Lockett inspired by Joe

4:22pm Tuesday 29th April 2008

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CWMBRAN'S Gary Lock-ett has vowed to follow in the footsteps of his stablemate Joe Calzaghe and win his debut fight in America.

The Rocket Man takes on middleweight number one Kelly Pavlik in Atlantic City on June 7 for the WBO and WBC world titles.

And although the 31-year-old goes to the States a massive underdog, he possesses the explosive KO power to create a huge upset.

"Joe's win over Bernard Hopkins was an inspiration to me," said Lockett.

"He went to the States and did British boxing proud, and I'll do the same in June. Not many people have heard of me in the US, but once I've beaten Pavlik, I'll be a household name."

Yet confident Lockett realises the size of the task he is up against.

"Obviously Pavlik is a huge name and a very dangerous fighter," he said.

"He's already beaten Jermain Taylor twice, and you have to give him massive respect for that.

"Added to that, he's unbeaten in 33 fights and will be a very, very tough customer.

"He's a puncher like me and I recognise that I'll have to be at my very best to win the fight.

"But I've seen a few weaknesses in Pavlik's style that I believe I can exploit.

"He's been tagged before, and with my power, I've got a great chance of knocking him out."

Lockett has been training hard with Enzo Calzaghe in Newbridge and will be getting some tips from Calzaghe Jnr when he returns from the Caribbean from his post-fight holiday.

The fight will be shown live on Setanta Sports 1