GL: In your opinion where does he rank among your last four opponents? "There's different styles. I can't compare him with Winky or Joe Calzaghe. If you tell me who hits the hardest, I don't know yet, but I do know that Winky Wright hits harder than Joe Calzaghe. Even though Winky has a defensive catch you while your throwing punches style, Winky is a much better puncher. Joe Calzaghe throws punches looking to get points, he conned the hell out of y'all. They say look at the record, but I say look at certain fights where he pats his way through. He'd win a Gold if he was an amatuer, as a matter of fact they need that motherf**ker at the Olympics."

"Kelly is a guy who wants points busting your nose while he's looking for the knockout. I can't compare them yet. One will want to razzle and dazzle you and you got another that will fight you in Winky Wright. Pavlik will fight. Winky just got outmanned against me. I make guys fight a fight they didn't prepare for and that's just the way it is. You have to be able to adjust otherwise you'll always be a guy who runs into a fire knowing he's getting burned. What makes you great can also make you fail. When you run into that right guy, trust me, that one guy who can take what you've been getting rid of everyone else with you have to have an adjustment. The corner can tell you what to do, but it's all up to the fighter, that's just the way it goes."

GL: You compare Pavlik to Trinidad. We know how that fight ended, how do you see this fight ending?

Bernard Hopkins: "I see this fight being a fight where a guy goes to school and the guy who takes him there gets no credit because he's supposedly fighting a guy who shouldn't be moving up to 170. They already planted the seed, but I'll take the check and I'll take the win and go about my business. Greg listen, let me go on record and let the Boxingtalk fans know, the commentators are not going to give me any credit if I knock him out in one round, the twelfth round or if I beat him up. He's not amatuerish, but when I redeuce him to that they will do their best to take away from my victory. Give me the win and give me the check and I'll see y'all.  On the west coast I have to knock people out to win. When a 43 year old has to go in the ring and knock a young boy out to win that's calling me God. I got to go in there and knock people out to win in Vegas. For me that's respect. It doesn't feel good at first, but when you have understanding you don't feel as bad. Last but not least is the fans. The fans sit back and they say to themselves, I'm not a Bernard Hopkins fan but I respect him.

GL: Closing thoughts?

BH: "This year is going to close out with one of the best fights of the year with myself and Kelly Pavlik. This year will keep boxing on the map and have people looking forward to 2009. I know it's going to be very difficult for the writers to pick the fight of the year after October 18."

NM

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