Kelly & dad: Down-to-earth guys adjusting to spotlight

By Joe Scalzo

Despite Kelly Pavlik’s growing fame, he and his father, Michael Sr., still retain their original and colorful personalities and demeanor.

YOUNGSTOWN — Mike Pavlik Sr. is the type of guy who has no problem telling a reporter that his son got the name Kelly because doctors originally thought he was going to be a girl. He’s the type of guy who can walk away from a rowdy pre-fight weigh-in and joke that he just wet his pants. And he’s the type of guy who, when asked to come up with something surprising about his son, he says this:

“He’s afraid of the dark,” he said.

Wait. Kelly’s nickname is “The Ghost.” Ghosts aren’t afraid of the dark.

“This ghost is afraid of the dark,” he said. “He had that suite in Las Vegas [for his February fight with Jermain Taylor] with this magnificent upstairs and three huge beds and everything. I was staying with him and I got a little upset with him on Wednesday and I was pouting and he was pouting, so I didn’t stay with him and he slept on the couch because he was afraid to go upstairs and go to bed.”

For the record, Kelly disputes those claims.

“I used to be,” he said. “I’m not no more. At the same time, I don’t like the dark. I’d rather have the TV on. I hate not being able to see what’s going on.”

Now. This would normally be a funny father-son conversation, except that Kelly is the middleweight champion and Mike’s words will probably find their way to the Internet, where they will probably get passed on to his upcoming opponent, Gary Lockett, who will probably come back with some clich line like, “If Kelly Pavlik is scared of the dark, he better beware of me because when I fight him, it’s gonna be lights out.”

Such is the price of fame. For six years, Kelly fought in virtual anonymity. Now he’s internationally known. Both father and son are still adjusting.

“You never get used to it,” Mike Sr. said. “You go to a newsstand or a supermarket and you see Kelly’s picture in the book section and it doesn’t sink in. Then you see him on worldwide news and national news and you just never get used to that.

“This has definitely been beyond what I ever expected. You can’t ever prepare for this. There’s no courses to take and there’s no literature to read.”

And for all the good things about fame, the past year has also taken its toll. Kelly has much less free time, particularly during training, and he admits the expectations sometimes weigh on him. But the younger Pavlik can count on his father to help him stay humble.

“One of the biggest challenges mentally for Kelly is that there’s no time for him,” said Mike, who works full-time as an insurance salesman. “Then again, he has the luxury of only working six weeks every four months. Guys like me I feel sorry for. I have to go to work every day.”

Mike said he’s seen his son grow more comfortable with the spotlight over the past few months. Kelly makes a lot of public appearances and does a lot of charity work behind the scenes, most of which go unpublicized. The difficult thing for Kelly is dealing with the sheer volume of requests, but he’s adapting, Mike said.

“Kelly for the most part tries to avoid the spotlight,” he said. “It’s not that he doesn’t like it, it’s just not fitting for him. But I think the coat he’s wearing has grown more comfortable. I think he realizes this isn’t a dream. This is really real.”

Over the past few weeks, Lockett and his trainer, Enzo Calzaghe, have thrown a few jabs across the ocean through the press. Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, has joined in, but Kelly has mostly stayed out of it.

“Kelly’s not a real big advocate of trash talk,” said Mike Sr. “Kelly works hard to keep his image clean and he never says anything against fighters. I think it’s time to put a stop to the talking.”

And that includes Mike, who laughed when asked if he had any other embarrassing stories about his son.

“I better just leave well enough alone,” he said. “If I keep talking, I’m gonna end up having to walk to Atlantic City.”

scalzo@vindy.com