Kelly Pavlik is the undisputed middleweight champion of the world, but when he fights Bernard Hopkins next weekend, he'll be fighting at 10 pounds heavier than his ideal weight, moving up to 170 to meet the light heavyweight Hopkins in the middle.
But Pavlik told me today that he weighs 171 or 172 pounds right now, that he feels better than ever at that weight, and that he's only made minor changes to his training regimen to get ready to fight Hopkins.
"Weight to me is not a big deal at all," Pavlik said. "I have more energy and more snap on my punches. I still lift weights but we don't do anything heavy to build muscle mass. I'm running a little more hills to add some muscle to my legs. Other than that there hasn't been much change at all."
The 34-0 Pavlik, who is working with his trainer Jack Loew in his hometown of Youngstown, Ohio, added, "My natural bodyweight is a little bit above. Being able to eat more, my body is more energized and fresh."
Loew said on today's conference call to promote the fight that he had no doubt at all that Pavlik was strong enough to fight the bigger Hopkins, who weighed in at 173 for his fight with Joe Calzaghe in April.
"We're in great shape as usual," Loew said. "He's working as hard for this fight as for any fight, if not harder."
When reporters asked more questions related to the size difference between Pavlik and Hopkins, Loew started to get annoyed, and suggested that it was Hopkins who should be worried about Pavlik's size.
"He's a 6-foot-3 middleweight who's strong on the inside," Loew said. "Don't be surprised if we put Bernard's nuts in his throat."
The Pavlik-Hopkins takes place on Saturday, October 18 at 9 p.m. Eastern on pay-per-view.
