By Scoop Malinowski

One of America’s premier boxing trainers Jack Loew expresses some very candid thoughts (as usual) about his man Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik’s next fight and second title defense challenger and living legend, Bernard Hopkins:

Boxinginsider: Are you surprised that Hopkins accepted this fight?

Jack Loew: “Yes. Yeah I am. He’s taking a very dangerous fight at this time in his career. He obviously can’t need the money. But I really don’t know what he’s thinking. Maybe he’s trying to save face after the Calzaghe fight. I just think they picked a bad fight.”

Boxinginsider: What do you mean save face? He was almost a little more impressive than Calzaghe was in that fight.

Jack Loew: “Neither one impressed me actually. I just think Bernard tries to go through 12 rounds of every fight then screams to the world that he won the fight. If that’s his gameplan here then he picked the wrong gameplan.”

Boxinginsider: What is it that Hopkins presents that most concerns you?

Jack Loew: “You know he’s got some ol’ dirty tricks. He’s a veteran. He’s a future Hall of Famer. He brings a lot of experience to the ring. But the old Bernard Hopkins - maybe. This Bernard Hopkins, at this age with the work rate and the work ethic of Kelly - it’s not gonna happen.”

Boxinginsider: You think he’s making a big mistake?

Jack Loew: “A huge mistake.”

Boxinginsider: Why? What is it about Kelly that is going to surprise Hopkins?

Jack Loew: “Well, Kelly throws 100 punches a round. Bernard throws 17, 20, 25 punches a round. Can you, at that age, work three minutes for every round from the get go? And Kelly doesn’t slap, he doesn’t tap people. He hits hard. I just think our youth and our work rate will be way too much for Bernard.”

Boxinginsider: How exactly did this fight come about? Did you pursue Hopkins?

Jack Loew: “Obviously Top Rank. Kelly will fight anybody, we tried Calzaghe but Calzaghe chose Roy Jones.”

Boxinginsider: Tried Paul Williams too.

Jack Loew: “We tried Paul Williams too. A lot of these guys, their way to get out of the fight is to just price themselves out of the fight, then say Well I tried. You tried and you asked for a ridiculous amount of money. They offered Paul Williams probably more money than he’s made in his career. He turned it down. His people turned it down. I mean, Bernard is a legend. We’ll fight him.”

Boxinginsider: No hesitation at all?

Jack Loew: “Noooo. No. Not at all. Kelly wants to fight the best out there and at this time Bernard stepped up to the plate.”

Boxinginsider: Are you guys at all concerned about the psychological warfare Bernard will try to bring into this? He’s very crafty with that stuff.

Jack Loew: “Nooo. Listen. You can’t talk Kelly to death. You can’t beat Kelly by talking to him. You gotta go in there and fight him. He can say all he wants. His people can say what they want to say. But on October 18 Bernard gotta step in that ring and he’s gotta go face to face with Kelly.”

Stay tuned for Boxinginsider.com’s Live Report coverage from Tuesday’s press conference where Hopkins tried to kill Team Pavlik with kindness.

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