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Published: Monday, October 1, 2007

Pavlik said he hopes Youngstown will spring back up, just as he did.

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Pavlik said he hopes Youngstown will spring back up, just as he did.

BY JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — City of Youngstown: This one's for you.

That's how Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik feels after coming off the canvas in the second round to stop defending champion and previously unbeaten Jermain Taylor on a seventh-round TKO to win the world WBC/WBO boxing championship Saturday night in Atlantic City, N.J., and continue undefeated.

"Youngstown was behind me. The fans were behind me. My training and the fans help me to win," said Pavlik during his homecoming in front of his home on Cornell Avenue on the South Side, after returning from the Pittsburgh airport in a loud and colorful motor cavalcade escorted by about 20 police, fire and other city vehicles.

"They were saying at the fight that they never saw such a turnout of fans and such a reaction from the fans for one fighter at a fight in Atlantic City."

Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) recalled that when Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) knocked him down in the second round — because he lowered his left hand and exposed his head to the punch — his intensive training and the cheers of the 5,000 Youngstown fans in the Boardwalk Casino are the forces that drove him on and helped him to recover.

"He hurt me, but I could hear the count and I could hear the fans cheering. My legs were wobbly and giving way. But my training enabled me to survive the round, and then I got to rest in between rounds, and then I went on the attack with my left jab that kept Taylor away from me and gave me more time to recuperate," explained Pavlik, 25, a Lowellville High graduate.

Symbol for Youngstown

The new champ is hoping that his comeback victory over Taylor, 29, of Little Rock, Ark., will serve as a symbol for Youngstown, meaning that if he can bounce back to win, then Youngstown also can do the same thing toward its rebirth as a first-class city.

"But, Youngstown already is on its way back. I hope my win can add to that comeback," said Pavlik, whose battered and swollen black-and-blue face with a black eye and swollen mouth are proof that beating Taylor was no easy task.

And fortunately, he said he didn't have a broken nose as some people had thought.

Pavlik's father and co-manager, Michael Pavlik, agreed that Kelly's training, determination and support from the huge delegation of Youngstown fans in the attendance helped him to overcome adversity to win.

"This proves how much he wanted it. He wasn't going to stay down. That had a lot to do with it," said Michael, pointing out that Kelly's pre-fight training was the most rigorous and intensive that he ever had experienced.

"His training at the Iron Man Gym [under trainers Mark Raseta and Mitch Zupko] had a lot to do with it."

But, emphasized Michael, "The fans were the ultimate inspiration. They all were chanting his name in tune with him. It was like they were all one."

Women behind the champ

Kelly's mother, Debbie, said that she could not watch the fight but instead stayed in her hotel room.

"I'm so proud of him and the community. They got behind him. They get behind people here. Kelly is setting a good example for Youngstown."

Helen Lewis, Debbie's mother, said that Kelly's perseverance is the reason he is champ.

"Determination — that's what helped him. In his mind, he just has to do it," said Helen, 81, who lives on nearby Taft Avenue and invited some of her neighbors in to watch her grandson fight on HBO.

But after Kelly got knocked down in the second round, Helen couldn't watch anymore and sought refuge in the kitchen.

But then, "I came back out in the seventh round because I heard [my neighbors] cheering, and I thought Kelly might win," said Helen, noting that she has five grandsons and that, "Kelly is the one that I least would have expected to be a fighter — because of his personality."

Actually, "I thought he was going to be a comedian myself," said Helen, smiling.

And while Helen waited by herself in the kitchen and Debbie escaped from the rough world of boxing by herself in her hotel room — both hating to see their grandson and son being struck by Taylor — Kelly courageously picked himself up off the canvas, recovered, cleverly regrouped and fought back to take control of the fight.

Good news from the ring

And after Kelly was declared the winner and still in the ring, Michael broke the good news to Debbie. He said he pulled out his cell phone and called Debbie's room, and "I said to her: 'Your son is the world champion,' and I let her listen to the cheers of the crowd through the phone."

And then he said to Debbie, "Listen to this crowd. It is just amazing."

Yes, it was a remarkable night for Kelly, his family, Team Pavlik and Youngstown.

Indeed, it was one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history, achieved by a Youngstown fighter trained by Cardinal Mooney's Jack Loew at the South Side Boxing Club on Erie Street.

kovach@vindy.com

Monday, October 1, 2007

Pavlik said he hopes Youngstown will spring back up, just as he did.

BY JOHN KOVACH

VINDICATOR SPORTS STAFF

YOUNGSTOWN — City of Youngstown: This one's for you.

That's how Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik feels after coming off the canvas in the second round to stop defending champion and previously unbeaten Jermain Taylor on a seventh-round TKO to win the world WBC/WBO boxing championship Saturday night in Atlantic City, N.J., and continue undefeated.

"Youngstown was behind me. The fans were behind me. My training and the fans help me to win," said Pavlik during his homecoming in front of his home on Cornell Avenue on the South Side, after returning from the Pittsburgh airport in a loud and colorful motor cavalcade escorted by about 20 police, fire and other city vehicles.

"They were saying at the fight that they never saw such a turnout of fans and such a reaction from the fans for one fighter at a fight in Atlantic City."

Pavlik (32-0, 29 KOs) recalled that when Taylor (27-1-1, 17 KOs) knocked him down in the second round — because he lowered his left hand and exposed his head to the punch — his intensive training and the cheers of the 5,000 Youngstown fans in the Boardwalk Casino are the forces that drove him on and helped him to recover.

"He hurt me, but I could hear the count and I could hear the fans cheering. My legs were wobbly and giving way. But my training enabled me to survive the round, and then I got to rest in between rounds, and then I went on the attack with my left jab that kept Taylor away from me and gave me more time to recuperate," explained Pavlik, 25, a Lowellville High graduate.

Symbol for Youngstown

The new champ is hoping that his comeback victory over Taylor, 29, of Little Rock, Ark., will serve as a symbol for Youngstown, meaning that if he can bounce back to win, then Youngstown also can do the same thing toward its rebirth as a first-class city.

"But, Youngstown already is on its way back. I hope my win can add to that comeback," said Pavlik, whose battered and swollen black-and-blue face with a black eye and swollen mouth are proof that beating Taylor was no easy task.

And fortunately, he said he didn't have a broken nose as some people had thought.

Pavlik's father and co-manager, Michael Pavlik, agreed that Kelly's training, determination and support from the huge delegation of Youngstown fans in the attendance helped him to overcome adversity to win.

"This proves how much he wanted it. He wasn't going to stay down. That had a lot to do with it," said Michael, pointing out that Kelly's pre-fight training was the most rigorous and intensive that he ever had experienced.

"His training at the Iron Man Gym [under trainers Mark Raseta and Mitch Zupko] had a lot to do with it."

But, emphasized Michael, "The fans were the ultimate inspiration. They all were chanting his name in tune with him. It was like they were all one."

Women behind the champ

Kelly's mother, Debbie, said that she could not watch the fight but instead stayed in her hotel room.

"I'm so proud of him and the community. They got behind him. They get behind people here. Kelly is setting a good example for Youngstown."

Helen Lewis, Debbie's mother, said that Kelly's perseverance is the reason he is champ.

"Determination — that's what helped him. In his mind, he just has to do it," said Helen, 81, who lives on nearby Taft Avenue and invited some of her neighbors in to watch her grandson fight on HBO.

But after Kelly got knocked down in the second round, Helen couldn't watch anymore and sought refuge in the kitchen.

But then, "I came back out in the seventh round because I heard [my neighbors] cheering, and I thought Kelly might win," said Helen, noting that she has five grandsons and that, "Kelly is the one that I least would have expected to be a fighter — because of his personality."

Actually, "I thought he was going to be a comedian myself," said Helen, smiling.

And while Helen waited by herself in the kitchen and Debbie escaped from the rough world of boxing by herself in her hotel room — both hating to see their grandson and son being struck by Taylor — Kelly courageously picked himself up off the canvas, recovered, cleverly regrouped and fought back to take control of the fight.

Good news from the ring

And after Kelly was declared the winner and still in the ring, Michael broke the good news to Debbie. He said he pulled out his cell phone and called Debbie's room, and "I said to her: 'Your son is the world champion,' and I let her listen to the cheers of the crowd through the phone."

And then he said to Debbie, "Listen to this crowd. It is just amazing."

Yes, it was a remarkable night for Kelly, his family, Team Pavlik and Youngstown.

Indeed, it was one of the greatest comebacks in boxing history, achieved by a Youngstown fighter trained by Cardinal Mooney's Jack Loew at the South Side Boxing Club on Erie Street.

kovach@vindy.com

Monday, October 1, 2007
City of Youngstown: This one's for you. That's how Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik feels after coming off the canvas in the...

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