"I guess I would have to shoot him in the foot to get him to stop running from me."

That will be reinforcing Joe's decision to retire after Jones. :deal

 

Sometimes the willfull ignorance on this board really gets on my nerves. There have been an endless stream of discussions about potential opponents for Pavlik to fight this fall. Hopkins is the only guy who is actually available, financially viable, AND willing to take a fight with KP.

Kessler has a mandatory.
Abraham has a mandatory.
Winky turned down $1.5 million plus a slice of the ppv revenues.
Mora couldn't make the money work because he would have to pay Forrest $300K in step aside money.
Williams asked for $1.5 million, but when Top Rank and HBO said yes, he still turned it down.
Rubio was nixed by HBO. They would not buy that fight.
Calzghe went quack, quack, quack, all the way into negotiations with Roy Jone who is more shot than Martin Luther King!

So, just who the **** do the critics want Pavlik to fight this fall? Seriously! Somebody name one God damn opponent who is AVAILABLE to fight between mid September and mid October who is also financially viable, and willing to fight!

 

Pavlik's own words:

“There was no one else to fight. Calzaghe won’t fight. That [Hopkins] was the only fight I had. He couldn’t weight 160, so we’re fighting at 170. I’m 6’2” and I walk around at 176. I have to lose weight to make this weight. My punches have more snap on them at this weight, and I’m not drained.”