By Scoop Malinowski

So it looks like October 18 is going to be date of the showdown between reigning Middleweight kingpin Kelly Pavlik and living legend Bernard Hopkins. Surely this will be a very interesting clash of two very different styles and personalities. In Pavlik you have the low-key, humble and classy wrecking machine and Hopkins is the grand master of smart box/punching, defensive wizardry and psychological warfare.

How will Pavlik handle the “anything goes” pre-fight hype shenanigans of Hopkins? How will Hopkins attempt to nullify the devastating power, confidence and momentum of the thrashing ring killer from Youngstown, Ohio?

When Hopkins made the “I will never lose to a whiteboy” comment before the Joe Calzaghe fight, many ring observers were offended and annoyed, including Jack Loew and Pavlik himself.

“Some of the comments that Hopkins made irritated a lot of people, and it irritated me, and it irritated Kelly,” said Loew to Boxinginsider.com not long after Hopkins said them. “He wants to play the race card. Yeah, I know he wants to build up the fight and everything but that doesn’t sit well with a lot of people. If we would have said it we would have been crucified.”

Now respected as one of the best trainers in America, Loew, who has shown the refreshing quality to tell it like it is rather than biting his tongue and shunning controversy, thought Calzaghe was the better man for how he handled the lack of class shown by Hopkins. When the two gladiators warred with their words in the media back and forth, Loew says Calzaghe more impressed him. “(When Joe responded back to Hopkins in the media) he says it with class. He says it with class, he says it the right way. That’s what I like about him. I really do.”

Middleweight champ Kelly Pavlik sized up Hopkins vs. Calzaghe with just about 100% accuracy. His pre-fight prediction shows he is a very astute student of the game: “I just think Calzaghe’s output, variety of punches and his aggressive style and awkwardness might be a lot for Bernard to handle. But then again, Bernard with his right hand, and the way he can just tie up and frustrate people. So the only thing - I see it as a slight favorite for Calzaghe - is the fact that when Hopkins grabs, the people are still gonna see who the aggressor is. It will be Calzaghe.”

It will be very interesting to see if Bernard Hopkins will attempt to play the race card again and risk giving Kelly Pavlik any extra incentive to knock his block off. Pavlik is a much more physically violent fighter than Calzaghe and any kind of emotional insults could make him even more potent and dangerous.

So far we have never seen Pavlik in a maximum state of rage and fury. It remains to be seen if the smooth talking Philadelphian will attempt to irritate and light the fire of Kelly Pavlik.

Scoop: mrbiofile@aol.com