Kelly Pavlik BoxingInsider.com Exclusive Biofile Published by Scoop Malinowski Last Updated on April 16th, 2008

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Status: WBC/WBO Middleweight champion.

Ht: 6-2 1/2 Wt: 160

DOB: April 4, 1982 In: Youngstown, Ohio

Boxing Inspiration: “I’d have to say Rocky Marciano.”

Hobbies/Interests: “Golf. Be with my daughter. Darts. Do different sports, cross training, basketball, some tennis. Go down to the YMCA to swim. Go to concerts when I have free time. A lot of good bands come through here.”

Nicknames: “Ghost is the only one I’ve been called so far.”

Favorite Movies: “Cinderella Man, Gladiator, The Champ. There’s a lot of movies that I liked but that’s all I can think of right now.”

Favorite TV Shows: “I don’t get to watch much TV but I’ll say Family Guy.”

Musical Tastes: “Thrash metal, Pantera, Slayer, Korn, Metallica, old ’80s. I just bought some live Pantera music today.”

Last Book Read: “The Most Evil Dictators In History. I don’t get into fiction, I like history.”

First Boxing Memory: “I’d have to say Tyson’s fight, the one where the guy went down, got up, fell down, kept falling down (Trevor Berbick in 1986). That was the first fight I watched on TV. On Saturday night’s we used to have sleep-overs at my grandmothers. And at night we’d watch boxing on HBO. Because my two older brothers were into boxing. It was pretty neat being that young and watching it.”

First Job: “Cutting grass (age 16).”

First Car: “Chevy Citation (brown).”

Current Car: “Dodge Durango (white).”

Favorite Meal: “Homemade spaghetti and meatballs.”

Favorite Breakfast Cereal: “Cinnamon Toast Crunch.”

Favorite Ice Cream Flavor: “Banana. That’s good stuff.”

Pre-Fight Meal: “Spaghetti the day before. Then the day of the fight chicken salad. I eat pretty light.”

Childhood Dream: “Professional baseball, football, and actually boxing. Either one of those three.”

Pre-Fight Feeling: “Stay with the game plan. Stay calm, focused. Not over do it but just focused on the fight.”

Greatest Sports Moment: “I’d have to say my last fight, winning the Middleweight title (KO Jermain Taylor). It was just a dream come true. The crowd support I got was just awesome, I got goose bumps from the crowd. (How close were you from losing in the second round?) No, I was not close there, but [smiles]. (You weren’t going to lose to anybody that night were you?) No. I wasn’t backing down. Obviously I got caught in the second round. But I got back up and then I knew what I had to do from there. The key to the fight was once we started behind the double-jab with the right hand.”

Most Painful Moment: “I’d have to say losing in the Olympic Trials (2000). (The amateur loss to Taylor?) The loss to Hanshaw. I don’t say I got robbed much but that fight was funny. I was up 7-5 going into the last round. In the last round we went to war. And I buckled him. And the judges gave him five points in the last round and I got not one point. So I felt that was kinda funny. I was 17. I thought if I would have got the rematch with Taylor that it could have been a different story because I felt I kind of figured out his style.”

Worst Injury: “Right hand.”

Funny Boxing Memory: “My first amateur fight (age 10). I have big feet – size 12. 90 pounds. My first opponent had like 30 fights. I went to do a shuffle and I kind of did a stumble over my feet [smiles].”

Favorite Boxers To Watch: “I’d definitely say Cotto. Gatti is done but Gatti. Hatton. Castillo.”

Best Fight You’ve Seen: “Would have to be when I re-signed with Top Rank two-and-half years ago and I got to see Diego Corrales-Jose Luis Castillo. Close call between that and Gatti-Ward I.”

Last Vacation: “Myrtle Beach about four years ago.”

Embarrassing Boxing Memory: “I really can’t recall one. I don’t think there was one boxing-wise. I would say my first amateur fight when I tripped.”

Toughest Man You Faced: “Another toss-up, either Zertuche or Miranda. Zertuche was rugged, hit with both hands, had skills and could take a punch.”

People Qualities Most Admired: “Fun. Not all serious, caught up in drama. You pass this way one time. make the best of it. Have fun, not let things get to you.”

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