Tweet
Try following in the footsteps of a boxing hero like Ray Mancini and only then can you begin to understand the anonymous journey that Kelly "The Ghost" Pavlik has been traveling for the past seven years. Just when it seems like the people of Youngstown have stopped talking about their beloved "Boom Boom" - somebody will bring up Harry Arroyo’s name.
For Kelly Pavlik, the ghosts of Youngstown are never far away.
They all, of course, hail from that same Ohio town. A city rich with boxing tradition, it’s best known for the millions of tons of steel it produced over the years - and two lightweight boxing champions. Back in the 1980’s when Mancini and Arroyo were making their names and winning versions of lightweight titles the city had twice as many residents as it does now.
The blue-collar, working men’s crowds would spring to their feet in wide-mouthed glee when "Boom Boom" fought. Back then, the mills that built this region had yet to be shuttered entirely and Youngstown was a steel-making powerhouse. On the days when Ray or Harry fought, the people of Youngstown crowded around their televisions on Saturday afternoons, the barber shops were full of fight talk and the taverns were packed with back-slapping fight fans. [details]
For Kelly Pavlik, the ghosts of Youngstown are never far away.
They all, of course, hail from that same Ohio town. A city rich with boxing tradition, it’s best known for the millions of tons of steel it produced over the years - and two lightweight boxing champions. Back in the 1980’s when Mancini and Arroyo were making their names and winning versions of lightweight titles the city had twice as many residents as it does now.
The blue-collar, working men’s crowds would spring to their feet in wide-mouthed glee when "Boom Boom" fought. Back then, the mills that built this region had yet to be shuttered entirely and Youngstown was a steel-making powerhouse. On the days when Ray or Harry fought, the people of Youngstown crowded around their televisions on Saturday afternoons, the barber shops were full of fight talk and the taverns were packed with back-slapping fight fans. [details]