A sell-out expected for Pavlik’s Chevy Centre fight

YOUNGSTOWN — They’re the hottest tickets in town and they’re not even for sale until Saturday.

All 7,000 tickets available for WBO/WBC middleweight champion Kelly Pavlik’s hometown title defense Feb. 21 against Marco Antonio Rubio are expected to be sold out for the biggest event in the history of the Chevrolet Centre, officials at the facility said.

“This is, by far, the most excited response we’ve received from our guests,” said Eric Ryan, the center’s executive director. “You have no idea how swamped we are with calls. My voice mail filled up so much [Monday] that I had to delete it twice. This is the middleweight champion of the world. It’s going to be an awesome event.”

Demand for the tickets is at an all-time high for the center, which opened in October 2005, Ryan said.

The largest crowd at a center event was 5,500 for country singer Carrie Underwood’s June 11, 2008, concert. That event was a sellout, but because of how the center is set up for concerts, there was room for only 5,500, Ryan said.

For the Feb. 21 fight, the center will have seats on the floor surrounding the ring and will hold 7,000, said Ryan and Bridget Wolsonovich, the facility’s director of marketing.

So how can you get tickets?

They go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday at Ticketmaster.com, Ticketmaster retail locations such as Giant Eagle and Macy’s, by telephone at (800) 745-3000 or (866) 448-7849, and at the center box office at 229 E. Front St.

There is a ticket limit of eight per customer.

Those sitting in the first six rows around the ring will pay $500 each for those tickets. Ticket prices for the rest of the center are $300, $200, $100 and $50.

For the complete story, read Wednesday’s Vindicator or Vindy.com