Excitement grows

Vindicator Staff and Editors

Still wondering where all of those Pavlik-Rubio tickets went?

As of Wednesday, there were 19 eBay.com tickets offered. Just three had any bids at midday:

UOne $500 ticket with five bids sitting at $149.50.

UA pair of front-row seats (with an original “Buy-It-Now” price of $699) with 13 bidders sitting at $455.

UA pair of fifth-row seats on the floor with eight bids sitting at $167.50.

One “ticket broker” was advertising a “10 percent discount” on eBay on Tuesday. A ticket that originally cost $50 was more than doubled to $105, and was now minus a “10 percent discount,” bringing it all the way down to $94.50.

Still, for anyone who wants in the door for less than $100, there’s your answer. Find it on eBay, indeed ...

The Chevy vs. The Garden: MaxBoxing.com’s Steve Kim had an interesting take from legendary promoter Bob Arum. Arum was extolling the remarkable, lightning-fast ticket sales and the gate in Youngstown at the Chevrolet Centre. When the conversation turned to the other fight venue that night, New York’s Madison Square Garden, Arum said, “Not bad; not like Youngstown, but not bad. We’ll have 10,000-12,000 people in the building. That’s good, and it’ll be a pretty good date. We have a lot of $50 tickets left. The expensive seats are pretty much gone. So it’s OK.”

Did you ever expect to read that the Chevy Centre’s boxing gate was more impressive than MSG’s? Ever?

Making the news: The Associated Press has rewritten Vindicator reporter Jon Moffett’s Sunday preview piece on fight week, and bits and pieces of it have shown up everywhere from USA Today to newspapers in Bowling Green, Akron and Pittsburgh.

Celebrity watch: Pavlik’s trainer, Jack Loew, said it’s unlikely Oklahoma football coach Bob Stoops will attend Saturday’s fight. Stoops, who graduated from Cardinal Mooney High School with Loew, is expected to be on a recruiting trip. Former YSU and current Ohio State coach Jim Tressel is a “game-time decision,” Loew said. Others to watch out for: Cleveland Browns quarterback Brady Quinn, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Troy Smith, Green Bay Packers linebacker A.J. Hawk, ESPN analyst Kirk Herbstreit and former lightweight boxing champion Vinny Pazienza.

Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini may do some broadcasting on Pay Per View.

And then there are rumors of other celebs who might hit town. These range from New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady to “Mind Freak” Criss Angel and his new girlfriend (and Hugh Hefner-ex) Holly Madison. A sure bet: Cleveland Browns Hall-of-Famer Jim Brown hanging around with his pal Phantom Fireworks’ owner Bruce Zoldan.

The guest list is long on athletes and short on TV and movie celebs.

“The biggest Hollywood star we’ll have is Ray Mancini,” Loew quipped.

On target: Pavlik did not specify his weight Wednesday but he did say he’s on target to meet the 160-pound limit. “I’m still eating three times a day, but they’re small [meals],” he said. “Just making sure I still get that protein I need.”

X“The Pavlik Factor” is a column featuring news and notes about Saturday’s fight at the Chevrolet Centre. It will run daily through Sunday. If you have an item, e-mail news@vindy.com.