Show of support
Hopkins unusually quiet before fight with PavlikBy LOU CALI JR. Tribune Chronicle correspondent
Article Photos
YOUNGSTOWN - Since the Bernard Hopkins-Kelly Pavlik fight was announced, everyone has been waiting for the trash talking to begin from Hopkins, a former middleweight and light heavyweight champion.
Several hundred fans attended a public rally at the Chevrolet Centre Wednesday, most there to root for Pavlik, the hometown hero. Those who came to hear the legendary Hopkins finally chastise the current middleweight champion left disappointed.
However, and not unexpectedly, it was Pavlik trainer Jack Loew who threw the first verbal jab.
"There's a time when every dog has to be put down," Loew said, while staring at Hopkins. "And this is his time."
The pugilists will share the ring inside Atlantic City's Boardwalk Hall on Oct. 18. Pavlik, the current middleweight champion, comes in with a record of 34-0, 30 knockouts. Hopkins, who has held a title every year since 1995, is 48-5-1 with 32 knockouts. The bout will not be for a title as it will be fought at a catch-weight of 170 pounds.
The 43-year-old Hopkins, known as The Executioner, has been known as one of the most skilled fighters in the world for more than a decade. His reputation with pre-fight verbal attacks is nearly as widespread.
Yet he has been as subdued prior to this fight as any since he became champion.
"Whatever it is, a mental game or whatever, we never, ever let that get to our heads," said the 26-year-old Pavlik. "What it boils down to inside the ring, on Oct. 18, there are no mind games. There are fists and boxing knowledge."
Despite his age, Hopkins has plenty of both. The fighters the future hall-of-famer has faced encompass a Who's Who of the boxing world in the past decade.
"If you take the guys I've fought," Hopkins said, "and compare them to who Kelly Pavlik has fought, it's like a Harvard graduate against someone who went to community college."
Hopkins' last bout came in April, when he lost a controversial split decision to unbeaten Joe Calzaghe. It was long rumored that Calzaghe, the current light-heavyweight champion, would fight Pavlik in a battle of unbeatens, perhaps as early as this year. However, Calzaghe signed to fight former champion Roy Jones Jr. and announced he would retire after that bout.
When the Calzaghe fight fell through, Top Rank jumped at the chance of having a Pavlik-Hopkins fight. Although it's not a title bout, it does not come without risk for Pavlik. Hopkins is the most experienced fighter he's ever faced and one that knows every trick inside the ring. He's also never been cut or knocked out.
The key to victory, according to Loew, is simple.
"Patience," Loew said. "We've got to make (Hopkins) fight at a 26-year-old pace, not a 43-year-old pace. He's a legend. I cherish the opportunity to fight this guy. He's slick. But Kelly is bigger than Hopkins, stronger than Hopkins. I think Hopkins is going to have a rough go of it."
