[Boxing] Pavlik vs Hopkins

[Rappy Veteran]

WBC/WBO middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik could face former longtime niddleweight king Bernard Hopkins on October 18 at a 170lb catch weight. According to ESPN, Top Rank and Golden Boy have a deal for a 50/50 purse split, but there are still some details to be finalized. The site would be Boardwalk Hall in Atlantic City and the bout will be a pay-per-view telecast. Pavlik previously fought at a 166lb catch weight in his second win over Jermain Taylor. Hopkins has been fighting at light heavyweight for his last three bouts.

Pavlik I think could destroy Hopkins.

[digipoi]

Pavlik I think could destroy Hopkins.

Hopkins is not easy to destroy. His defense is too good. With that said, and I'm a Hopkins fan, I don't want to see him fight anymore.

[Rappy Veteran]

Hopkins is not easy to destroy. His defense is too good. With that said, and I'm a Hopkins fan, I don't want to see him fight anymore.

Yeah he is getting on to complete at top level.

[Rappy Veteran]

When a powerful young champion and devastating knock-out artist meets a future Hall of Fame boxing legend and two-division world champion who has never been knocked out, there will be plenty of debate and speculation as to who will win.

Watch Video HERE

[Rappy Veteran]

Hopkins Doesn't Goad Pavlik

Kelly Pavlik has refused to rise to Bernard Hopkins' bait ahead of their non-title super-middleweight clash.

Hopkins, 43, tried to goad Pavlik into betting $250,000 (?143,708) that he could win by a knockout on Saturday.

But the unbeaten WBO and WBC world middleweight champion said: "I haven't one fight, ever, predicted a KO.

"I don't train eight hard weeks just to knock somebody out. I go in there to win - 12 rounds. If a knockout comes, that's great."

Hopkins, who reigned at middleweight for 10 years, has never been knocked out. His most recent fight was a split-decision defeat by Joe Calzaghe in April.

Pavlik, 26, nicknamed 'The Ghost', has won 30 of his 34 career bouts by KO.

But the wily Hopkins (48-5-1), famous for outlasting his opponents, suggested his big-hitting fellow American will not be able to adjust his style in Atlantic City this weekend.

"The last I heard, Kelly Pavlik's been at his best knocking people out and coming forward and being himself," said 'The Executioner'.

"No matter what's been changed or what's been added on or what we're working on, that's great.

"But, trust me, when you're undefeated and never had to taste the taste of losing you're going to go back to what you're comfortable doing."

This weekend!!!

Pavlik to win I think by points to change my idea from the first post!

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

I am getting this fight with my brother in law at my house, I have always liked B Hop, but I think he might have seen his better days.

[digipoi]

I am getting this fight with my brother in law at my house, I have always liked B Hop, but I think he might have seen his better days.

Hope you get a bunch of people to chip in. I'm a huge fan of Hopkins but where the hell is the undercard? And at PPV prices? Ouch!

***Hopkins has a better chance at Pavlik than he did with Calzaghe. Pavlik can be pretty one dimensional coming forward and I believe Hopkins will cause a lot of problems in this fight. Even though Pavlik beat Taylor, and Taylor got gift decisions over Hopkins, this style match up favors Hopkins better imo. I still prefer the changing of the guard over recycling these old boxers already. We need some fresh air in boxing and the amateurs are slowing down. What to do?

[Rappy Veteran]

Kelly Pavlik 169 vs Bernard Hopkins 170

Steve Luevano 126 vs Billy Dib 126

(WBO featherweight title)

Marco Antonio Rubio 159 vs Enrique Ornelas 160

(WBC middleweight eliminator)

Daniel Jacobs 166 vs Tyrone Watson 163

Yuri Foreman 155 vs Vinroy Barrett 153

Jorge Diaz 122 vs Saul Gutierrez 123

Dean Nash 143.5 vs Danny Garcia 143

Samuel Gutierrez 114 vs Quaid Muhammad 115

Venue: Boardwalk Hall, Atlantic City, NJ

Promoter: Top Rank/Golden Boy

TV: HBO PPV

[Youdontknowme]

:yes: Hopkins gave kelly a lesson on boxing.

[Rappy Veteran]

Hopkins rolled back the years...was amazing to see and Pavlik has to go back to the drawing board.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Hopkins rolled back the years...was amazing to see and Pavlik has to go back to the drawing board.

Pavlick can't fight at 170 lbs.

By JOE SCALZO

Vindicator sports staff

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. ? With his lip quivering but his face otherwise expressionless, Bernard Hopkins leaned up against the ropes following Saturday?s bout, staring at the press contingent as he prepared to celebrate one of the biggest victories ? and best performances ? of his Hall of Fame career.

Five feet away, Kelly Pavlik?s camp consoled the 26-year-old middleweight champion, whose rapid rise to the boxing world hit its first snag.

The official announcement was a technicality. On this night, the 43-year-old ?Executioner? was too sharp, too savvy and too good at 170 pounds, earning a lopsided 12-round unanimous decision in front of 11,332 fans at Boardwalk Hall. The scores were 109-98, 108-99 and 107-100, with judge Alan Rubenstein giving Hopkins every round.

Pavlik may be the best fighter in the world at 160 pounds, but he was no match at 170.

?I just couldn?t get off tonight,? Pavlik said afterward. ?I don?t know why. It wasn?t because of his slickness. I just couldn?t throw more than a single jab, couldn?t throw a double jab, couldn?t do anything I was used to doing.

?We?re going to go back to the drawing board. It just wasn?t me tonight. I?m going to be more comfortable going back to 160.?

After the bout, Hopkins walked over and encouraged Pavlik.

?I was a fan of yours before and I?m a fan of yours now; don?t let this fight destroy you,? Hopkins said, as Pavlik nodded. ?You?re a great middleweight champion with a great heart.

?Keep your head up, keep fighting. You?ve got to learn one thing. You?ve got to learn that slickness that black fighters have and you can really be a great champion.?

Pavlik, wearing navy blue trunks with the logos of the Youngstown police and fire departments, never looked sharp and was never able to time up Hopkins? punches, nor gauge the right distance to land his powerful straight right hands.

By the third round, Pavlik?s manager, Cameron Dunkin, knew it wasn?t his fighter?s night.

?He?s dead, he?s got nothing,? Dunkin said then. ?It?s the weight. He?s a middleweight. That?s all.?

It?s the first professional loss for Pavlik (34-1, 30 KOs), whose last loss came during the Olympic trials as an 18-year-old amateur. For Hopkins (49-5-1, 32 KOs), the victory helps erase the bitter taste of two losses to Jermain Taylor and one to Joe Calzaghe

He told Pavlik he?d be rooting for him in the future.

?Keep your chin up; don?t give up,? he said. ?If I have to go to your house and take you to the gym, I will.?

The only thing Pavlik could take away is he wasn?t knocked down, absorbing a lot of punches in the later rounds as blood spurted from his nose. Whenever he landed a decent jab or right to the body, Hopkins countered with a strong combination or a good overhand right.

The fight was similar to Pavlik?s rematch against Taylor in February in one regard: He didn?t have the same speed or snap on his punches with a heavier weight.

The fight statistics were gruesome.

Hopkins landed 172 of 530 punches (32 percent), including a whopping 49 percent of his power punches (148 of 304). Pavlik, who was widely expected to be the stronger and more active fighter, connected on just 23 percent of his punches (108 of 463), including 26 of his power punches (55 of 211).

Saturday?s crowd was the biggest to see a Pavlik bout ? his previous best was last September?s bout against Taylor, which drew under 11,000 ? and they sold 1,000 tickets on fight day.

The fight began at 11:40. Both fighters started tentatively ? Hopkins probably held a small edge in that round ? and the Philadelphia native took control in the second. Pavlik didn?t win a round on any of the judges? cards until the 10th.

?I knew my style and quickness was underrated and was gonna give him problems,? said Hopkins.

The Pavlik camp seemed to know it wasn?t their night early. Between the 10th and 11th round, Pavlik?s wife, Samantha, rocked back and forth at her ringside seat, clasped her hands and appeared to say a small prayer. His trainer, Jack Loew, was expressionless. His corner seemed stunned. Hopkins, meanwhile, looked fresh and confident throughout.

?I think this was my best performance,? Hopkins said.

Before the fight began, Hopkins entered the ring wearing an executioner?s mask, pausing to make a throat-slashing gesture to the crowd just before he stepped through the ropes.

He wasn?t quite an executioner, but certainly executed.

On Saturday night, he really was the Ghostbuster.

Source

[Rappy Veteran]

Yeah but everyone was writing off Hopkins including me, he totally showed his pure best last night.

[+Gary7 Subscriber²]

Yeah but everyone was writing off Hopkins including me, he totally showed his pure best last night.

Yes for sure, at 43 he did a great job.

[rajputwarrior]

Bhop is sweet!

[DirtyLarry Veteran]

Yeah but everyone was writing off Hopkins including me, he totally showed his pure best last night.

Definitely, I wrote him off as well, and I have to say that was one of the better fights I have seen in a long time.

Not only did B-Hop beat him, he dismantled him completely. Made him look foolish to be honest.

Great fight, and I always liked B-Hop as well so congrats to him without a doubt.

[digipoi]

Bhop is sweet!

Finally you recognize :p

[rajputwarrior]

that last fight was just too impressive... i never said i hated him, jsut don't get why he's still fighting. But i still hope roy jones knocks him out one day.

[digipoi]

I wonder if they will match up? I'll bet if Roy beats Cal, we may just see that fight.