Masterful HOPKINS stuns PAVLIK - Poll results & photos & post-fight video

Some early fight predictions (inlc. Bert Sugar, Brian Adams and... Kelly Pavlik )

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More quotes (this time not the prefabricated press release sh*t but the NYC presser quotes). I like both guys giving respect to each other.

Bernard Hopkins:
“As I look at the TV, I see an old dog named Brett Favre, who, like me, still got swagger at 40. I am not the only one still standing. Don’t look for me to retire. I have a long distance deal with Brett Favre. I’ll retire when Brett Favre retires,” he joked. “Now let’s talk about boxing.”

“I this fight, we have two blue collar guys, two construction workers fighting for a sandwich after 9 hours of work. I respect what this guy [Pavlik] has done. He is my successor, and he got it [the middleweight title] the old fashioned way like I did. But I have to do my job. I am not afraid of a ghost.”

“This is a hurt business, and I’ve been successful at it for 20 years. I have confidence from my last fight. But I lost, you say. People just said I lost. I am coming in with a controlled anger and confidence. Yesterday is in the past. I am not showing my age. I am a seasoned veteran who has fought every style, and has a plan to take the other guy’s best weapon and use it against him.”

On Tito: “Everyone said I was in with a killer. They were saying “left hook, left hook, left hook”, but I showed him my right hand. Pavlik is known for having a great right hand, but I have one of the best defenses in the sport. The name of the game is to take what he does best and use it against him. That’s what I do best.”

“Atlantic City has been good to me. If this is my last visit, on my terms – not Kelly Pavlik’s terms, I want to put on a great fight. I am looking for Kelly Pavlik to bring his A-game. I want to fight him at his best. At the end of the day, whoever has the best game plan will win the fight.”


Kelly Pavlik:
“People asked me why I took this fight, and why fight at 170. I wanted to fight the best. I wanted to fight Calzaghe, supposedly the best fighter pound-for-pound, but there is no way we could get him. Then someone mentioned Bernard Hopkins. We train the same way for every fight. I need to be at my best, and I expect a tough fight. It is a pleasure to be in the ring with Bernard Hopkins,”

“He came up the same way as me. We both fought our way up. I knocked out tough Jose Luis Zertuche and Edison Miranda. I took chances and beat Miranda. I fought Jermain Taylor with no tune-up fight, and then I fought him a second time. It was a hard road.”

“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.”

“A win is a win. A win over Bernard Hopkins is great. There is no pressure on me no matter how it turns out. Boxing was down a little, and this fight is a great fight for boxing, like Margarito-Cotto was. This is what boxing needs.”
“If Hopkins gets dirty, I get dirty. I’m every bit as big as he is and I rough people up on the inside too, so he’s got to be careful with that. I’ve got elbows, and I got heads. He’s a dangerous fighter, He’s still got a lot to entertain. We have to take this fight serious; we got to over films. The best thing to do is study the films and not let him get rough in there and have his way. Pressure, that’s what Calzaghe did, and like I keep saying, I don’t hit like Calzaghe does,” insisted Pavlik.”

 

I've just made a poster art for this fight. It's nice to have free time! :good

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Sorry, f*cked up the time. Here it is corrected:

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Kelly Pavlik is looking for the knockout!

Is he out of his f* mind?

I think that's the worst approach to fight Hopkins. I don't care if he's 43, he's fighting like he's 33. Why Calzaghe was called a 'slapper' after his fight is because he refused to put serious power behind his shots and was all about landing speedy shots to score because it's relly hard to hit Bernard clean. Putting full body weight behind shots slows you down enough for a ring master like Hopkins to counter you with his still very very good timing and effective punching. Hopkins makes you miss, takes you jab away, puts you out of position and land awkward shots from funny angles. Pavlik has to be as quick and accurate as he can be as jumping on Hopkins to do serious damage simply won't work. Trinidad went in there for the knockout. Echols tried to outpower him. Tarver was to land the bombs he terrorized Roy Jones Jr. with. All failed. And Tarver was like 190 pounds on fight night. Pavlik needs speed and all the determination he has to stay behind the jab all night despite getting countered. Going for the knockout is the best way find yourself on the floor vs. Hopkins.

 

You can find all the info on the official HBO website, this fight is now in their boxing schedule.

 

Press conference video:

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Hopkins interview:

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Interesting poster the official one. Not the best possible though...

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