Round by Round: Pavlik v. Hopkins

After a lackluster final undercard fight, we are finally ready for the main event. Before the fighters make their way to the ring, Bunny Sigler sings the national anthem to background music. We are shown Kelly getting stretched and ready. Hopkins is shown putting on his game face.

Pavlik comes out to his usual Korn entrance music. Hopkins comes out second accompanied by the rapper Freeway. The introductions are handled by none other than Michael Buffer. Hopkins and Pavlik are introduced and it's time to fight!

Rd 1: The fighters meet in the center and feel each other out for the first seconds. Hopkins throws the first punch. Hopkins backs Pavlik against the ropes but doesn't land. Hopkins lands a body shot. Pavlik not doing much in the first minute. Hopkins lands a solid right upstairs. Hopkins lands a good combo to the head of Pavlik. Pavlik still not letting his hands go. Hopkins is sticking to technique in round one and landing a good number of punches. Hopkins is beating Pavlik to the punch. Pavlik and Hopkins fight out of a clinch in the last minute. Both fighters swing away at the end of the round.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 2: Hopkins is told to wipe off extra Vaseline at the start of round 2. Hopkins still starts off the action. Pavlik backs up Hopkins now, but Hopkins slips out from against the ropes. Hopkins lands a very strong left hook. Hopkins is throwing really crisp combinations. Hopkins is punching and then moving away from Pavlik's fists. Pavlik grazes a shot off of Hopkins head. A cut opens under the right eye of Pavlik from a vicious uppercut that wobbled him a bit. Pavlik looks like he doesn't know how to handle the more active Hopkins.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 3: Pavlik now looks like he needs to get more acticve and starts off round three swinging. Hopkins slips away. Hopkins is also staying active. Hopkins lands a textbook right hook that twists the neck of Pavlik. Hopkins lands another right hook. Pavlik misses with the right. Hopkins lands another very strong left hook. Pavlik misses with a right and comes into a Hopkins right. Hopkins gets against the ropes but moves away. Hopkins doubles up on the left hook. Hopkins has thrown more punches than Pavlik in the last three rounds.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 4: Hopkins looks to establish his jab early in this round. Hopkins now lands a jab and moves out of the way of Pavlik's straight right hand. Hopkins punches look like they are in fast-forward compared to Pavlik. Hopkins dodges another shot, but Pavlik comes back and lands a left. Hopkins comes in with a good right hook. Pavlik comes forward and throws a punch to the body which gets blocked. Hopkins lands a good left hook. Hopkins throws a flurry to the body and head and lands about half. Hopkins outworks Pavlik again in round four.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 5: Pavlik is starting to be more aggressive and backs Hopkins against the ropes. Hopkins has managed to get away every time. Pavlik lands a stiff jab. Hopkins lands another left hook. Pavlik misses another right hand. Hopkins lands a great right hook while Pavlik comes forward. Pavlik still doesn't have a solution for this Hopkins strategy. Hopkins lands a huge combo as Pavlik comes forward. Hopkins lands another right hand upstairs. Pavlik lands a body shot while Hopkins is against the ropes.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 6: Pavlik lands a good jab to start the round. Hopkins lands a strong left as Pavlik comes in. Pavlik lands a strong body shot. Hopkins is countering but also starting the action. Pavlik gets Hopkins against the ropes, but Hopkins lands a great right hand as Pavlik tries to get something done. Pavlik lands a jab. Hopkins lands a right uppercut. Pavlik starts to work the body. Pavlik is really having trouble landing his hard shots. Hopkins blocks a Pavlik flurry and lands a great left hook.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 7: Pavlik looks like he is starting to take more chances. Hopkins is doing a great job tagging Pavlik as he comes in. Hopkins lands a great right hook. Pavlik misses another right hook. Pavlik keeps getting Hopkins against the ropes but can't connect with anything. The commentators are now saying that Pavlik looks like he is getting tired. Hopkins lands another left hook. Hopkins is toying with Pavlik and waving his hands around, and he rocks Pavlik with huge combos.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 8: Hopkins isn't showing any signs of slowing down as we go into round eight. Hopkins lands an amazing right hand followed by a left. Pavlik misses again. Hopkins lands another good left hook. Hopkins is now getting into a rhythm and letting his hands go. Hopkins lands a good left hand. Pavlik lands a jab. Hopkins gets backed against the ropes but fights out. Pavlik keeps holding and hitting and now gets a point deducted. Hopkins comes right back to land a brilliant combo, and the crowd erupts.

Spartan117: 10-8: Hopkins

Uatu: 10-8 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-8 Hopkins

Rd 9: Hopkins trainer Jack Lowe tells Pavlik to start using the right power shot. Pavlik tells Lowe he can't hit him. Hopkins scores with a good uppercut while Pavlik has him against the ropes. Pavlik is still choosing his punches cautiously. Hopkins lands a left hook and Pavlik hits back with a left. Hopkins lands a great right hand that knocks back the head of Pavlik. Hopkins lands another right hook as Pavlik comes forward. Pavlik still has no answers. Pavlik lands a good right to the body. Now a cut has opened over the eye of Pavlik, undoubtedly from a Hopkins hook. Hopkins now loses a point for holding.

Spartan117: 9-9

Uatu: 10-8 Pavlik

Franchise: 9-9

Rd 10: Pavlik lands a left. Pavlik lands a good left hook, but Hopkins lands a cleaner right as he comes off the ropes. Hopkins lands another fantastic right hook. Pavlik lands a right and Hopkins lands one of his own. Pavlik lands a right hand for the first time in a while. Pavlik is doing a better job of blocking Hopkins' flurries, but most are still getting through. Hopkins lands a shot to the body. Hopkins snaps the head of Pavlik around with a right hook. Hopkins is letting his hands go and most are landing to the head of Pavlik.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Pavlik

Franchise: 10-9 Pavlik

Rd 11: Hopkins gets down to brass tacks and lands a good right hand as Pavlik comes in. Pavlik is trying to land body shots in the clinch. The fighters are locking up more in round 11 and both fighters are punching a lot while they're in there. Pavlik's head is really getting knocked around in the second minute of the round. Hopkins is still doing a great job of getting away from Pavlik's hands.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchise: 10-9 Hopkins

Rd 12: Pavlik really needs to let his hands go in order to win this fight. The crowd starts a "B-Hop" chant. Hopkins destroys Pavlik with a combo to the head and body; Pavlik covers up and throws nothing. Pavlik has his legs back but Hopkins lands another vicious combo. Pavlik clinches to stay alive. Pavlik still isn't throwing the right hand. Hopkins is now landing a huge percentage of punches in the last round. Pavlik's face is a bloody mess, and his legs are wobbly. Pavlik still hasn't landed much of anything down the stretch. Hopkins dominated this fight from the first round and Pavlik gets frustrated and throws after the bell. The fighters are broken up in the middle of the ring.

Spartan117: 10-9 Hopkins

Uatu: 10-9 Hopkins

Franchis: 10-9 Hopkins

Hopkins stares down press row after the fight after beating the odds as a huge underdog.

The judges score it 119-106, 118-108 and 117-109, all for the winner... Bernard "The Executioner" Hopkins.

BoxingWatchers.com final scores:
Spartan117: 119-108 Hopkins

Uatu: 117-109 Hopkins

Franchise: 118-108 Hopkins

Hopkins and Pavlik talk in the center of the ring. Hopkins talks to Pavlik and tells him how to be a better fighter. He also tells him not to let this fight ruin him.

In the post-fight interview, Hopkins says that styles make fights. Hopkins says he studied the tapes and knew how to take Pavlik down. He admits that Pavlik throws hard punches. Hopkins says that he silenced the naysayers and he couldn't be here tonight if he didn't have them. He says he hasn't decided if he will fight again. He also adds that Youngstown should be very proud of Pavlik.

Pavlik says that Hopkins didn't fight like he was old and that he just couldn't get started. He says he doesn't know if the weight mattered, though it very well could have. He says he wasn't tired at all, but he just couldn't handle Hopkins. He says it wasn't him tonight but he's not making any excuses. He states that he will definitely go back to 160 pounds. Pavlik says that Youngstown will still welcome him with open arms.