fights amazingly like Hopkins. He even looks like him and we kid him a lot about that. I've also been sparring with James Countryman, who is a slick mover. He does a lot of rolling with his shoulders. There are a few others I've been sparring with too. I'm well prepared. My conditioning and sparring has been top-notch. I'm on weight. I feel so strong and energized at this weight. My punches have more snap. I can't wait for the fight. Q&A: Bernard Hopkins Find out what Bernard Hopkins thinks about the upcoming bout. FOXSports.com: In the past, I know you've stayed close to Youngstown to train. Did you do that again for this fight? And what is a typical training day for you in Ohio? Pavlik: Why fiddle with success? Training in Youngstown has always worked, which is why I trained here again. As always, I sleep on the couch at my parents' house and have all my meals there, which are prepared by my Dad. I'm up doing roadwork by 6 a.m. every morning. Rest and have breakfast. Go to the gym and spar every other day and do boxing work like hitting pads with Jack Loew on the alternate days to simulate boxing workouts...speed bag, heavy bag, etc. Every afternoon after lunch and resting, I go to Iron Man for my cardiovascular work and conditioning. Home for dinner and in bed by 9 or 10 p.m. FOXSports.com: What are you expecting from Bernard Hopkins in the ring? Pavlik: Bernard is a legend. He is slick and ring savvy. He's going to show me a lot of moves and he's going to try and rough me up with a lot of tricks you'd expect from a veteran. I saw a few things in watching his fights against Jermain Taylor, Joe Calzaghe and Antonio Tarver. It's not going to be a walk in the park, especially at the light heavyweight level. Hopkins has become very economical with his punches. He picks his spots and is very good at exploiting weaknesses and mistakes. He's going to try and take the fight inside, and I'm prepared for that. But I will have to dictate the pace and power of the fight to succeed and I'm prepared to do that. FOXSports.com: He lost twice to Jermain Taylor, a fighter you've beaten twice. Does that give you any extra confidence going in to the ring? Pavlik: It does but at the end of the day, those fights were close and came down to a round or two. Those were also Hopkins' last fights as a middleweight. Now that he's a light heavyweight, he's become a stronger puncher and he's almost a different fighter from the man who fought Taylor so I can't assume that this will be an automatic win for me just because I was successful against an opponent he lost to. Styles make fights and I'm a lot different from Taylor. FOXSports.com: What's your response to talk that after this fight, you could face Joe Calzaghe? Would you be interested in that fight? Pavlik: My focus is on Oct. 18. Would I like to Calzaghe? Sure. We tried to make the fight, but he decided on fighting Roy Jones. I don't think it's very practical to think a fight with Calzaghe will happen, especially since he's given up his super middleweight titles. He's a runner...at least from my challenge! FOXSports.com: You seem to have quite a loyal following from your fans, especially those from Youngstown. Why do you think that is? Pavlik: People from Youngstown are REAL. We are proud of our town and our heritage and fiercely loyal to each other. I hate leaving town, even for a fight. We play darts together, golf together, softball together. We are a team. I love representing Youngstown as world champion and Youngstown knows it. The city is my family. FOXSports.com: What was it like for you to have a rally with Bernard Hopkins in Youngstown before this fight? Pavlik: It was great! I've been to Los Angeles, New York and Las Vegas for press conferences, but nothing compares to "home cooking." It was a terrific opportunity to shine a spotlight on the boxing fans of Youngstown. I was very proud at the turnout and I was proud to show my Youngstown off to the national media and Bernard Hopkins. It was a great honor. FOXSports.com: Finally, what would like to tell your fans about what they should expect from this fight? Pavlik: I'm going to be swinging a lot of Youngstown steel at Bernard Hopkins. I've trained very hard for this fight. On Oct. 18, Youngstown will be in the house!