What a surprise! Kelly Pavlik vs. Bernard Hopkins Oct 18th!!!!!!!!?

Question

Man, I bet none of us saw this one coming!!!

http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/boxing/news/story?id=3494448

Answer 1

Wow! You would think it would be easier for a champion to get fights in his own division. Shouldn't everyone want a piece of him? Yet they can't sign a fight with Abraham, Sturm, Duddy, Wright, Marquez, Mora or any of these guys. In fact they were so desperate they were trying to scrape up a natural welterweight...Paul Williams.

This isn't a great fight to take because Bernard Hopkins makes everyone look bad but if Pavlik is smart he will use this as an opportunity to show just how much better he is than the other elite boxers. Wright lost to Hopkins, Taylor squeaked two controversial decisions where Hopkins looked to be the better man in the later rounds, Trinidad lost, Oscar was Ko'd and even at light heavyweight Joe Calzaghe didn't look spectacular against him. So if Kelly Pavlik can dominate and even knock out Bernard Hopkins he will prove something to the world.

You are right I didn't see this fight coming at least not yet. I wonder what happened to the Paul Williams fight. I think they are going to make it hard for Pavlik to keep from getting stripped of his belts if he keeps moving up in weight. You better believe I'll be watching this one though - thanks for the update!

Answer 2

Interesting, Mrraravis pretty much echoed my thoughts on this one, I didn't see it coming either.  Pavlik has a chance to look better than Calzaghe against an aging hall of famer and that's about it.  A money fight to squeeze a few more dollars out of Hopkins name recognition.  It will make for an interesting night of boxing.

Answer 3

I definitely didn't see that coming. I never expected Pavlik to move up two divisions to fight anyone, especially in his very next fight. I see Pavlik winning this fight by decision and I see Hopkins making this fight as ugly as possible.

Answer 4

Looks like not many guys want to fight Pavlik. I 'm going purely on a gut feeling when I say this, I really believe Bernard is in for a beating. Pavlik is the real deal.  Despite the knockdown, the legend looked old and slow against Calzaghe.

Answer 5

I'm sorry but all you dumb asses that think B-Hop is going to win this fight are ******* retarded!!!! This kid Kelly Pavlik can knock you out with either hand and if you think a phone booth fight is in Benard's favor we will see when Kelly hits him with a body shot or hits him with an uppercut. This kid hits big tractor tires with a sledge hammer when he trains do you know what that does to the power of the punches you throw ? Well i'll tell you it makes your punching power devistating i was at a fight in Youngstown when this guy was fighting a phonebooth style fight and Kelly hit this guy with a body shot that made the guy literally p**s himself they had to carry him out on a strectcher.So all you people that think Kelly will lose that fight are in a dreamland i am hear to tell you in the next 5 years Kelly Pavlik will be the best p4p fighter in the world then everyone will be on Kelly's junk like they watched him from the beginning i was there when he faught his very 1st fight this kid is for real B- Hop has no chance i've never seen a middleweight hit as hard as Kelly. B-Hop is going to look at this skinny pail kid and say i can whip him and Kelly is going to knock his ******* head off his shoulders so **** Joe Calzaghe **** Bernard Hopkins they can't touch this kid i'm really sick and tired of people dissing Kelly P. I can't wait till Oct 18th when Kelly proves once again he is the best fighter in the middleweight division and when he wins the first thing i'm gonna do is write to all you mother ******'s who think Kelly is a nobody and i'm going to say told ya so.Sorry for the language but i'm ******* tired of hearing it

Answer 6

Appears as if Hopkins really like losing these days.

Answer 7

OH, this is sooo bad for Kelly Pavlik. I think he just got baited into his first "L".

Yeah I know...before you all say it "Bernards over the hill, blah blah" heard it before. Go back a couple of posts when they were asking for predictions of the Hopkins/Calzaghe fight, and see where I said "Bernard would dump Calzaghe on his *** if he squared his shoulders". The guy that made the question said "Wow, you called that perfect", I called that Hopkins would lose, and that Calzaghes workrate would be cut in half. So Im not a blind fan.

So trust the following.....

Kelly Pavlik is tailor made for Bernard Hopkins.

1. Despite Hopkins age, his style creates that he doesnt need the workrate for twelve rounds, but that has backfired in his face lately fighting faster fighters. Thats not Pavlik, as a matter of fact Pavlik is SERIOUSLY slow.

2. Bernard will dispense with fighting on the outside. Pavlik's money punches are when he can extend  his arms. Bernard will spend twelve ugly rounds fighting in a phone booth with Pavlik, and that wont work in Pavlik's favor. I mean lets face it, whos better at punching a quarter inch away from your opponent, Hopkins or Pavlik? And Pavlik cant fight and walk backwards, he doesnt know how. So he will have to keep walking into the same problem time and time again.

3. Experience: Again, the same reason I said it about Calzaghe. Its easy to say your gonna beat a seasoned fighter...its another thing to stand in the ring and figure him out when your own TRAINER has no clue what hes doing or why. Pavlik is going to be outclassed, outseasoned, and likely schooled, all on the inside. His best weapons nullified in two rounds.

4. Pavlik hasnt had to fight as dirty as Bernard Hopkins is willing to. "Philly" has ALOT of tricks (such as turning your shoulders and stepping outside your opponents foot when in the middle with him clearing his arms) that Pavlik wont see till hes swatted with it.

5. And finally, though he will have youth, Pavlik WILL  not have the strength advantage. Pavlik went up a weight class for the rematch with Taylor, and hes going up one more to fight Hopkins. That will not work in his favor, as a matter of fact its RETARDED to make those kinds of weight class jumps without tuneups. I get the feeling Pavlik's camp is trying to cash out fast.

Either way, if Nard stays outside he will lose cause he will stay inactive. BUT, if he opts to fight in a phone booth, he may knock youngun out. Keep in mind, Taylor dumped Pavlik on his ***, and Nard fought twice with Taylor and didnt even forget left from right. The likeliness that Hop will go down is VERY low.