The Ghost remains OK with ‘simple life’

By Joe Scalzo

Kelly Pavlik is still working harder than ever to get ready for his June 7 bout with Gary Lockett.

Think Kelly Pavlik hasn’t changed since winning the WBC and WBA world middleweight titles? Think again.

“You didn’t hear?” Pavlik said. “I’ve got three Rolls Royces, three Bentleys, a 7,500 square foot house with gold bathtubs ...”

OK, so maybe his personality hasn’t changed. But his jokes — he certainly wasn’t riffing about a millionaire lifestyle at this time last year — and his image in the boxing world have undergone a significant facelift in just over 12 months.

But while his earnings potential has changed, his spending habits haven’t.

“The simple things keep me happy,” said Pavlik (33-0, 29 KOs), who will make his first title defense June 7 in Atlantic City against No. 1 contender Gary Lockett (30-1, 21 KOs). “I haven’t had anything for 25 years, so I can go without. My main concern is my daughter and her future. My parents taught me that. As long as the kids have, everybody’s happy.

“I don’t need anything fancy. In the morning I’m still going to be drinking coffee, reading the paper. I’m still going to be throwing darts and going to the golf course.”

Pavlik enters next month’s bout as a heavy favorite to win, something that hasn’t been the case in recent fights. He was an underdog against Edison Miranda in May and against Jermain Taylor in September and there were still quite a few doubters before the February rematch with Taylor.

“The only thing that’s changed is people want to talk to me a lot more,” said Pavlik. “Whether I’m fighting a guy who’s’ 0-100 or 5-10, when I’m facing an opponent who’s got a shot at a world title and it’s his first shot, he’s going to be hungry.

“I know I’m going to be in the best shape of my life. This is my first title defense. This means more to me than anything. It means as much as my first fight with Taylor, if not more.”

One thing’s certain — this gig pays a lot more. Pavlik will earn a career-best $2.5 million, while Lockett (who was chosen over four other fighters mainly because of his willingness to fight cheap) will earn $250,000.

In an earlier interview with ESPN.com, Lockett said it was “four or five times what my previous-highest purse earned me.”

For comparison’s sake, Pavlik earned $475,000 for the Miranda fight and $1.05 million for the first Taylor fight.

Pavlik doesn’t necessarily feel like he needs to win by knockout in order to justify his lofty pre-fight status, but he does need to win convincingly, he said.

Lockett’s trainer, Enzo Calzaghe, would settle for less than that.

“We don’t need to win by a lot, we just need to win,” he said. “If we get a win, I’d be a happy guy.

“We’re just happy to have this chance.”

Lockett is the No. 1 contender for Pavlik’s WBO title, but he lacks a marquee victory, partly due to never having fought in the U.S. (all but one bout came in the United Kingdom) and partly due to, well, so-so competition.

Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, said he doesn’t get caught up in the rankings.

“A lot of guys are there who shouldn’t be there and there’s a lot of guys who should be there and aren’t,” said Loew, who has seen a half-dozen Lockett fights on film. “This guy has 30 wins and 21 knockouts. He can fight.

“He’s a technically sound fighter and he was a great amateur fighter. I don’t know if physically he can hold up against Kelly, but as far as ability, this kid can fight.”

Pavlik fought his last bout at the 166-pound “catch weight,” but he said he’s had no problems returning to the 160-pound middleweight limit. He weighed in at 1621‚Ñ2 pounds last week, he said.

“It’s a lot lower [his weight] than we expected it to be,” he said. “I’m eating the same food I did before the first Taylor fight, the Zertuche fight, the Miranda fight. The weight is not an issue.

“I’m always going to have trouble with the last few pounds.”

scalzo@vindy.com