In October 2005, he defeated Fulgencio Zúñiga by knockout. In the first round, Zúñiga knocked down Pavlik.
July 27 Kelly Pavlik - Bronco McCart
January 27 Kelly Pavlik - Jose Luis Zertuche
May 19 Kelly Pavlik - Edison Miranda
September 29 Jermaine Taylor - Kelly Pavlik
February 16 Kelly Pavlik - Jermaine Taylor (2nd fight)
Write a review of the article "Pavlik, Kelly"
Notes
Links
- (English)
Excerpt characterizing Pavlik, Kelly
Two months passed after receiving news in Bald Mountains about the Battle of Austerlitz and the death of Prince Andrei, and despite all the letters through the embassy and all the searches, his body was not found, and he was not among the prisoners. The worst thing for his relatives was that there was still hope that he had been raised by the inhabitants on the battlefield, and perhaps was lying recovering or dying somewhere alone, among strangers, and unable to give news of himself. In the newspapers, from which the old prince first learned about the defeat of Austerlitz, it was written, as always, very briefly and vaguely, that the Russians, after brilliant battles, had to retreat and carried out the retreat in perfect order. The old prince understood from this official news that ours were defeated. A week after the newspaper brought news of the Battle of Austerlitz, a letter arrived from Kutuzov, who informed the prince of the fate that befell his son.“Your son, in my eyes,” wrote Kutuzov, with a banner in his hands, in front of the regiment, fell as a hero worthy of his father and his fatherland. To my general regret and that of the entire army, it is still unknown whether he is alive or not. I flatter myself and you with hope that your son is alive, for otherwise he would have been named among the officers found on the battlefield, about whom the list was given to me through the envoys.”
Having received this news late in the evening, when he was alone. in his office, the old prince, as usual, went for his morning walk the next day; but he was silent with the clerk, the gardener and the architect, and, although he looked angry, he did not say anything to anyone.
When, at ordinary times, Princess Marya came to him, he stood at the machine and sharpened, but, as usual, did not look back at her.
- A! Princess Marya! - he suddenly said unnaturally and threw the chisel. (The wheel was still spinning from its swing. Princess Marya long remembered this fading creaking of the wheel, which for her merged with what followed.)
Princess Marya moved towards him, saw his face, and something suddenly sank within her. Her eyes stopped seeing clearly. She saw from her father’s face, not sad, not murdered, but angry and unnaturally working on himself, that a terrible misfortune hung over her and would crush her, the worst in her life, a misfortune she had not yet experienced, an irreparable, incomprehensible misfortune. , the death of someone you love.
- Mon pere! Andre? [Father! Andrei?] - Said the ungraceful, awkward princess with such an inexpressible charm of sadness and self-forgetfulness that her father could not stand her gaze and turned away, sobbing.
- Got the news. None among the prisoners, none among the killed. Kutuzov writes,” he shouted shrilly, as if wanting to drive the princess away with this cry, “he has been killed!”
The princess did not fall, she did not feel faint. She was already pale, but when she heard these words, her face changed, and something shone in her radiant, beautiful eyes. It was as if joy, the highest joy, independent of the sorrows and joys of this world, spread beyond the intense sadness that was in her. She forgot all her fear of her father, walked up to him, took his hand, pulled him towards her and hugged his dry, sinewy neck.
“Mon pere,” she said. “Don’t turn away from me, we’ll cry together.”
- Scoundrels, scoundrels! – the old man shouted, moving his face away from her. - Destroy the army, destroy the people! For what? Go, go, tell Lisa. “The princess sank helplessly into a chair next to her father and began to cry. She now saw her brother at that moment as he said goodbye to her and Lisa, with his gentle and at the same time arrogant look. She saw him at that moment, how he tenderly and mockingly put the icon on himself. “Did he believe? Did he repent of his unbelief? Is he there now? Is it there, in the abode of eternal peace and bliss?” she thought.
- Mon pere, [Father,] tell me how it was? – she asked through tears.
- Go, go, killed in the battle in which they were ordered to kill the Russians the best people and Russian glory. Go, Princess Marya. Go and tell Lisa. I will come.
When Princess Marya returned from her father, the little princess was sitting at work, and with that special expression of an inner and happily calm look, characteristic only of pregnant women, she looked at Princess Marya. It was clear that her eyes did not see Princess Marya, but looked deep into herself - into something happy and mysterious happening within her.
“Marie,” she said, moving away from the hoop and waddling back, “give me your hand here.” “She took the princess’s hand and placed it on her stomach.
Her eyes smiled expectantly, her sponge with mustache rose, and childishly happily remained raised.
Princess Marya knelt in front of her and hid her face in the folds of her daughter-in-law's dress.
- Here, here - do you hear? It's so strange to me. And you know, Marie, I will love him very much,” said Lisa, looking at her sister-in-law with sparkling, happy eyes. Princess Marya could not raise her head: she was crying.
- What's wrong with you, Masha?
“Nothing... I felt so sad... sad about Andrei,” she said, wiping her tears on her daughter-in-law’s knees. Several times throughout the morning, Princess Marya began to prepare her daughter-in-law, and each time she began to cry. These tears, the reason for which the little princess did not understand, alarmed her, no matter how little observant she was. She didn’t say anything, but looked around restlessly, looking for something. Before dinner, the old prince, whom she had always been afraid of, entered her room, now with a particularly restless, angry face and, without saying a word, left. She looked at Princess Marya, then thought with that expression in her eyes of attention directed inward that pregnant women have, and suddenly began to cry.
– Did you receive anything from Andrey? - she said.
- No, you know that the news could not come yet, but mon pere is worried, and I’m scared.
- Oh nothing?
“Nothing,” said Princess Marya, looking firmly at her daughter-in-law with radiant eyes. She decided not to tell her and persuaded her father to hide the receipt of terrible news from her daughter-in-law until her permission, which was supposed to be the other day. Princess Marya and the old prince, each in their own way, wore and hid their grief. The old prince did not want to hope: he decided that Prince Andrei had been killed, and despite the fact that he sent an official to Austria to look for his son’s trace, he ordered a monument to him in Moscow, which he intended to erect in his garden, and told everyone that his son was killed. He tried to lead his previous lifestyle without changing, but his strength failed him: he walked less, ate less, slept less, and became weaker every day. Princess Marya hoped. She prayed for her brother as if he were alive and waited every minute for news of his return.
“Ma bonne amie, [My good friend,”] said the little princess on the morning of March 19th after breakfast, and her sponge with mustache rose according to an old habit; but just as in all not only smiles, but the sounds of speeches, even the gaits in this house since the day the terrible news was received, there was sadness, so now the smile of the little princess, who succumbed to the general mood, although she did not know its reason, was such that she reminded me even more of general sadness.
- Ma bonne amie, je crains que le fruschtique (comme dit Foka - the cook) de ce matin ne m "aie pas fait du mal. [My friend, I'm afraid that the current frishtik (as the cook Foka calls it) will make me feel bad. ]
– What’s wrong with you, my soul? You're pale. “Oh, you are very pale,” said Princess Marya in fear, running up to her daughter-in-law with her heavy, soft steps.
- Your Excellency, should I send for Marya Bogdanovna? - said one of the maids who was here. (Marya Bogdanovna was a midwife from a district town who had been living in Bald Mountains for another week.)
“And indeed,” Princess Marya picked up, “perhaps for sure.” I will go. Courage, mon ange! [Don't be afraid, my angel.] She kissed Lisa and wanted to leave the room.
- Oh, no, no! - And besides the pallor, the little princess’s face expressed a childish fear of inevitable physical suffering.
- Non, c"est l"estomac... dites que c"est l"estomac, dites, Marie, dites..., [No, this is the stomach... tell me, Masha, that this is the stomach...] - and the princess began to cry childishly, painfully, capriciously and even somewhat feignedly, wringing his little hands. The princess ran out of the room after Marya Bogdanovna.
- Mon Dieu! Mon Dieu! [My God! Oh my God!] Oh! – she heard behind her.
Rubbing her plump, small, white hands, the midwife was already walking towards her, with a significantly calm face.
- Marya Bogdanovna! It seems it has begun,” said Princess Marya, looking at her grandmother with frightened, open eyes.
“Well, thank God, princess,” said Marya Bogdanovna without increasing her pace. “You girls shouldn’t know about this.”
- But how come the doctor hasn’t arrived from Moscow yet? - said the princess. (At the request of Lisa and Prince Andrey, an obstetrician was sent to Moscow on time, and he was expected every minute.)
“It’s okay, princess, don’t worry,” said Marya Bogdanovna, “and without the doctor everything will be fine.”
Five minutes later, the princess heard from her room that they were carrying something heavy. She looked out - the waiters were carrying a leather sofa that was in Prince Andrei's office into the bedroom for some reason. There was something solemn and quiet on the faces of the people carrying them.
Princess Marya sat alone in her room, listening to the sounds of the house, occasionally opening the door when they passed by, and looking closely at what was happening in the corridor. Several women walked in and out with quiet steps, looked at the princess and turned away from her. She did not dare to ask, she closed the door, returned to her room, and then sat down in her chair, then took up her prayer book, then knelt down in front of the icon case. Unfortunately and to her surprise, she felt that prayer did not calm her anxiety. Suddenly the door of her room quietly opened and her old nanny Praskovya Savishna, tied with a scarf, appeared on the threshold; almost never, due to the prince’s prohibition, did not enter her room.
“I came to sit with you, Mashenka,” said the nanny, “but I brought the prince’s wedding candles to light in front of the saint, my angel,” she said with a sigh.
- Oh, I'm so glad, nanny.
- God is merciful, my dear. - The nanny lit candles entwined with gold in front of the icon case and sat down with the stocking by the door. Princess Marya took the book and began to read. Only when steps or voices were heard, the princess looked at each other in fear, questioningly, and the nanny. In all parts of the house the same feeling that Princess Marya experienced while sitting in her room was poured out and possessed everyone. According to the belief that the fewer people know about the suffering of a woman in labor, the less she suffers, everyone tried to pretend not to know; no one spoke about this, but in all the people, in addition to the usual sedateness and respect for good manners that reigned in the prince’s house, one could see one common concern, a softness of heart and an awareness of something great, incomprehensible, taking place at that moment.
Youngstown
Youngstown is not on the list of places where people dream of living. This is a city in Ohio mired in poverty and crime. In 2011, the Brookings Institution found that of 100 urban communities, Youngstown had the highest percentage of residents living in abject poverty.
Youngstown was home to an iron and steel mill, and on Black Friday, September 19, 1977, the city plunged into chaos. In the late 1970s, 50,000 jobs in the steel industry were eliminated. And society was never able to recover from this, the population decreased by 100,000 people. The city became a scene of crime, especially gang violence, and it became known as “Little Detroit.” Chris Hedges described the city as an abandoned ruin, mired in crime. They say that a person absorbs the spirit of his city. IN Good times was such a person Kelly Pavlik nicknamed "Ghost".
Kelly Pavlik in her hometown
Kelly was a man loving people. He was a tough boxer, a white collar boxer, as expected from his town. Unassuming and unglamorous, he was not very strong, but he was a real hard worker, using all the talent he had. Speed and technique were not his strong points. His most best fights were against Jermaine Taylor. The undefeated unified and lineal middleweight champion was the overwhelming favorite going into the bout in Atlantic City. A 10th of the population of Youngstown went to watch their hero box.
Kelly Pavlik – Germaine Taylor
Taylor immediately began to dominate, knocking down Pavlik in the second round. Taylor won that round, as he constantly struck Pavlik with powerful blows and, according to Pavlik himself, “hit like a mule.” Referee, striking specialist, Steve Smooger decided not to stop the fight. A strong start to the fight gave Taylor a solid lead on points.
Kelly Pavlik – Germaine Taylor I (video)
The fight looked classic, with each boxer entering the ring to fight. It all ended in the 7th round. As Taylor threw a jab, Pavlik countered with a powerful right hand that stunned Taylor. Pavlik took advantage of this and unleashed a flurry of strong blows on Taylor, and the uppercut did its job. This time the referee stopped the fight, and Pavlik became the champion. The rematch was a more tactical fight; Pavlik worked with powerful straight punches, and Taylor used sharp flashes and breakthroughs. Pavlik won by decision, landing almost twice as many strikes. The guy from Youngstown was on top of the world.
Kelly Pavlik – Bernard Hopkins
It is known what they say about those who fall from the heights. Pavlik defended his title against Loket before looking for bigger fights. Joe Calzaghe was one of the possible opponents, but Pavlik chose the 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins, a cunning and experienced boxer who just recently lost to Calzaghe. Pavlik needed to gain 4.5 kg, and Hopkins needed to lose 2.5. At the time, Pavlik was in the pound-for-pound top 10, and Hopkins was at the bottom of all lists. Kelly was a sensational boxer, but he always had Plan A. He moved forward and stunned his opponents. At first training process Bernand stated: "This guy is so fundamental that if I can't beat him, I'll quit the sport." In the later part of his career, Hopkins was incredible at stripping his opponents of their weapons and seeing if they had anything else in stock.
Kelly Pavlik - Bernard Hopkins (video)
Hopkins was a true virtuoso, and in his 5th decade he performed better than at the beginning of his career. He was precise and aggressive, while Kelly was slow and worked out. He had his own reasons - during the week of the fight he was treated for bronchitis, and his father later said that Pavlik regretted that he did not survive the fight. In addition, Pavlik was 4.5 kg lighter than Hopinkins. He was still the world middleweight champion.
He first defended his title against Marco Antonio Rubio. The powerful Mexican was no match for Pavlik, who stunned him with his power. Rubio's corner forced a stoppage in the 9th round. Pavlik performed impressively, but Rubio was simply made for him. Then he agreed to fight with Sergio Moroi, but while playing basketball in March, he cut a knuckle on his hand, and instead of blood, a colorless liquid came out of it. Kelly was diagnosed with a staph infection. The middle of his left hand was so swollen that he could not even put on a glove. Despite this, it was decided to defend the title against Paul Williams, one of the most shunned people in boxing, in early December. Antibiotics did not control the infection, and when Kelly returned, he was found to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. During the treatment, he developed an allergy to the drugs and had to undergo intravenous therapy. His heart rate increased to 150 beats per minute and he turned red-purple. Pavlik doesn't remember that day, but doctors told him it was the worst allergic reaction they had ever seen. He was forced to pull out of the Williams fight, but was instead given a fight with Sergio Martinez. To retain his titles, he fought in late December, stopping Miguel Espin O. His unexpected ability to fight with his left entertained fans, but missed doctor's appointments made fans question his attitude.
Kelly Pavlik – Sergio Martins
Rumors of a lack of motivation and a minor drinking problem had tarnished Kelly's image, and he knew he needed to set the record straight. The choice fell on Sergio Martins who he just defeated Paul Williams majority decision. Martinez started the fight quickly, throwing jabs and strong blows with his left hand to immediately stop Pavlik’s activity.
Kelly Pavlik – Sergio Martins (video)
Pavlik came to his senses only in the 5th round. It's like he's worked left pillar and sent Martinez to the canvas with a short right uppercut. Martinez did not give up and already in the 9th round he left Pavlik with a cut above his right eye. He dominated the rest of the fight and won unanimously. By the end of the battle, Pavlik could see almost nothing.
After this, Pavlik decided to move up to second middleweight and meet with Brian Vera. A rib injury led to the cancellation of the fight, and Kelly went to a rehab center to be treated for alcohol addiction.
According to his coach, Jack Loe, after the injury he disappeared and then showed up at a rehabilitation center. It turned out that he had already begun treatment for alcohol addiction, but did not finish. This time there were long conversations with my wife. His father and coach regretted believing Kelly when he said he wasn't addicted. After all, the most important thing is to admit that there is an addiction. Pavlik eventually admitted this, but it was too late. He understood that it would not be 2-3 weeks, but 10-12 weeks. This time, Pavlik completed rehab and after three months told Chris Mannix he was fine. However, members of his inner circle tell a different story.
Returning to boxing, he won Alfonso Lopez. The performance was mediocre and Lopez made him look slow. His power bore fruit, but by the end of the fight the combinations turned into single blows. Pavlik spoke about his desire to meet with Lucian Bute. And Showtime agreed to sign a contract in which he first had to meet with Darryl Cunningham, and then with Lucian Bute. A week before the fight, Kelly refused to fight. Since his loss to Martinez, this was the 5th fight he's pulled out of, and it's a stark contrast to how he started his career. Pavlik said that he refused to fight a left-hander for pennies. Tott du Boeve, the president of Top Rank, was furious. And then Kelly decided to change his life and move to California, under the wing of Robert Garcia. Kelly returned to the ring in March, defeating a superior Aaron Jaco in the second round. Then he won Scott Sigmon And Willa Rosinski. These victories gave him a chance to meet the light heavyweight champion Andre Ward. This fight was canceled when Ward injured his shoulder. And Pavlik decided to leave the sport in order to maintain his health. He had suffered from seizures for a long time and decided that he could not make his family suffer.
Arrest of Kelly Pavlik
After this, many hoped that Kelly would be able to stay off the front pages. But less than a year later, the boxer was arrested when he refused to pay $25 for a taxi ride. In the dock, he lost consciousness and began having a seizure. He was convicted. A couple of years later he was arrested again, this time for an assault at a Foo Fighters concert. Accounts of the events vary as it is unclear whether he was drunk. The latest information is that Kelly was sentenced to 180 days in prison for assault with a traumatic weapon.
After being the hero and savior of Youngstown at the peak of his career when he defeated Taylor, Kelly Pavlik quickly fell to rock bottom. When everything was going well, everyone believed that Kelly was worthy of representing their city, since he represented the best that it had.
Kelly Pavlik
Perhaps everyone has forgotten too quickly that Kelly can represent the worst aspects of the city. When he became champion, Kelly was treated like a king and may have hurt him. When he finally made it out of Ohio, it was too late. The life he had led had caught up with him. But while everything was fine, he was a savior. Ohio's white hope, he climbed the pound-for-pound rankings, which took courage and hard work. He was a true working class hero, and for a time he lived his dream and everyone else's dream. He brought hope to those who no longer had it. Once written off as a ghost town, Youngstown enjoyed Kelly's time at his best. Despite the sad ending to Pavlik's story, one can hope that he inspired enough people to make it worthwhile.
Kelly Pavlik. Best video)
, the best from Kolesnikov
Photo: chron.com, HBO.com, toprank.com, realcavsfans.com(40-2, 34 KOs) decided to end his boxing career. According to Pavlik, the reason for his retirement from boxing is a lack of motivation and concerns about his health in the future.
“When you have been in sports for many years, sooner or later you develop health problems,” espn.go.com quotes Pavlik. — For me, the issue of health is very important. This is not a joke. Today you feel good, but how you will feel after some time is unknown. You know, I think about what will happen to me at the age of 55-60 years. How will I feel? What will happen to me? We need to think about the future. Why take another risk and put your health in danger? Especially in such a brutal sport as boxing...
I was a world champion, I won a title, I defended a title. I was the world champion for three years and I made enough money. Should I continue to ruin my health? Personally, I don't want to do this. And, besides, I no longer feel the former drive in myself. He is no more. There is no proper motivation. A new chapter begins in my life."
Let us remind you that on March 2, Pavlik was supposed to fight against the WBC champion and WBA super champion in super middleweight (26-0, 14 KO), but the fight was Ward - Pavlik.
“My professional boxing career lasted 13 years, and I started boxing at the age of 9. When you have a fight planned and when you start preparing for it, then during the training process you are forced to move away from your family, your relatives. When I started preparing for a fight, I had to leave my family for 2-3 months and all this time you don’t see them and you miss them. I'm tired of this. I don't want to be away from my family anymore. I just don't want to do this anymore. When my fight against Andre Ward was canceled, I finally decided that for me, at this stage, health and family are much more important, especially when I don’t have a significant fight in the near future.”
"Behind me successful career. I'm pleased with her. My track record is 40 wins and 2 losses. I suffered these 2 defeats in battles with one of best boxers world - Bernard Hopkins and Sergio Martinez. I repeat, I am completely and completely satisfied with my career. I didn’t lose by a brutal knockout, I didn’t suffer such a crushing defeat as, say, in a fight against. Physically I feel good. But like I said, why continue to put your health at great risk? You need to stop in time. I've had a lot of tough fights. I've been knocked down a few times, like against Jermain Taylor, and I've also been on the floor in a few fights early in my career. I missed a lot of shots. Missed blows do not pass without a trace. All this affects health in one way or another. This does not go unnoticed. All this is fraught with consequences: Parkinson's disease, brain hemorrhages... When all this happens... What is all this for? I don't want to get myself into a bad state. There is no more fire in me, no motivation. Well, for now, today, I feel good. And I'm glad about it.
As I said, a new chapter is beginning in my life. In the future I plan to open gym in my hometown of Youngstown. Also, I have my own business. I'm in the retail space rental business... When the fight against Andre Ward was cancelled... I think it was for the best. At first, when I was first offered this fight, I agreed. I was slowly losing interest in boxing, but when I was offered a fight with Ward, it seemed that my motivation reappeared. However, then, when the fight was cancelled, I finally decided that enough was enough. I'm ending my career. My parents and my wife Samantha supported me. Over the past 2-3 years, Samantha has raised the topic of my retirement from boxing. She was worried about my health, worried that nothing would happen to me. Therefore, my decision is clear. Boxing is over, now I'm starting new life. I know that people always say that I am an alcoholic, a drunkard, etc. Listen, all these rumors about my addiction to alcohol and so on are nonsense! I'm not an alcoholic. Yes, now that I have announced my retirement, people will start saying that, “he’s a drunkard, he’s already drunk or will get drunk,” well, something like that... I’m fine. I'm not going to drink myself to death. To be honest, I don’t like all this talk about me, all this negativity, all this dirt that they throw at me... But, on the other hand, let them say whatever they want. I don't care at all.
I'm pleased with my achievements. But, at this stage, I have exhausted myself. Will I return to the ring? I can't say for sure, I can't rule it out. But today, I have made a firm decision.”
Note that Kelly and his wife Samantha are raising two children - 6-year-old daughter Sydney and 4-year-old son Kelly Jr.
Based on materials from espn.go.com
Date: 2012-10-22
American professional boxer Kelly Robert Pavlik was born on April 4, 1982, in Youngstown, Ohio (USA). He started boxing at a local gym with Jack Loew, under whose guidance he trains to this day. Already in the amateur ring he showed himself to be a promising fighter. Among juniors in the weight of 66 kg in 1998 he won the national Golden Gloves tournament. He was the US champion among boxers under 19 years of age. He had his first fight in the professional ring in June 2000, winning in the third round by technical knockout over the Surinamese fighter Eric Benito Tsamba. Kelly's career developed rapidly. By 2005, he had 26 victories in 26 fights. Of these, 23 finished ahead of schedule.
And already in October 2005 he won the vacant NABF middleweight title. Fulgencio Zuniga was defeated by technical knockout in the ninth round. Having defeated Colombian fighter Edison Miranda by technical knockout in the seventh round in the spring of 2007, Pavlik becomes the mandatory challenger for the WBC middleweight title against American boxer Jermaine Taylor, biography. This fight took place in September 2007 in Atlantic City. The favorite of this fight, according to analysts, was Taylor. Having not lost a single fight out of 27 in the ring at this point, he still held the WBO title. At the beginning of the battle, everything was like that. In the second round, Pavlik was knocked down, but managed to recover. Showing her fighting qualities, Kelly last minute in the seventh round he won ahead of schedule.
Taylor had the right to a rematch. The fight took place in February 2008. This time the fight lasted all twelve rounds, as a result of which Kelly Pavlik won by unanimous decision. In June 2008, Pavlik defended his WBO title, defeating mandatory challenger Englishman Gary Lockett by technical knockout in the third round. In October 2008, a fight took place between Pavlik and the former absolute champion middleweight 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins - . Intermediate weight category(up to 77.11 kg). The fight lasted twelve rounds. All judges gave preference to Hopkins. Kelly Pavlik's first defeat.
On February 25, 2009, Pavlik defeated Marco Antonio Rubio. In the first rounds, the boxers sought to seize the initiative of the fight. However, Kelly attacked more actively and more accurately, actively using his jab. In subsequent rounds, Pavlik pinned his opponent in a corner, where he delivered strong blows to the body and head. After the ninth round, the Mexican refused to continue the fight. Next fight was supposed to take place on June 27 of the same year, but Kelly injured his hand and the fight was canceled. On this moment Kelly Pavlik has some problems with alcohol. The boxer's relatives say that this clearly began to manifest itself in 2007. After winning the championship title. In 2011, Kelly decided to undergo treatment for alcohol addiction. Relatives and fans of the boxer hope that Kelly Pavlik will find the strength to get rid of the addiction and successfully return to the ring.
Youngstown
Youngstown is not on the list of places where people dream of living. This is a city in Ohio mired in poverty and crime. In 2011, the Brookings Institution found that of 100 urban communities, Youngstown had the highest percentage of residents living in abject poverty.
Youngstown was home to an iron and steel mill, and on Black Friday, September 19, 1977, the city plunged into chaos. In the late 1970s, 50,000 jobs in the steel industry were eliminated. And society was never able to recover from this, the population decreased by 100,000 people. The city became a scene of crime, especially gang violence, and it became known as “Little Detroit.” Chris Hedges described the city as an abandoned ruin, mired in crime. They say that a person absorbs the spirit of his city. In good times he was such a person Kelly Pavlik nicknamed "Ghost".
Kelly Pavlik in her hometown
Kelly was a man who loved people. He was a tough boxer, a white collar boxer, as expected from his town. Unassuming and unglamorous, he was not very strong, but he was a real hard worker, using all the talent he had. Speed and technique were not his strong points. His best fights were against Jermaine Taylor. The undefeated unified and lineal middleweight champion was the overwhelming favorite going into the bout in Atlantic City. A 10th of the population of Youngstown went to watch their hero box.
Kelly Pavlik - Jermaine Taylor
Taylor immediately began to dominate, knocking down Pavlik in the second round. Taylor won that round, as he constantly struck Pavlik with powerful blows and, according to Pavlik himself, “hit like a mule.” Referee, striking specialist, Steve Smooger decided not to stop the fight. A strong start to the fight gave Taylor a solid lead on points.
Kelly Pavlik - Germaine Taylor I (video)
The fight looked classic, with each boxer entering the ring to fight. It all ended in the 7th round. As Taylor threw a jab, Pavlik countered with a powerful right hand that stunned Taylor. Pavlik took advantage of this and unleashed a flurry of strong blows on Taylor, and the uppercut did its job. This time the referee stopped the fight, and Pavlik became the champion. The rematch was a more tactical fight; Pavlik worked with powerful straight punches, and Taylor used sharp flashes and breakthroughs. Pavlik won by decision, landing almost twice as many strikes. The guy from Youngstown was on top of the world.
Ellie Pavlik - Bernard Hopkins
It is known what they say about those who fall from the heights. Pavlik defended his title against Loket before looking for bigger fights. Joe Calzaghe was one of the possible opponents, but Pavlik chose the 43-year-old Bernard Hopkins, a cunning and experienced boxer who just recently lost to Calzaghe. Pavlik needed to gain 4.5 kg, and Hopkins needed to lose 2.5. At the time, Pavlik was in the pound-for-pound top 10, and Hopkins was at the bottom of all lists. Kelly was a sensational boxer, but he always had Plan A. He moved forward and stunned his opponents. At the beginning of the training process, Bernand said: “This guy is so fundamental that if I can’t beat him, I’ll quit the sport.” In the later part of his career, Hopkins was incredible at stripping his opponents of their weapons and seeing if they had anything else in stock.
Kelly Pavlik - Bernard Hopkins (video)
Hopkins was a true virtuoso, and in his 5th decade he performed better than at the beginning of his career. He was precise and aggressive, while Kelly was slow and worked out. He had his own reasons - during the week of the fight he was being treated for bronchitis, and his father later said that Pavlik regretted that he did not survive the fight. In addition, Pavlik was 4.5 kg lighter than Hopinkins. He was still the world middleweight champion.
He first defended his title against Marco Antonio Rubio. The powerful Mexican was no match for Pavlik, who stunned him with his power. Rubio's corner forced a stoppage in the 9th round. Pavlik performed impressively, but Rubio was simply made for him. Then he agreed to fight with Sergio Moroi, but while playing basketball in March, he cut a knuckle on his hand, and instead of blood, a colorless liquid came out of it. Kelly was diagnosed with a staph infection. The middle of his left hand was so swollen that he could not even put on a glove. Despite this, it was decided to defend the title against Paul Williams, one of the most shunned people in boxing, in early December. Antibiotics did not control the infection, and when Kelly returned, he was found to have methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus. During the treatment, he developed an allergy to the drugs and had to undergo intravenous therapy. His heart rate increased to 150 beats per minute and he turned red-purple. Pavlik doesn't remember that day, but doctors told him it was the worst allergic reaction they had ever seen. He was forced to pull out of the Williams fight, but was instead given a fight with Sergio Martinez. To retain his titles, he fought in late December, stopping Miguel Espin O. His unexpected ability to fight with his left entertained fans, but missed doctor's appointments made fans question his attitude.
Kelly Pavlik - Sergio Martins
Rumors of a lack of motivation and a minor drinking problem had tarnished Kelly's image, and he knew he needed to set the record straight. The choice fell on Sergio Martins who he just defeated Paul Williams majority decision. Martinez started the fight quickly, throwing jabs and strong left hands to immediately shut down Pavlik's activity.
Kelly Pavlik - Sergio Martins (video)
Pavlik came to his senses only in the 5th round. He seemed to work his left stance and sent Martinez to the canvas with a short right uppercut. Martinez did not give up and already in the 9th round he left Pavlik with a cut above his right eye. He dominated the rest of the fight and won unanimously. By the end of the battle, Pavlik could see almost nothing.
After this, Pavlik decided to move up to second middleweight and meet with Brian Vera. A rib injury led to the cancellation of the fight, and Kelly went to a rehab center to be treated for alcohol addiction.
According to his coach, Jack Loe, after the injury he disappeared and then showed up at a rehabilitation center. It turned out that he had already begun treatment for alcohol addiction, but did not finish. This time there were long conversations with my wife. His father and coach regretted believing Kelly when he said he wasn't addicted. After all, the most important thing is to admit that there is an addiction. Pavlik eventually admitted this, but it was too late. He understood that it would not be 2-3 weeks, but 10-12 weeks. This time, Pavlik completed rehab and after three months told Chris Mannix he was fine. However, members of his inner circle tell a different story.
Returning to boxing, he won Alfonso Lopez. The performance was mediocre and Lopez made him look slow. His power bore fruit, but by the end of the fight the combinations turned into single blows. Pavlik spoke about his desire to meet with Lucian Bute. And Showtime agreed to sign a contract in which he first had to meet with Darryl Cunningham, and then with Lucian Bute. A week before the fight, Kelly refused to fight. Since his loss to Martinez, this was the 5th fight he's pulled out of, and it's a stark contrast to how he started his career. Pavlik said that he refused to fight a left-hander for pennies. Tott du Boeve, the president of Top Rank, was furious. And then Kelly decided to change his life and move to California, under the wing of Robert Garcia. Kelly returned to the ring in March, defeating a superior Aaron Jaco in the second round. Then he won Scott Sigmon And Willa Rosinski. These victories gave him a chance to meet the light heavyweight champion Andre Ward. This fight was canceled when Ward injured his shoulder. And Pavlik decided to leave the sport in order to maintain his health. He had suffered from seizures for a long time and decided that he could not make his family suffer.
Arrest of Kelly Pavlik
After this, many hoped that Kelly would be able to stay off the front pages. But less than a year later, the boxer was arrested when he refused to pay $25 for a taxi ride. In the dock, he lost consciousness and began having a seizure. He was convicted. A couple of years later he was arrested again, this time for an assault at a Foo Fighters concert. Accounts of the events vary as it is unclear whether he was drunk. The latest information is that Kelly was sentenced to 180 days in prison for assault with a traumatic weapon.
After being the hero and savior of Youngstown at the peak of his career when he defeated Taylor, Kelly Pavlik quickly fell to rock bottom. When everything was going well, everyone believed that Kelly was worthy of representing their city, since he represented the best that it had.
Kelly Pavlik
Perhaps everyone has forgotten too quickly that Kelly can represent the worst aspects of the city. When he became champion, Kelly was treated like a king and may have hurt him. When he finally made it out of Ohio, it was too late. The life he had led had caught up with him. But while everything was fine, he was a savior. Ohio's white hope, he climbed the pound-for-pound rankings, which took courage and hard work. He was a true working class hero, and for a time he lived his dream and everyone else's dream. He brought hope to those who no longer had it. Once written off as a ghost town, Youngstown enjoyed Kelly's time at his best. Despite the sad ending to Pavlik's story, one can hope that he inspired enough people to make it worthwhile.
