Pavlik’s neighbors rejoice at his victory
By PETER H. MILLIKEN
VINDICATOR STAFF WRITER
YOUNGSTOWN — Euphoric neighbors of world middleweight boxing champion Kelly Pavlik began preparing for his triumphal homecoming long before his return to this city.
Pavlik, also known as “The Ghost,” was arrived home tonight from Atlantic City, N.J., where he dethroned the reigning champion, Jermain Taylor, with a seventh round TKO in Saturday evening’s championship bout, which his neighbors said they watched on their home TVs.
Dwayne Dee, who lives next door to Pavlik’s Cornell Avenue residence, stayed up until 4 a.m. making the plywood sign that sits in front of the Dee residence and proclaims Pavlik’s Saturday victory and his 32-0 career record, including 29 KOs. “Congratulations! We love you,” the sign reads.
Shortly after 1 p.m. today, Rose Ramsey emerged from her home across the street, carrying a string of multicolored, star-shaped, helium-filled balloons, together with a gold-colored balloon in the shape of the number one, and affixed it to the luggage rack atop an SUV parked in the Pavliks’ driveway.
Multicolored impatiens and a sign saying “Bring it home, Kelly, No. 1. Good Luck,” adorn the front of the bungalow, where Pavlik resides with his father, Mike, and mother, Debbie, in the neighborhood known as Lansingville.
“I always knew in my heart that he would win. I always knew that he would be the champion,” said Ramsey after delivering the balloons in the quiet, close-knit South Side residential neighborhood in the shadows of St. Matthias Church, to which the Pavlik family belongs.
During the second round, when Pavlik was knocked down onto his hands and knees, Ramsey said her first thought was that she was glad the boxer’s mother, who chooses not to watch her son’s bouts because she doesn’t like to see him punched, didn’t see that happen.
Ramsey also thought: “ ‘I know Kelly, you’ve got to get your head back in the game, and you have to bring home your victory,’ and that’s exactly what he did.” In the seventh round, Ramsey said she was “very relieved.” She added: “I was overwhelmed with joy when he won.”
For complete story, see Monday’s Vindicator or www.vindy.com.