“A loss has an absolute effect on a fighter, any fighter,” the 28-year-old Mexican told BoxingScene.com, through interpreter Julio Gudino. “Whether he’ll admit it or not, everything is different. And no matter what, it does take a little bit of time to recoup.

“That might be to our advantage on Saturday night.”

Rubio, a former regional champion at 154 pounds, gets his initial crack at world middleweight glory when he meets WBC/WBO champion Pavlik at what figures to be a jam-packed Chevrolet Centre in the incumbent’s Youngstown, Ohio hometown.

The main event shares the spotlight on a two-site Bob Arum pay-per-view production – packaged with a comebacking Miguel Cotto’s try for the vacant WBO welterweight title against British import Michael Jennings.

Cotto hasn’t fought since losing his WBA title and his unblemished record against Antonio Margarito last summer.

Similarly, it’ll be Pavlik’s first appearance since his first setback, a one-sided decision loss to Bernard Hopkins in a catch-weight bout last October in New Jersey.

A heavy betting favorite going in, Pavlik was dominated for nearly every minute of every round against Hopkins, eventually losing by a combined 31 points on three ringside scorecards.

And suddenly, though he didn’t forfeit his middleweight kingpin status, the 34-0 record Pavlik carried in looks a bit different at 34-1.

Rubio is hoping it’ll feel different, too.

“I’m a little more confident and at ease than I would have if our fight had been six months ago,” he said. “It’s not that he’s a worse boxer or anything, but it’s always nice to see a guy’s true weaknesses stand out the way they did against Hopkins.

“I think I learned a lot. It was obvious what his deficiencies were, and it wasn’t just Bernard Hopkins. Now I come into the fight with abilities, too, and he’s going to have to contend with the things I think I know about him.”

In addition, Rubio knows a little something about adversity.

He suffered a since-avenged first defeat in just his seventh pro fight, then rattled off a 22-bout unbeaten streak before a nightmarish 33-second blowout loss to Kofi Jantuah for the WBC’s international super welterweight crown in September 2004.

Ironically, that loss came on the undercard of Hopkins’s knockout of Oscar De La Hoya – a bill also shared by Pavlik, who stopped Carlton Holland in his 22nd pro outing.

Undaunted, Rubio strung together seven more wins before another low point, a four-month stretch that produced losses to Kassim Ouma and Zaurbek Baysangurov in consecutive bouts and convinced the 6-foot-1 right-hander a bigger change was needed.

So, two months and six pounds later – Marco Antonio Rubio, starving super welterweight became Marco Antonio Rubio, comfortable and dangerous middleweight.

“It’s a big difference for me now,” he said. “I don’t have to be stressed out in training camp about how I’m going to lose those last two pounds.

“I can be more relaxed and not concerned with the weight all the time. Instead of spending the last few days drying out to make 154, I can concentrate on my mental approach to get fully ready for a fight.”

So far, the facts back him up. Convincingly.

Nine subsequent fights have yielded nine straight wins, including seven knockouts and one very important split decision – a 12-round verdict over fellow Mexican veteran Enrique Ornelas in a WBC title eliminator on the Hopkins-Pavlik undercard.

As a result, Rubio became a No. 1 contender and a mandatory challenger.

And now, he hopes to add party crasher to his resume as well.

“I think it’s a part of the benefit I have going into this fight,” Rubio said. “I don’t have to worry about being the host and taking care of people. I can concentrate 100 percent on the fight. I love to fight at home, but this might be better for me at this point.”

“We know Kelly Pavlik is the local idol and that we’re going to the fight with no fans. But I’ve fought in other countries and been a visitor many times and his fans that are there this time are going to see me knock him out.”

Rubio left his San Antonio training base Monday for the trip to Youngstown, where he’ll take part in the requisite pre-fight routine before Saturday’s broadcast.

He’ll be the focus of a media workout at Burnside Boxing Club today at noon, sit alongside his foe for a final press conference on Thursday at noon and take the scales for the official weigh-in on Friday at 1 p.m.

Saturday’s PPV show begins at 9 p.m. and carries a suggested retail price tag of $44.95.

The Cotto-Jennings bout is set to hit the ring at 10.

Pavlik-Rubio is slated an hour later.

“At this point, tranquility is rolling in,” Rubio said. “I’m concentrating on relaxation and focusing on the game plan. We’re exactly where we want to be.

“I’m looking forward to the fight. I know we’re both going to land a lot of power shots and my intention is to end it in a knockout so I don’t have to worry about hometown decisions. But one way or another, I plan to win the fight.”