Joe Calzaghe: Pavlik is full of bulls***

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http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/sport/boxing/article1700917.ece

JOE CALZAGHE reckons Kelly Pavlik is full of bulls***.

Calzaghe aims to bring the curtain down on his glittering career by stretching his unbeaten run to 46 fights when he takes on Roy Jones Jr in New York in November.

And the Welshman, 36, has rubbished claims that he only signed to face Jones because he is afraid of losing to middleweight king Pavlik.

He blasted: "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.

"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 extended his own unbeaten run to 36 fights by demolishing Calzaghe's former stablemate Gary Lockett in June.

Rumours of a Calzaghe-Pavlik showdown quickly followed but Calzaghe insists the American has NEVER been serious about fighting him.

The light-heavyweight added: "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.

"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."

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Pavlik, 26, is widely viewed as American boxing's next legend in the making.

But while Calzaghe believes the Ghost will beat Bernard Hopkins in October, he refuses to buy into the hype.

He said: "I'm surprised Hopkins has agreed to fight Pavlik as he's getting that old now he didn't even know what corner to walk to when I fought him.

"He walked to the wrong corner four times and although he fought a very good tactical fight against me, I think he should retire.

"Pavlik will win the fight, mainly due to his youth, although Hopkins still has the ability to make it very messy.

"But he is definitely overhyped and I think Mikkel Kessler would beat him."