PAVLIK ROUNDUP | News and notes

Heard it all before: Before the September championship fight, several media outlets played up Kelly Pavlik’s old-school workout regimen — which includes pushing cars, swinging heavy bats and hitting tires — as evidence of his blue-collar work ethic. Reporters also pointed out that his trainer, Jack Loew, has a day job sealing driveways. After losing to Pavlik in September, Jermain Taylor switched trainers (from Emanuel Steward to Ozell Nelson) and now similar stories have been written about Taylor’s training and Nelson’s background. Nelson is a brick-layer from Little Rock, Ark. “Yeah, now you’re seeing stories about what he does for a living,” said Loew. “And now he’s got Jermain pushing cars and hitting tires. How deep are we into his head? He’s changing his workouts. We haven’t changed a thing.” Unlike Pavlik, who is fairly accessible to reporters during workouts, Taylor’s workouts in Las Vegas have been off-limits to reporters. Taylor trained in the Poconos prior to the September fight.

No difference: Earlier this week, Loew and Pavlik reiterated their belief that changing trainers won’t change the way Taylor fights. “He might do something different for a round or two, but he’ll get back to the same bad habits,” said Pavlik. Added Loew, “I don’t think anyone out there is a good fit for Jermain. I think Pat Burns [his first professional trainer] got the best out of him. A rematch is always tough, but Jermain didn’t change between his last few fights. Kelly has progressed since Bronko McKart [in July, 2006]. He’s not getting worse and he’s not staying the same.”

If it ain’t broke: Although he will fight six pounds heavier, Pavlik’s workouts have remained basically the same. His fighting style has brought him success so far, so there’s no need to tinker, Loew said. “We’re still going to come at him and we’re still going to throw a zillion punches,” said Loew. “But we’ve got a few tricks up our sleeves that we’re going to throw at him. ... If we can get him going backward, it’s going to be a pretty normal night of boxing.”

HBO countdown: HBO will present “Countdown to Pavlik-Taylor II,” a 30-minute preview of the fight, at 9:45 p.m., Feb. 9. HBO and HBO2 will replay the show several times leading up to the fight and it will also be available for HBO On Demand customers.

Nice ride: Loew purchased a new Lincoln after earning the September win over Taylor, which he’s enjoyed — when it’s not snowing. “For $43,000, I should be able to drive in the snow,” he said. “It’s nice, though. It’s a smooth ride. But my daughter was ripping on me, saying it’s an old man’s car.”

Super predictions: Earlier in the week, Top Rank boxing sent out a release with Pavlik’s Super Bowl predictions. So, for those interested, Pavlik is picking New England 29-13 and Loew picked the Pats, 24-10. “You can’t bet against Tom Brady,” he said. “He is having a Kelly Pavlik type of season.”

Finally: Pavlik’s friend, trainer John Hutter, has earned the nickname “Back Fat” since Pavlik teased him in an article two weeks ago. Since then, Hutter has argued for something positive in the newspaper. When Pavlik was asked to supply a compliment about Hutter, he smiled and said, “He’s got a nice back.”

Joe Scalzo