Trainers’ war of words heats up

By Joe Scalzo

Kelly Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, said he’s willing to bet big on his fighter.

YOUNGSTOWN — If you think Kelly Pavlik’s trainer wasn’t going to respond to Enzo Calzaghe’s “Loew blow,” well, you don’t know Jack.

Calzaghe — who trains Pavlik’s next opponent, Gary Lockett — challenged Loew to place a wager on the June 7 bout, saying, “If he’s so confident in his fighter, then why doesn’t he put his house on Pavlik winning?

“What he’ll tell you is, ‘No way, Jose.’ ”

Loew’s response?

“Whatever he wants to bet on the Lockett fight, I will bet him,” Loew said. “Anything. It’s legal in Atlantic City.

“I want his money.”

The comments were just the latest in what’s become a war of words between the two fighters — and their trainers — leading up to the bout in Atlantic City.

Last month, after watching Calzaghe’s son, Joe, decision 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins, Loew said, “Maybe Enzo can teach Lockett to slap like a girl — just like Joe.”

Calzaghe fired back by comparing resumes.

“I had to go on the Internet because I’d never even heard of this person Jack Loew,” Calzaghe said. “And all I found was that he paves driveways. Well, once Lockett has dealt with Pavlik and Loew is out of boxing then at least he can go back to paving driveways.

“I’ve got no one to answer to. I’ve trained four world champions, I’ve got other champions in my gym. I won trainer of the year in America for 2007.”

Loew wasn’t impressed and said the only reason anyone has heard of Enzo is because of his son Joe, who holds the super middleweight title. Loew also wasn’t impressed with Enzo’s other champions.

“His last champ, Enzo Maccarinelli, was knocked out by David Haye [in the second round in March],” Loew said. “Gavin Rees lost his welterweight title when he was knocked out in the 12th round.

“What the [heck] is he talking about?”

Joe Calzaghe (45-0, 32 KOs), however, has been the super middleweight champion for more than a decade, something Enzo was quick to point out.

“When Pavlik is world champion for 11 years and has made 21 title defenses then I will listen to Loew, but Pavlik hasn’t even held his title for a year yet,” he said. “All I can say is that Joe must slap pretty hard because he’s knocked out 32 of his opponents and been an undefeated world champion for more than a decade. Ask Bernard Hopkins, Jeff Lacy and Mikkel Kessler if Joe Calzaghe slaps.”

Loew again wasn’t impressed and said Calzaghe has benefited from fighting inferior competition.

“He’s knocked out 32 opponents, but 32 what, though?” Loew said. “The only thing he’s done is expose Jeff Lacy, which would have happened anyway. As far as Bernard Hopkins, he was a 43-year-old man.

“This guy is attacking me and he’s got nothing on his plate. If Manny Steward did it, it’s different. He’s trained 100 world champions. This guy has three and two just got knocked out.”

Loew said he was open to a Pavlik-Calzaghe fight in the near future.

“We’re willing to move up to super middleweight,” said Loew. “It might be next year, it might be in October. Who knows? It might be our next fight.

“We’re open to anything.”

As for Pavlik, Enzo gave him credit for beating Jermain Taylor twice, but said he has “not seen anything from Kelly Pavlik whatsoever that worries me. He’s a good fighter but he’s mechanical. It’s the same thing, same thing, same thing all the time.”

Loew seemed to enjoy those comments most of all.

“Everybody who has talked junk, Kelly has destroyed them,” said Loew. “They got the worse [butt]-whupping of their lives.

“We’re giving this guy the opportunity of a lifetime. We could have bypassed him and chased a money fight, but he deserved a shot and Kelly wanted to give him a shot. Now he and his trainer are shooting their mouths off.”

Stay tuned. The talk isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, especially since it’ll serve to create interest in the fight.

“If it puts more people in the stands, great,” Loew said. “I’m not trying to be disrespectful or rude. I’m just responding. And if I can throw a jab in there, I’m happy to do it.”

scalzo@vindy.com