I'm at the point now as a boxing fan that if you want to consider me a guy that has a bias against Joe Calzaghe, go ahead. The man simply refuses to shut his yap. Here's his latest, which goes back to things he's said before, and is just as easily picked apart. Via Sporting Life:

Calzaghe, who beat Hopkins back in April, said: "I said all along Kelly Pavlik was overrated, overhyped and hadn't done anything in his career to a warrant a fight with me.

"This was evident Saturday night when Hopkins destroyed and exposed him for what he is.

"That is why I wasn't going to waste my time fighting him and went straight to a bout with Roy Jones who has proved himself time and time again that he is one of the greatest fighters in our era. I have been a champion for 11 years and I am only interested in fighting legends.

"My boxing career and record speaks for itself. This will be the biggest fight of my career as I am fighting one of the best, at the best place to fight."

Cram it, Joe. You're the same gutsy, never-turn-'em-down cham-peen of the sport that has said repeatedly you offered Kelly Pavlik a fight after you beat Jeff Lacy. Before Pavlik ever beat Taylor or Miranda or Lockett or even Jose Luis freaking Zertuche.

You're the same fighter that is trying -- and failing miserably -- to convince the boxing public that you're facing Roy Jones, Jr., on November 8, and not a hollow shell of the fighter Roy Jones once was.

Maybe if you still had Frank Warren covering for you, you wouldn't be struggling so massively to sell tickets at Madison Square Garden for this insulting card you and Roy have put together. Be proud of it, Joe, while you discover why fighters have promoters.

What do you think the U.S. PPV sales will be, Joe? What have you got to say about the fact that it took you forever and a day to leave your comfort zone for a single freaking fight?

What have you got to say about fighting a 40-year old man that hasn't beaten anyone in YEARS, when you could have made big money to fight Kelly Pavlik -- and since you're so confident you'd have beaten him, there's no excuse for it.

This isn't about talent. Joe Calzaghe has it in spades. This is about character, or a lack thereof. If Pavlik sucks so much, why did you offer an unknown middleweight a chance to fight you years ago, before he was anybody? And no doubt he'd have had to go to your backyard to do it. (Not that Calzaghe coming to the States to fight nobody Pavlik would have made any sense.)

As a fighter, I think Calzaghe is class, one of the best in the world, and that he's been in that company for a long time now. As a personality, I just can't respect him anymore. This is the same big talkin' crap I'd take Antonio Tarver to task over, and it cannot be excused just because Calzaghe is unbeaten with his fluffed-up record. When I said great fighters lose fights because they fight great opposition, I'll tell you something else: Joe Calzaghe doesn't qualify.

The most disappointing thing about this is it doesn't have to be this way. For whatever reason (fan perception, probably), Calzaghe has felt this need to attack Kelly Pavlik in recent months. I don't think Joe Calzaghe ducked Pavlik -- you can't duck a guy that's never fought your weight before. Calzaghe chose to fight Roy. That's all fine and good. When he says he wants to only fight legends, then fine. Great. That's OK.

But why talk about Pavlik almost exclusively and say he sucks, while also noting your willingness to fight him years before he mattered, and also having been so kind and allegedly impressed by his performance when he beat Taylor for the middleweight championship?

This isn't about selling a fight, because Calzaghe and Pavlik aren't going to fight. This isn't hype. This is jealousy, I think, from Calzaghe. Jealousy over the fact that he's not gotten the same amount of hype or fan excitement generated even once in his career that Kelly Pavlik has stirred up in the last year. Calzaghe may well have deserved better, but as Warren and others have said, he never went that extra mile to get it. And he's pulled out of more fights and ignored more fighters than you can shake a stick at.

But, hey, have fun with your crap card on November 8, Joe. I guarantee more people were watching last night than will be when you and Roy get together at Madison Square Garden. Too bad there isn't more to say about that fight and the atrocious undercard you're insulting the paying public with than there is about you not fighting Kelly Pavlik.

He's not Chris Mannix, but Bart Barry has a fine column over at Sportsline.com that really takes the cake for junk coverage of this past weekend's Hopkins over Pavlik stunner.

Some excerpts for your enjoyment, and mine.

Before we begin our obligatory allusions to all-time greats, before we take an oath to write the word "legend" as often as we write the name Hopkins, we might answer this question: Did Hopkins win boxing any new fans Saturday night? Plenty of fans -- mostly from Ohio -- just left. But did the legendary all-time great Hopkins just give his sport a net win? Doubtful.

This is sort of like the current World Series matchup, Philadelphia against Tampa Bay. Folks will say things like, "FOX must be happy with that!" They're sarcastic, of course. FOX wanted Red Sox-Dodgers, Red Sox-Cubs, White Sox-Cubs, Angels-Dodgers, Angels-Cubs, Red Sox-Phillies -- pretty much anything besides this or Rays-Brewers.

Well, I don't care what FOX wanted, and I don't care what draws big ratings. The World Series will happen again next year regardless of the TV ratings. What I'm looking for is good baseball. Philadelphia-Tampa Bay promises that. So how the general public reacts is not my concern.

Bernard Hopkins put on a performance for the ages on Saturday night. He thoroughly entertained, something he hasn't done often over the years.

Yes, it would've been great for boxing had Pavlik won decisively, knocked out the old Hopkins and become an even bigger star. It didn't happen. It didn't come close to happening.

So instead of the story leading with Pavlik becoming a major marketing force, we have the inspiring story of 43-year old Bernard Hopkins taking one of the best champions in the sport to boxing school. Oh, shucks.

Hopkins undid Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City on Saturday. He beat him from turnbuckle to turnbuckle and won a unanimous decision one judge had 119-106. I had it 116-110 because a fighter who stays on his feet for 12 rounds probably deserves more than 106 points.

This is asinine. 116-110? The fight wasn't near that close. Anyone scoring it that close did it out of pity for Pavlik, who took a beating the entire night and won no more than two rounds. Staying on your feet for 12 rounds does not give you extra credit. He was hurt repeatedly, never hurt Hopkins, and was out-thrown and out-landed by a 43-year old man. Pavlik got his ass kicked.

It's not that Mr. Barry's points are wrong. Undoubtedly, Hopkins winning did not "win new fans for boxing." But would a Pavlik knockout have really WON any NEW fans for the sport? I doubt it. This was a $50 show on pay-per-view, a big card to be sure, but I don't think anyone new was looking to Pavlik-Hopkins as a fight that could expand their sporting horizons, a chance given to the sweet science, "dead" sport that it is.

It didn't help, no. It probably didn't hurt, either. Hopkins is an all-time great -- a genuine legend. Saying that giving Hopkins that respect is an "allusion" by desperate fans of the sport is foolish and just plain wrong. And Pavlik, 26, has plenty of time.

All fighters lose, especially the ones that face great competition. I've said that before. But Kelly Pavlik lost because he took a legitimately tough opponent, and he should be given respect. Instead of worrying about whether all of Kelly Pavlik's fans gave up on boxing thanks to this loss (they didn't), maybe it'd be better to accept this incredible night for what it was, bask in Bernard's glory for once, and look forward to Pavlik's return to the ring. The story may be about Bernard Hopkins right now, and I guess that disappoints some people. But there are more Kelly Pavlik stories to be told.

I thought I'd be in bed by now, but I'm still up, so we'll get a jump on tomorrow's thoughts and put them together right now.

1. "Executioner" once more

In April, Joe Calzaghe ran Bernard Hopkins ragged, testing his age, his conditioning, and his ability to counter-punch.

Last night, Kelly Pavlik meant to do the same, but that gameplan never had a chance to get off the ground. Hopkins came out firing at Pavlik right away, and owned the ring for a full 12 rounds.

You cannot complain that Hopkins was boring, because he not only fought hard and brought action, but he absolutely made Pavlik look like a bum fighter, which Pavlik is not.

It was another defiant action from the man who has re-written the books on going against boxing's establishment, and yet another night where he proved every doubter amazingly wrong. It's been quite a while since he's truly fought as "The Executioner" of old. Even when he dominated Antonio Tarver and made him look foolish, it didn't resonate the way this win does.

Hopkins, 43, demolished a strong, damn good fighter 17 years his junior. He outworked him, outlanded him, and beat him to the punch. His footwork made Pavlik look like Samuel Peter. Pavlik chased, but couldn't catch the old man.

If Bernard fights on, which he does not need to, don't doubt him again. I'm talking as much to myself as anyone else.

2. Weighty issues

Maybe it was the weight. There's no denying Pavlik looked slower in every possible way fighting at 170 pounds. Frankly, I didn't think he looked that great in February against Taylor at 164.

Pavlik and Jack Loew can talk all they want about how it's better to not drain weight and get down to 160, but all fighters, really, drain weight to get to their limit. At 160, Pavlik is much stronger than most of the other fighters, has a lot of snap on his shots, and moves around better. Getting down to 160 with proper training just makes him a very strong 160. Pavlik says he walks around at 175, so he only dropped a few pounds.

His conditioning trainer says they bulked him up and brought him down, but he really didn't come down much. Not draining the weight probably made Pavlik feel sluggish in there. He certainly looked it.

3. Great fighters lose if they fight great fighters

The loss does not ruin Kelly Pavlik's career, but the dejected, thoroughly beaten look on his face after the fight does worry me. Pavlik has had a lot thrust upon him; he's been called the emerging centerpiece of American boxing. He was basically considered the savior of his hometown, said by all that live in Youngstown that he was the best thing to happen to the city.

He was a God at home. He should remain one. Because he's a fantastic fighter, a gracious professional, and a classy guy that did his best. He came up short. It happens.

It happened because he chose to fight great competition instead of waiting around for something else or fighting a lesser opponent for the second straight time. He took his mandatory with Gary Lockett and blew him out. He would've caught flak for taking another "lackluster" fight. He took a chance fighting Hopkins. It didn't pay off, though in the long term, Pavlik learned something tonight, probably.

4. Is this OK to wonder...?

I think Jack Loew seems like a hell of a nice guy. No doubt Kelly Pavlik owes Loew a lot.

But is Jack Loew REALLY qualified to essentially single-handedly train a world champion fighter? I'm not saying one loss means Pavlik should replace Loew. Not at all. But adding a second to his team, a name guy that can give him another set of eyes and ears -- that might not hurt. We've seen Eddie Chambers bring in Buddy McGirt as a second to his father, and Bernard Hopkins kept Nazim Richardson in his corner while he recovered from his stroke, and he also has John David Jackson around. Adding an experienced, qualified, big fight veteran guy in the corner might be a decent idea. Loew is what he is, but he also has exactly one pro fighter under his care.

5. Billy Dib and the great attempt to single-handedly ruin the show

Dib was so awful in his challenge to WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano that I felt bad for Luevano, who is now in a contender for Worst Fight of the Year, made even more excruciating because we all paid $50 and that was part of the money we spent. Dib is a loudmouth punk, can't punch, and vastly overrates his own stylish defensive ability. How Shane Mosley backs this chump I'll never figure out.

Dib is not without talent or flair, but he's never beaten anyone and didn't deserve this shot to begin with. Luevano outclassed him in the most bowling shoe ugly of ways. Hopefully Luevano can get a good fight, because he deserves better than that stinkfest.

6. Rubio-Ornelas: Fight of the Night

It didn't mean as much and wasn't as memorable as the main event, but pound-for-pound, the fight of the night was Marco Antonio Rubio's hard-fought split decision win over Enrique Ornelas. A blistering, edge-of-your-seat final couple of rounds, with Ornelas wobbling and miraculously staying on his feet, finished a fight that was all hard-punching from round one through twelve.

In short, it was exactly the slugfest, throwback fight many thought it could be, and it was damn fun to watch. The Atlantic City crowd wasn't the same people that used to cover the seats for Arturo Gatti; had it been those folks, the fight would have gotten the live reaction it deserved. Instead, Rubio and Ornelas, leaving it all in the ring in the WBC middleweight eliminator, were given a tepid response during the fight and a mild ovation afterward. They deserved better. They fought with a lot of guts. It wasn't Vazquez-Marquez or anything, but it was hard-hitting stuff.

7. Tyrone Watson isn't very good

That'll probably be the last time we see "T.T." on TV, unless he scrapes into an ESPN card sometime. Twice in fifteen days we saw him knocked off, first by Fernando Guerrero on ShoBox, and now wasted in a round by the very exciting Daniel Jacobs, who looks like Yuriorkis Gamboa with some defensive ability. Jacobs has yet to be tested at all, but he's got serious skills.

8. Back to Rubio

With his win over Ornelas, Rubio becomes the mandatory WBC challenger, one of the two alphabet belts Pavlik owns. Rubio would be a fine next opponent for Pavlik, even if it meant they'd have to go on Boxing After Dark. Rubio is a straightforward fighter, not in Pavlik's league, and would give Kelly a chance to get his groove back. He'd also come out swinging and give it his best shot, the same as Gary Lockett did, but Rubio is better than Lockett. He showed against Ornelas he can take a shot or ten; I like the fight for both parties, and think it could be a hell of a scrap.

9. Where does it rank?

For Hopkins, this was one of his best performances. Ever. Period. It was also what I would rank right now as the performance of the year. Nobody has owned a night the way Bernard did last night. When he stared down the ringside media, one-by-one, writers and commentators that picked him to lose (many by knockout for the first time ever), I was one of those that got some form of chills.

Bernard Hopkins goes beyond his era, which few fighters really do. He's an all-time great.

Does this one beat his dominant performance against Tito Trinidad seven years ago? I have to say it does. Trinidad was never a great middleweight. And Bernard wasn't at an age that should be considered past his prime.

To me, I'll say it again: this was Bernard's greatest fight ever. He was unbelievable.

10. Bounce back, Kelly

I'm still a huge believer in Kelly Pavlik, and a huge fan. I can't wait to see him get back in the ring. All this talk of moving past middleweight should be put on the backburner. Defend your championship, Ghost. Get back on the horse.

via assets.espn.go.com

We will have a LOT more tomorrow evening, but for now, let's just put it this way, and I'm not going to sugarcoat it or put it mildly:

Bernard Hopkins kicked Kelly Pavlik's ass all night long tonight, winning a completely one-sided unanimous decision, taking Pavlik's "0" and leaving him looking bewildered, saddened, and totally deflated.

There was a little scruff-up at the end of the fight, but Bernard also went over to Pavlik's corner after the scores were read (119-106, 118-108, 117-109, I had it 118-108) and gave him some genuine advice, telling him he could be "a bad son of a bitch," and that no one can beat him at 160.

This, in my opinion, was the greatest performance of the 43-year old Hopkins' career. I doubted his legs. I doubted him because of his age. I doubted him, as many have at various times.

Never, ever again. Never bet against Bernard Hopkins. I said it the other day, but I didn't take my own advice. I should have. Hopkins took Kelly Pavlik to boxing school tonight, and taught him an entire textbook's lessons.

All hats off to Bernard Hopkins, one of the genuine living legends of this sport. He is an all-time great, a no-doubt Hall of Famer, and a seriously brilliant boxer.

They're talking to Pavlik now -- I don't know if I've ever seen a fighter look so dejected. "I'm not makin' no excuses -- the guy fought good and he gave me a lesson."

Classy in victory, humble in defeat. Get back to work, Ghost, and we can't wait for your return.

Other results from the PPV card:

* Marco Antonio Rubio beat Enrique Ornelas via split decision in a hard-fought, grueling battle that I had scored for Ornelas (116-112), but with so many close rounds that I cannot at all argue with Rubio's victory. Pavlik-Rubio may now be on deck, as Rubio is the WBC mandatory.

* Steven Luevano out-pointed Billy Dib in a horrible, awful fight. May Billy Dib never see the light of American TV again. I mean it. Shane Mosley should be ashamed for pushing this guy within Golden Boy, and owes the paying public an apology for the crap we got out of him. To quote Larry Merchant, "Is 'Dib' Australian for 'nothing'?"

* Daniel Jacobs predictably blew out Tyrone Watson in the first round, the same Tyrone Watson that was owned by Fernando Guerrero 15 days ago.

Again, final word: Bernard Hopkins. All respect in the world.

Don't forget! We are LIVE tonight starting at 9pm ET for the entire pay-per-view card, main evented by the catchweight pride fight between middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik and former middleweight and light heavyweight champion Bernard Hopkins! We'll have scoring and round-by-round coverage and analysis of all four fights! Join us!

From the Youngstown Vindicator:

Standing face to face for the cameras, Hopkins told Pavlik, "4 1/2 years in the penitentiary."

Pavlik: "Yeah, and 30 minutes into the fight, you're going back."

Pavlik weighed in at 169 pounds, and Hopkins made the limit at 170. Dan Rafael said on SportsCenter that he'd heard Bernard had some trouble making weight, but we'll see how it all plays out tomorrow night.

If you're not ordering the pay-per-view tomorrow but want to get live, round-by-round coverage and scoring, we'll be here tomorrow night starting at 9pm ET. Not only will we have coverage, but I strongly encourage everyone, watching or not, to join us to discuss the fights, live as they happen. The best threads on fight night are definitely the ones where we're all talking, so join us!

When considering the wealth of "big" fights this fall and early winter, the discerning fan looking at the future of the sweet science runs into a bit of a problem.

A lot of these guys are getting pretty old.

When he fights on December 6 against Manny Pacquiao, boxing's biggest gate attraction, Oscar de la Hoya, will be two months shy of his 36th birthday. When the two of them touch gloves on November 8, Joe Calzaghe and Roy Jones, Jr., will be 36 and 39, respectively, with Jones two months shy of Lordy, Lordy, look, he's 40.

This past Saturday, we welcomed back 37-year old Vitali Klitschko, and watched 39-year old Antonio Tarver thoroughly dominated by a younger, faster, stronger fighter.

Two weeks prior to that, 37-year old Shane Mosley beat 35-year old Ricardo Mayorga.

On Saturday, the oldest of them all, 43-year old Bernard Hopkins, gets back in the ring for, perhaps, the final time.

Hopkins (48-5-1, 32 KO), the former middleweight and light heavyweight world champion, will face one of the stiffest tests of his career when he battles 26-year old knockout artist and reigning middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik at a 170-pound catchweight.

It's one of the most intriguing fights on the docket, I think, partially because you can never, ever count someone like Bernard Hopkins out of any fight.

Hopkins earlier this year gave pound-for-pound contender Joe Calzaghe one of the toughest tests of his career. Prior to that, Hopkins out-pointed Winky Wright and destroyed then-light heavyweight champ Antonio Tarver. Sure, he's lost three of his last five, but losing to Calzaghe is no shame, and neither are the two tough, disputable defeats at the hands of a young and hungry Jermain Taylor.

While Hopkins could stink it out against Pavlik, I don't think he can do so to such a degree that the fight is downright bad. Pavlik is too exciting to allow that to happen. He will test Bernard's defense and make him work.

Many haven't liked the fight since it was made. I've been on the fence, but at this point, I'm more anxious to see it play out than anything.

Will Pavlik (34-0, 30 KO) become the first man to knock out Hopkins? Will Bernard, the crafty old vet, be the first man to withstand Pavlik's assault and find enough holes to beat him?

What it would mean for Kelly Pavlik to beat Bernard Hopkins

Let's make this clear: for Pavlik's huge career momentum to gain more steam against Hopkins, he needs to dismantle him. He doesn't necessarily need to knock him out, but that would be a huge feather in his cap. Still, a dominant, Hopkins-over-Tarver-style decision would be huge, too.

For Kelly Pavlik, a regular old decision win will bring out more detractors, which has become a mildly fashionable thing to be since Kelly first walloped Jermain Taylor to claim the middleweight crown. First, his rematch with Taylor wasn't as breath-taking a fight, and he didn't knock him out again. Then, a pathetic mandatory defense against Gary Lockett did nothing for him, though to his credit, he dealt with Lockett as he should have.

Now, he fights a 43-year old man. Regardless of age, though, Hopkins is a dangerous opponent. Not in the way that he's a knockout threat, but in the way that he's still definitely good enough to sucker a fighter -- any fighter -- into his fight, and it's not easy to beat Bernard at his own game.

Pavlik will have to get Hopkins to fight him, and no matter what Bernard might say, he's not going to come out looking to go toe-to-toe with Pavlik. Hopkins is a proud man -- he doesn't want to risk getting knocked out, something that's never happened to him.

What it would mean for Bernard Hopkins to beat Kelly Pavlik

Everything, really. B-Hop is a no doubt about it Hall of Famer wrapping up a great career, but he hasn't had a whole lot of favorable memorable moments. In his first big fight, he lost a decision to Roy Jones, Jr., in 1993, and the two of them were never able to get past arguing with each other when negotiating a rematch.

His destruction of Tito Trinidad and his liver shot knockout of Oscar de la Hoya are his two memorable, favorable moments. He took Trinidad's "0" and he is the only man to ever put Oscar down for the count.

But at this point, most are going to remember Bernard, cynically, for boring fights and middling trash talk.

Should he defeat Pavlik, even his harshest style critics won't be able to discount how good he is. If he beats a powerful, fresh fighter 17 years his junior, an unbeaten knockout machine, it could be his ugliest win ever, and it would not only take Pavlik's career momentarily off track, but it would cement Bernard as a bona fide legend.

I don't know if the fight will be any good. If the economy is pinching your wallet, this isn't the type of show I'd recommend ordering, to be honest. And if i wasn't such a lunatic, I sure wouldn't be paying $50 to find out if Pavlik can knock out Hopkins. But I am, so I will.

Here's hoping Kelly can show every facet of his game in this one night, and put Bernard out to pasture. It's nothing against Hopkins; it's more the future of American boxing being in good hands with Pavlik on top. And it's not just American boxing, either. It's boxing, period. Someone's going to have to fill in for all these old guys on their way out, and I can't think of a candidate more suited than Pavlik.

A couple of notes from Dan Rafael of ESPN on upcoming pay-per-views:

Zab Judah WILL fight on November 8 beneath Joe Calzaghe-Roy Jones, and won't be coming back at 140 like some had speculated and many hoped. He'll fight at 147 pounds again, but has officially stated he plans to go down to 140 soon:

"I'm working on my weight," Judah told ESPN.com. "I started at 140 and mentally I know that is where I should be. I'm planning to go back there and dominate. I stay ready. I'll be ready. I'm just here to show my fans I am still dominant and I can put on good fights and give great entertainment."

Judah's opponent is likely to be Ernest "Too Slick" Johnson (18-2-1, 7 KO). What a crummy, waste of time undercard that's going to be.

Abner Mares is off of next weekend's Pavlik-Hopkins undercard, where he was scheduled to fight Luis Melendez in a fight that really could have been pretty exciting. Mares suffered a torn retina this week in training, and underwent surgery. Hey, no phantom injury or B.S. about that. Nothing you can do. These things happen.

Instead of Mares-Melendez, the opening bout of the televised portion of the pay-per-view will be a six-rounder featuring Golden Boy top prospect Daniel Jacobs (10-0, 9 KO) against Indianapolis fighter Jimmy Campbell (11-2, 8 KO). I'll take it. Jacobs is the real deal, and with such short notice, nothing bigger could be expected.

Source: Cleveland Plain-Dealer

According to Joe Maxse of The Cleveland Plain-Dealer, middleweight world champion Kelly Pavlik suffered a bruise on his left elbow about ten days ago while sparring, but trainer Jack Loew says the October 18 pay-per-view bout at a 170-pound catchweight with Bernard Hopkins is still on, and that will not change.

Pavlik is wearing a synthetic sleeve while working out, and did take a few days off of sparring.

Pavlik referred to the injury as "bothersome," while Loew simply stated, "there's nothing you can do" about it.

The gym in Youngstown where Pavlik has trained his entire career is closed to the public as camp winds down. The closer this fight gets, the more genuinely excited I am to see it. Not because I think it'll be a great fight, but because a Pavlik win means a lot to American boxing, and as much as I may dump on watching Hopkins as far as the lack of action goes, when he's at his best it can be a pleasure to watch him ply his trade. I'm wondering how he'll combat the younger, faster, stronger man, and I'm interested to see how Pavlik attacks a fighter as brilliant as Hopkins.

So it's good to know that this won't be another cancelled or delayed affair. There's an injury, it's not severe, it should be healed up in full by fight night, and the show goes on.

A Golden Boy Promotions press release has set in stone the October 18 televised undercard for the Pavlik-Hopkins pay-per-view. Here's what you get for your 50 bones, if you're one of us that sits there and actually watches the undercard. (As an aside, does anyone else know these legitimate boxing fans, guys who do care about the sport, that order PPV and then do not watch a second of the undercard?)

WBO featherweight titlist Steven Luevano (35-1-1, 15 KO) will return to action, making Luevano quite the headlining undercard staple. In his last three fights, he has been in the main undercard spot under Manny Pacquiao fights (Diaz in June, Marquez in March, Barrera last October), and now he gets a chance to show his stuff under Pavlik and Hopkins. Not a bad career, really.

Luevano will face unbeaten Aussie southpaw Billy "The Kid" Dib (21-0, 11 KO), a fighter the Golden Boy PR touts as having "knocked out over half the opponents he has faced," as if this is something truly remarkable. Y'know, there's salesmanship, and then there's not giving the paying boxing fan credit for much intelligence. You ever seen Dib fight? This isn't going to be a close one. Luevano had trouble in a good fight with Mario Santiago, also a lefty, last time out, but Santiago's a legit puncher and a better fighter than Dib.

Top prospect and "NABO bantamweight champion" (there's another load) Abner Mares (17-0, 10 KO) is involved in perhaps the most intriguing undercard fight, as he faces Colombian puncher Luis Melendez (25-3-1, 20 KO), another southpaw. Melendez does not have a single notable career win, but he went 12 rounds with Fernando Montiel before being knocked out last October, which was his last fight. I again caution: Beware Unheralded Colombian Sluggers. Mares is taking a real gamble with this one, even if he should absolutely be a heavy favorite.

The final televised bout will pit middleweight contender Marco Antonio Rubio (42-4-1, 37 KO) against Enrique Ornelas (28-4, 18 KO) in a WBC eliminator. I like that we'll get to see Rubio against a fairly tough opponent on a big card, because should he win, he's a mandatory for Pavlik, and has come up as a potential opponent for Kelly before. What worries me is that this already smells like an end-around. While Pavlik fights Hopkins at 170, there are plans to have him return to middleweight and defend again. Everyone wants Pavlik-Abraham. Pavlik does not need a tune-up for that. It would be a wonderful fight and has serious Fight of the Year-type potential. Both are tough, resilient guys with serious power and overlooked boxing skills. Abraham can be excellent defensively, and I'd love to see how Pavlik combats that, and everyone absolutely overlooks that Pavlik is more than a donkey kick puncher.

But if I'm calling it like I fear I'm seeing it, we're getting treated to Pavlik-Rubio next if Rubio comes away the victor, and that's only splitting hairs difference from Pavlik-Lockett, which was a joke.

All in all, not the best undercard, not the worst. Golden Boy and Top Rank did an OK job trying to line up some action fights (Rubio-Ornelas and Mares-Melendez have fireworks potential) just in case Bernard suckers Kelly into a Bernard Hopkins fight, which isn't something I blame Hopkins for, but rather fear he's still great enough to do. Don't drink the Kool-Aid, Kelly. Punch your heart out.