"I hope it puts me at the top and hopefully gives me a chance to fight for a title; maybe like the winner of Martinez/Williams. Maybe set me up in those rankings. That would be a dream of mine and hopefully that's what it comes down to. He's coming off of a loss, and a little break, and I think it's the perfect time for me to fight him. We're looking forward to it. We're getting ready and getting right...I'm going to bring it with all I got. It's going to be a live fight with a lot of action," stated middleweight Brian Vera as he shared his thoughts on his upcoming November 13 clash with former middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik. Check it out!
PC: How is everything going Brian?
BV: Everything has been going good. I'm just getting ready.
PC: How have preparations been going for your fight against Kelly Pavlik on November 13th?
BV: It's going good. We have been getting some good sparring out here in Houston from that Marcus Johnson kid and Alfonso Lopez. That has been our best sparring so far. We're going there and getting work 3 times a week and then we're working here in Austin the rest of the week.
PC: This is like a home fight for you, but Kelly Pavlik is definitely the favorite going in. How are you embracing the underdog role?
BV: I've been there many times. It's a place that I've been in before and I'm ready to get in there and do this. That makes it more fun for me to win (laughing), for my family and all of my people.
PC: You're from nearby in Texas, so what kind of support system are you expecting to have out there?
BV: It's going to be quite a bit I believe. My father lives down in Dallas and all of my mom's side of the family lives there. And of course I'm Mexican, so it's going to be a lot of Mexicans down there. It should be a rowdy crowd man and I'm looking forward to it.
PC: Both of you guys are coming off of losses, so I'm sure the urgency is there for both of you. Any pressures on you taking a fight like this? Where would you like a win to place you?
BV: I hope it puts me at the top and hopefully gives me a chance to fight for a title; maybe like the winner of Martinez/Williams. Maybe set me up in those rankings. That would be a dream of mine and hopefully that's what it comes down to. He's coming off of a loss, and a little break, and I think it's the perfect time for me to fight him. We're looking forward to it. We're getting ready and getting right.
PC: Has this been a full camp for you? I know they were going through some names and I wasn't sure if you had been put on notice to maybe start preparing just in case.
BV: Yeah, they let us know beforehand. Even during the process of going through names, they let us know we were a possibility, so we started getting ready knowing that they may call us and they did, so it worked out perfect. All together, it will be about 2 ½ months of training. That's perfect for me.
PC: What are some of the things that Kelly does in the ring that you feel like you can capitalize on?
BV: He has trouble with movement and things like that. I don't want to give away too much, but we have a good game plan going. We have a lot of respect for him also. He hits hard, he's strong and he has a good right hand. We got some things that we're working on right now to capitalize on that.
PC: You always come to fight, win, lose or draw. Can the fans in Dallas expect nothing less than a great fight from you?
BV: Nothing less man. I'm going to bring it with all I got. It's going to be a live fight with a lot of action.
PC: Anytime you can get on the televised version of a Pacquiao fight, that is a huge opportunity for you. What is it like to have this opportunity fall into your lap?
BV: Like you said, it's a dream man. It's something that I thought would happen eventually, but it just kinda fell into my lap and I'm fortunate man. It's a perfect opportunity for me.
PC: No doubt you are being brought in as an opponent. What would a win over Pavlik mean to you?
BV: It would be a dream come true. I have been working hard man. We all know it's going to happen; everyone in my camp knows that. I have been working hard and I'm ready to do what I gotta do.
PC: I look forward to the fight. I wish you the best of luck. Is there anything you want to say in closing?
BV: I appreciate you taking the time to talk to me. I want to thank all of my family and friends, Austin, Texas and all of Texas. I also gotta thank Top Rank for giving me the opportunity. Be sure to watch the fight on November 13th. I'm going to be ready and I am going to bring it!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]