Friday, September 28, 2007
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Youngstown middleweight contender Kelly Pavlik made weight at Friday’s weigh-in in Atlantic City, tipping the scales at 159 pounds, prompting a chorus of cheers from his fans in attendance. WBC champion Jermain Taylor weighed in at 159.
The two will fight for the WBC title at 11 p.m. Saturday on HBO.
Both fighters needed to weigh 160 pounds or less.
The weigh-in, which took place in the Palladium Ballroom inside Caesars, was flooded with hundreds of Youngstown fans. Taylor’s appearance alone prompted loud boos. He’d get a lot more before the weigh-in was over. (There were a few Taylor fans, but it was difficult to hear them. One veteran reporter said this is the loudest weigh-in he’s ever attended.)
Thirty minutes before the weigh-in began, all the chairs were filled and fans lined up alongside the barrier ropes wearing Team Pavlik T-shirts and, in some cases, holding beers. A few fans also brought oven mitts that looked like ghosts in honor of Pavlik’s nickname “The Ghost.”
The act of hanging a banner alone was enough to prompt hundreds of fans to chant “Kelly! Kelly!” The chants, along with “Pavlik! Pavlik!” continued through the whole ceremony. One fan shouted “Pavlik got you baby!” Taylor simply smiled through the proceedings.