What They’re Saying About Pavlik vs Hopkins…
Ohio native, and current middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik takes on 43 year old Bernard Hopkins this Saturday. I don’t pretend to be a boxing expert, so let’s see what others are saying about the match-up.
Pavlik on how he plans to defeat Hopkins-
“Our game plan is to make him have to throw at least 65 punches a round,” Pavlik told ESPN.com from his home in Youngstown, Ohio. “He never really averages that at all, but if he’s going to have any chance of winning it’s going to be his only choice.
“I just go out and keep winning the rounds. If a knockout comes, great, especially against Hopkins, but our main goal is to go in there and win that fight.”
Graham Houston, FightWriter.com-
Hopkins is likely to have his successes and might land the sort of clear, well-timed blows that bring roars from the crowd, but the belief here is that, over the course of 12 hard-fought rounds, Pavlik will be throwing and landing the greater number of punches — enough of them to ensure he is the winner on the scorecards when it’s all over.
Kevin Iole of Yahoo Sports is surprised by how well the fight is selling-
Surprisingly, perhaps, ticket sales for the fight have been strong. Pavlik hails from Youngstown, Ohio, an area which has been depressed longer than most of the country. Pavlik is inordinately popular in his home town and that has been reflected by the almost stunning gate numbers.
Promoter Bob Arum said ticket sales have already exceeded 10,000.
“You have to understand, when we announced this fight and started the promotion, we were all fat and happy and sitting pretty,” Arum said. “Things were a lot different when we arranged the fight, even though they weren’t good, than they are now, since this devastation has occurred.
“But strangely, the ticket sales have been hugely strong. We’re going to wind up doing real well at the gate. We’ve done well at the gate and we only are left with the real cheap seats. You never really can predict, but this fight seems to have caught on with people for some reason.”
Make sure to watch the E-60 feature on Pavlik and Youngstown.
An excellent breakdown of each fighter’s strengths and weaknesses.
Boxing Insider gives us the scoop from the official weigh-in press conference.
It’s a little old, but in an August interview Bernard Hopkins shares his respect for Pavlik-
“I’m a boxing fan and I am a fan of Kelly Pavlik,” said the 43-year-old Hopkins. “I am a fan of Pavlik because he became a champion the right way. Not because of politics, but because he came up through the ranks and beat them all.
“I know what makes a good fight, but I never thought I would be fighting him. Kelly has a lot of heart and determination, but saying that, I’ve never been afraid of a ghost.”
Finally, a great read from Cleveland Scene.
