"There's a guy right here, he's a veteran, he's a future Hall of Famer, he's a legend and it will be a great fight for me to go in there and show what I can do. If I can dominate, which no one has done against him, I think that would be a big notch on my belt. I think it's definitely going to be a big W. It could be a late stoppage," stated undisputed middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik as he talked about his eagerly anticipated clash with Bernard Hopkins this saturday. Check out what else he had to say as he talks more about the fight, his preparations leading up to it and how his life and career has changed.

KL: What's the night before a fight like? What's going on?

KP: Concentration. Just keeping your focus. You're still relaxed, you're not worked up, you're not tense. You're havin' a good time, but you're still thinking about the fight. You know you really gotta get down to business, but we like to enjoy the time; break the monotony.

KL: I hear you like to see movies the night before. What did you see before the Lockett fight?

KP: Oh man. You have to give me a minute on that one. It was certainly a comedy...Semi-Pro. It was Semi-Pro with Will Farrell.

KL: I have a feeling you're Christian. I would like to know what, if any, form of religion or spirituality do you adhere to? What is the essence of what you believe in, if anything? How important is God in your life?

KP: Very important. You can always make more time than what there is [for religion]. With the schedule and everything, I use that as an excuse, but I try to attend mass. Me and my wife try to make it every Sunday. He's given me everything. He's given me a beautiful family. The least I can do is show some time to Him.

KL: What are you most looking forward to once you set foot back in Youngstown? What is the first thing you're going to do?

KP: Just hang out with the fam. Get boxing out of my system, spend time with the fam, catch up with my buddies...but spending time with my daughter and my family would be the answer.

KL: What do you typically do to truly enjoy your victory? What do you consciously do differently during the day to unwind and really enjoy what you've accomplished?

KP: You know, fun stuff. I go do my darts. Ping pong. I got a table set up in my basement. It's small though; I ain't got no room to really get goin'. And hanging out with my wife; watch movies. Summer time it's golf. I golf. I love it. I try to golf as much as possible.

KL: Favorite restaurant for a favorite meal?

KP: No, there's all good food in Youngtown. It's hard to find a bad place in Youngstown.

KL: At what moment in your career, professional or amateur, did you realize that, shit, I can really become something in this sport if I give everything. When exactly did this epiphany occur?

KP: Right after the Under 19s and going into the Everlast U.S. Championships. That right there was the show for me. This was in '99. We had to go up against Darnell Wilson the first night. He was actually going for his fourth straight championship and we derailed that (smiles). We beat him on points, but we beat him up pretty good.

KL: When you hit the deck in the Taylor fight, you got up so fast. Looking back, I think that may have been a mistake. You had some free time and didn't take advantage.

KP: Well, my main thing in that fight there was I kept holding on. Everything he did or tried to do, I held on and he couldn't get me out of there. I remember someone sayin' that as long as you can grab or show that you can throw punches back, they're not gonna stop the fight. Well, that's exactly what I did and as the second round went on, I started to get my legs back and eventually I was able to tie him up.

KL: I'm not a judge, but I thought you won every round in that fight but the second round.

KP: I think so. I think I took it to him. That fourth round, I kinda gave it to him a little bit, but the first round I gave myself, the third, the fifth, the sixth and the seventh. Of course I was winning the seventh (smiles).

KL: In a sport dominated by minorities, how does it feel to be white?  How does race play a factor in and out of the ring? 

KP: No. Not at all. It's frustrating sometimes, but once training starts, once the fight starts, once you get in that ring, that's all blown out. You just let that go. I don't let that affect my training or my fight night, but white fighters in the sport are really making a comeback. If you look at the middleweight division and up, the divisions have white champs. [Super Middleweight: Kessler, Bute, Inkin, Light Heavyweight: Calzaghe, Heavyweight: Klitschko brothers, Valuev]

KL: How did you deal with Zertuche's fans last January?

KP: It was weird. It was the first time a crowd was against me. I just came from fighting in my hometown [blitzing Lenord Pierre in Youngstown's Chevrolet Center], so I went from one extreme to another, but I think that was a good test for me there. It was a great experience. But when I left, those fans were cheering for me.

KL: Is Abraham going to fight you or what?

KP: Well, he has that mandatory with Marquez. That would be a great fight to set up.

KL: What about Calzaghe? You think he'll ever fight you?

KP: You know what? I think he'll eventually back himself into a corner and eventually he'll have to fight. I think if he wants to go down in history as one of the greatest fighters, the public's going to demand that.

KL: Style-wise, you are the worst match-up for Hopkins. I love Hopkins. He's very crafty, but he throws few punches and he's in there with the biggest puncher in the middleweight division.

KP: I don't know what he took it for, but for me, it's a great fight. There's no one out there really right now. There's a guy right here, he's a veteran, he's a future Hall of Famer, he's a legend and it will be a great fight for me to go in there and show what I can do. If I can dominate, which no one has done against him, I think that would be a big notch on my belt. I think it's definitely going to be a big W. It could be a late stoppage. Who knows? I think my pace, my volume of punches will be a little too much. Calzaghe did the same thing, but he doesn't really have the power.

KL: As a professional cycling coach, I am very interested in your preparation. I don't want you to give away all your secrets, but can you talk about your peak and taper? What are the different blocks/phases of training, progression-wise, from week 1 to 8?

KP: Yeah, we don't want to hit our peak too early, but we don't want to hit it too late. A week, a week and a half before the fight is what we look for. In sparring, with the running, with Ironman, all that finally comes together. In the training, it all comes together and you finally have a performance that's unbelievable. Right after we hit that peak, we start toning it down. You really have to give your body time to heal so you can give more.

KL: My friends think you have one of the best staredowns in boxing. What do you think? What goes through your head when these press conferences get serious for a moment and you stare into your opponent's eyes?

KP: I don't know. It's just natural. My opponent will stare at me and I'll just stare right back.

KL: It doesn't seem like you're trying to intimidate them. You just kind of look at them with your confidence.

KP: And that's what I have and I'll never change it. Just confidence. Sometimes you can see things in a fighter; read things in their eyes. I do it with a lot of fighters, especially the ones who run their mouth.

KL: What fighter, other than Taylor, has given you the most trouble? Ross Thompson?

KP: With Ross, I dominated that fight. With Ross, he gave me fits because he threw bunches in spurts. He'd be on the ropes, I'd be dominating and then he'd start firing. And I'll tell you what, honestly, one tough fighter is Zertuche. He definitely put up a good fight.

KL: I read you calmed your trainer down before you went out to face those Miranda bombs. For which fight were you the most nervous? The second Taylor bout?

KP: I got a little worked up for the second Taylor fight, but I never get overly nervous. I really don't. But since the first fight was such a good one, that's just human nature there.

KL: What other fight had you edgy?

KP: With Miranda, I was ready to go in there and press it. I knew I had to go in there with guns, with bullets, that was the object, and that's what we did. I just wanted to get going and not lose touch with what we wanted to do.

KL: Jack Loew's son told me you were born for this. A natural dealing with all the pressure. Having said that, if you were not a world-class boxer right now, what other lifestyle could you see yourself living?

KP: Something hands-on, definitely. I don't know exactly what. I took graphic arts in high school. Maybe something in that field too, but I don't know if it would be hands-on enough.

KL: Since the last four or five years, you've grown as a fighter. Outside the ring, how do you think you've grown?

KP: You learn everyday. You can never stop learning no matter how old you get. Time is valuable. I have a daughter and I have another one on the way. I got married. You wanna take business, but you also want to take as much time with your family and it's hard to do everything and you learn how valuable that time is.

KL: In my interview with him, your father said you're a good man then went on to point out you're a good father. How has fatherhood changed you?

KP: Everything changes. It's not about me anymore. Your health, you go and train your butt off, not only because you want to win, but because you want to make sure you're healthy and can be there for your family. Everything I do comes back on my family, my daughter. When she was born...it's hard to explain. She's my heart and the world to me.