"The Ghost"  

• Facebook.com/TopRankKellyPavlik
• Ranked WBO #3, WBA #5, WBC #7, IBF #9 at 168 pounds
• World championship fights: 4-1, 4 KOs...
• Former WBC, WBO middleweight world champion, three successful defenses...
• Boxing Writers Association of America “2007 Fight of the Year” – Pavlik TKO7 Taylor...
• Former NABF middleweight champion, two successful defenses…
• 1999 U.S. National Under 19 Championships (amateur), 147 pounds – Gold Medalist...
• 1998 National Jr. Golden Gloves Championships (amateur), 147 pounds – Gold Medalist...
• 1998 National Jr. PAL Championships (amateur), 147 pounds – Gold Medalist...

  At the age of 30, Kelly is a 12-year pro. A former WBC-WBO middleweight world champion, he won the titles in September, 2007, and made three successful defenses before losing the titles in April, 2010.

  He moved up to the super middleweight division in May, 2011, and has won four fights since then.

  Kelly is coming off a 10 round unanimous decision win against Will Rosinsky in his last fight on July 7.

  After the fight, Dan Rafael wrote on ESPN.com [excerpts]: Pavlik got the job done quite effectively in a clear decision win. It was an entertaining bout and a tough fight for both guys. But for Pavlik, the important thing beside the win was that he got in much-needed rounds as he looks toward a major fight in the fall.

  Pavlik dropped Rosinsky with a right hand in the second round, but also suffered a cut over his left eye in the fourth round. [End Rafae item]

  Co-manager Cameron Dunkin said, "Kelly looked tremendous in his last three fights – the best he's ever looked in his life. I was so excited. Kelly punched much better - his punches were shorter, crisper. He had a great jab, his hands up. He just looked better mechanically. He felt great, his body looked good.

  "Kelly’s definitely staying at 168. I think he's going to be at the top of his game at 168. I think he'll be able to fight anybody at 168. I think he's going to be a world champion again – I really do.

  "I think he's got several more years left in him at top-level. I think he's going to be a big deal in boxing again."

  Kelly is now being trained by Robert Garcia in Oxnard, California.

  From Boxingscene.com, by Ryan Burton [Mar. 2, 2012 - excerpts]: The Youngstown, Ohio native said that Garcia and his team have made him feel right at home.

  "It has been really good to be honest with you. I thought it would be a little hard at first but I've been in training camps in Vegas and other places (outside of Youngstown) before," stated Pavlik.

  "They have made me feel really at home here. They have welcomed me in. I think it's been great. I've been really pleased with the way training has been going," he continued.

  Pavlik said that Garcia put his mind at ease early on when he told him that he wasn't going to try to change his style. He said that Garcia has instead focused on making subtle changes.

  "I really liked that at first Robert told me that I don't want to change you. I'm a firm believer that you can't change someone who has been boxing this long. He has me sidestepping and working on angles and also countering."

  According to Pavlik, one of the main changes that Garcia has made has been getting him to counter more often. Pavlik said that his defense was never as bad as it was made out to be but that he didn't throw enough counter punches when the opportunities presented them self. 

  "People always knocked me for my defense but it's not that bad. I got into a habit of blocking but not doing anything off of that. I'm throwing uppercuts and short hooks off of that and throwing more punches," said Pavlik. [End Boxingscene.com item]

  Kelly’s webpage address is: www.teampavlik.com.

Key Fights – 2012 - in his last fight on 7-7-12 in Carson, CA, he won a 10 round unanimous decision against Will Rosinsky (16-1): the bout was co-featured with the Nonito Donaire-Jeffrey Mathebula main event, and it was a good fight; Rosinsky gave a strong effort and had a few rallies, but Kelly dominated most of the fight; he pressed forward, outworked Rosinsky, and landed the harder punches; Kelly scored a knockdown with a right hand in the 2^nd round, but was cut over his left eye in the 4^th; scored 98-91, 98-91, 97-92; after the fight, Kelly said, "I got him with a short right hand and it was deep, flush and felt good. I always felt I was ahead in the fight, and now I'd like to get ready for a big fight in the fall."...

On 6-8-12 in Las Vegas, NV, he TKOd Scott Sigmon (22-3): the fight headlined at the Hard Rock, and Kelly dominated; he outworked Sigmon, rocked him repeatedly, and steadily wore him down; he bloodied Sigmon’s nose in the 2^nd round, and Sigmon was cut over his right eye in the 6^th; the referee stopped the fight after the 7^th round; after the fight, Kelly said, “I did what I could do and beat him to a pulp. He took a great punch, a great body shot. I spent a little too much time on the inside thinking that he would get tired. He was in great shape.”…

On 3-31-12 in San Antonio, TX, he TKOd Aaron Jaco (15-2): the fight was co-featured at the Illusions Theater, and Kelly quickly overpowered him; he rocked Jaco with a left hook in the 2^nd round, then scored a knockdown with a left hook later in the round; Kelly scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 2^nd – Jaco got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 0:45; after the fight, Kelly said, "I was calm, relaxed, had good energy, bounce - everything was working. I thought he was looking for a right hand so I got him with my left. I feel good and I am back."…

2011 - on 5-7-11 in Las Vegas he won a 10 round majority decision against previously undefeated Alfonso Lopez (21-0): the bout was co-featured with the Manny Pacquiao-Shane Mosley main event, and Kelly dominated most of the fight; Lopez gave a good effort and some rounds were close, but Kelly pressed forward, consistently outworked him, and landed the sharper punches; Kelly rocked Lopez with a right hand in the 6^th round, and staggered him with a right hand in the 10^th; scored 98-92, 99-91, 95-95; after the fight, Kelly said, “The ring rust sure showed, but I know I won the fight. I don't know what happened with that one scorecard. I felt I did pretty good.”…

2010 – LOST WBC, WBO M WORLD TITLES - on 4-17-10 in Atlantic City, NJ, he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against lefthanded WBC super welterweight world champion Sergio Martinez (44-2-2): the fight headlined at Boardwalk Hall; Martinez started fast and swept the first four rounds on all three scorecards - he cut Kelly over his left eye in the 1^st round, kept him off-balance with movement, and scored repeatedly with his jab and left hand; Kelly rallied in the middle rounds – he swept the 5^th, won the 6^th round on two scorecards, then scored a knockdown with a right uppercut in the 7^th for a 10-8 round on all three scorecards; Kelly won the 8^th round on two scorecards, but was cut badly over his right eye in the 9^th round; Martinez rallied and finished the fight strongly - he swept the 9^th, with one judge scoring the round 10-8 for him, then swept the 10^th, 11^th, and 12^th rounds, and won by scores of 115-111, 115-112, 116-111; after the fight, Kelly said, “Martinez is a smart fighter. He doubled up on his jab a lot after he cut me. I couldn’t get anything going after the eighth or ninth round. In the last third of the fight, around the eighth or ninth round, he began touching me a lot. I tried, but it was very hard to come back at him. I couldn’t see out of my right eye after he cut it. I could not see his left hand coming. I wasn’t hurting, but he just had a lot of volume of punches.”

2009 – 3^RD WBC-WBO M WORLD TITLE DEFENSE – on 12-19-09 in Youngstown, OH, he TKOd Miguel Espino (20-2-1): the fight headlined at the Beeghly Center, and Kelly dominated; Espino gave a good effort, but was penalized one point for punching after the bell had ended the 1^st round; Kelly consistently landed the harder punches and steadily wore down Espino; Kelly scored two knockdowns in the 4^th round, the first with a right uppercut that also bloodied Espino’s nose, the second with a left hand-right uppercut combination; he scored another knockdown with a series of punches in the 5^th round – Espino got up but was unsteady, and the referee stopped the fight at 1:44; after four rounds, Kelly led by scores of 40-33 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Kelly said, “There was a little bit of rust. I tip my hat to him. He came to fight. He was finding his way inside. He was a determined fighter. The kid fought a great fight.”…

2^ND WBC-WBO M WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 2-21-09 in Youngstown he TKOd Marco Antonio Rubio (43-4-1): the fight headlined at the Chevrolet Centre; Kelly consistently pressed forward outworked Rubio, and landed the harder punches; Rubio rallied in the 6^th round, but Kelly steadily wore him down and Rubio did not continue after the 9^th round; after nine rounds, Kelly led by scores of 90-81 on all three scorecards; after the fight, Kelly said, “I knew he was taking a beating. You could feel it and see it. By the eighth round he didn’t have anything.”...

2008 – on 10-18-08 in Atlantic City he lost a 12 round unanimous decision against former middleweight world champion Bernard Hopkins (48-5-1): the fight headlined at Boardwalk Hall, and Hopkins dominated; he consistently outboxed and outworked Kelly, and landed the sharper punches; Kelly was penalized one point for punching to the back of the head in the 8^th round, Hopkins was penalized one point for holding in the 9^th; Hopkins rocked Kelly in the 12^th round, and won by scores of 117-109, 118-110, 119-106...

1^ST WBC-WBO M WORLD TITLE DEFENSE - on 6-7-08 in Atlantic City he TKOd WBO mandatory challenger Gary Lockett (30-1): the fight headlined at Boardwalk Hall, and Kelly dominated; Kelly scored two knockdowns in the 2^nd round – both with a series of right hands - when Lockett went to one knee at two different times; Lockett’s nose was also bloodied and he was cut over his left eye in the round; Kelly scored another knockdown when Lockett went to one knee in the 3^rd, and Lockett’s corner threw in the towel to stop the fight at 1:40; after the fight, Kelly said, “He had good power. My jab was working and it helped me set up a lot of things - it stopped him in his tracks. I was catching him with good shots. He was smart to take a knee when I hit him. I knew each time he took a knee I had buzzed him.”...

On 2-16-08 in Las Vegas he won a 12 round unanimous decision in the non-title rematch against former WBC, WBO and The Ring middleweight world champion Jermain Taylor (27-1-1): the fight headlined at the MGM Grand and drew a reported attendance of 7,706; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight, and several rounds were close, but Kelly constantly pressed forward behind a stiff jab and consistently outworked Taylor; he bloodied Taylor’s nose in the 5^th round, but his own nose was bloodied in the 6^th; Taylor fought effectively in bursts, scored with hard punches, and rallied in the middle rounds, but Kelly staggered him with a right hand in the 11^th and finished the 12^th round strongly, and Taylor’s right eye was swollen nearly shut at the final bell; scored 117-111, 116-112, 115-113; after the fight, Kelly said, “Jermain taking the rematch made the sport better. Taylor was better tonight than in the first fight, but I was better too. I put the pressure on, but he put the pressure back. I thought we both fought a great fight. I’ll fight anybody, whoever they throw at me. We’re trying to do the sport good.”...

2007 – WON WBC, WBO, THE RING M WORLD TITLE - on 9-29-07 in Atlantic City he TKOd previously undefeated defending champion Jermain Taylor (27-0-1): the bout headlined at Boardwalk Hall and drew a crowd of 10,127, an estimated 5,000 of whom made the six-hour drive from Youngstown; it was a very exciting fight - one of the best of the year – as well as a come-from behind victory and a spectacular knockout; after a fast-paced opening round, Taylor staggered Kelly with a right hand midway through the 2^nd, then scored a knockdown moments later that dropped Kelly to his hands and knees – clearly dazed, Kelly got up, but Taylor staggered him with a series of punches that sent him stumbling across the ring; Kelly showed tremendous heart and conditoning to survive the round, then rallied and outworked Taylor in the 3^rd round; the following rounds were close – Kelly pressed forward, but Taylor moved and boxed effectively and built a lead on the scorecards; both landed hard right hands middway through the 6^th, but Kelly closed the show in the 7^th round – he staggered Taylor with a right hand that backed him into the ropes, then scored a devastating knockdown with a series of punches that included crushing left and right uppercuts, and the referee jumped in to stop the fight without a count at 2:14 as Taylor slumped to the canvas; after six rounds, Taylor led by scores of 59-54, 58-55, 58-55; after the fight, Kelly said, “Now, I’m up there with all the great Ohio champions. We’re a small city. We’re a town of only 92,000 people, but those types of world champions out there – it’s an honor to be out there with these guys. Being in there with Jermain, the kid can punch like a mule. He caught me with a good one, I was really hurt bad. I felt like the leaning tower, it took me so long to go down. My legs just went out. I heard the count, then when I got up I still had a tingly feeling in my legs. The fans definitely helped me out - I could hear them yelling, ‘Kelly! Kelly!’ When I got back up he hit me with some more hard shots, but I got through. I was really shaky, I just did what I could to survive the round. I knew if I could survive that round, I’d have the fight. He can take a hell of a punch. Eventually I think it just caught up to him. It was a straight right hand. It was finding its mark all night. One thing I do have is the finishing touch. Those were real shots. If he could’ve gotten up, he would have. I tip my hat to him - he came to fight. He’s a hell of a fighter. It was heart, and it was the fans. The fans had a lot to do with it. I’m out of words. It’s huge. Are we going to Disneyland now?”...

WBC M WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR - on 5-19-07 in Memphis, TN, he TKOd Edison Miranda (28-1): the bout was co-featured with the Jermain Taylor-Cory Spinks main event at the FedEx Forum, and it stole the show; it was a fast-paced, exciting fight from the opening bell, and very close through five rounds; Kelly started fast - he constantly pressed forward, backed up Miranda, and rocked him with several right hands in the 1^st round; Miranda gave a very strong effort, as well – he bloodied Kelly’s nose in the 2^nd  round and swept the round on all three scorecards; Kelly scored with hard body punches, rocked Miranda repeatedly with right hands, and swept the 3^rd and 4^th rounds on all three scorecards; Miranda was warned for low blows in the 3^rd, 4^th, and 5^th rounds, but rallied in the 5^th - he rocked Kelly with a number of right hands late in the round, swept the round on the scorecards, and after five rounds, the judges scored 48-47, 48-47 Pavlik, 48-47 Miranda; but Kelly overpowered him in the 6^th – he staggered Miranda midway through the round with two right hands, then scored a knockdown with another right hand moments later that dropped Miranda flat on his side - he was very unsteady when he got up and spit out his mouthpiece to gain a few extra seconds to recover, for which he was penalized one point; Kelly scored another knockdown with two left hooks moments later that put Miranda on the seat of his pants – he got up again, and the bell ended the round seconds later; all three judges scored the round 10-7 Pavlik; Kelly staggered Miranda with a series of hard punches in the 7^th – Miranda sagged and was held up by the ropes, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 1:54; after six rounds, Kelly led by scores of 58-54, 58-54, 57-55; after the fight, Kelly said, “We stuck with the game plan that we had, and like I said before, the media created Miranda into what he was. A great fighter, obviously, he can punch like a mule, but our game plan was to keep him going backwards, ‘cause he can’t fight that well going back. We didn’t want him to set the pace or set the tempo with them big right hands, and I think towards the end of the fight we started wearing him down and he didn’t have much left in him at all. He hit me with a couple of clean punches in the first round, and I think what really surprised him was that I took them so well. A lot of these guys feel my power, it don’t look like much on TV, but once they get in there, it’s like, ‘Whoa, this guy is strong!’ I think he felt it from the first round on, also. I think when he seen he couldn’t hurt me and he felt my power, that he was really worried. He spit the mouthpiece out, of course, I wanted the referee to stop the fight right there, the quicker the better. But he did a good job, he did what he was supposed to do when Miranda went down. Everybody wants to fight the world champion. Jermain Taylor is the world champion, he has the belt, he has the name, and of course I want to fight him.”...

2^ND NABF M TITLE DEFENSE, WBC M WORLD TITLE ELIMINATOR - on 1-27-07 in Anaheim, CA, he TKOd Jose Luis Zertuche (19-3-2): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight and a spectacular knockout; Zertuche, a 2000 Mexican Olympian, gave a strong effort and scored effectively in the 2^nd and 3^rd rounds, but Kelly rallied after that and steadily wore him down; he rocked Zertuche with two left hooks in the 5^th round, then scored a knockdown with a right hand that put Zertuche flat on his back late in the 6^th; Kelly scored another knockdown in the 8^th round – he landed a right hand that froze Zertuche in his tracks, then landed another one that dropped him face-first to the canvas – and the referee jumped in to stop the fight without a count, falling to the canvas with Zertuche, at 1:40; after the fight, Kelly said, “We wanted to box a little more, but the first round, I felt like I was in a little bit of quicksand. Every time I tried to move and get my rhythm going, I just couldn’t do it and I was getting caught with stupid punches. By the third or fourth round, I started finding my rhythm a little bit, my balance was a little more fluid and I was able to sit there and counter his mistakes and take my time little bit more. I’m a humble fighter, and he hit me with some good punches. Take nothing away from him, the kid’s a hell of a fighter. He came to fight tonight, but I was just a better man at the end. You seen the changes I made and how I adapted. You adapt to the fight, and I think I did a good job of that tonight. Anybody that’s in the way of me getting to the world title, I’ll go and fight. I’m there for it.”...

2006 - on 11-2-06 in Youngstown he TKOd Lenord Pierre (18-2): Kelly headlined in his hometown at the Chevrolet Centre, drew an announced crowd of 4,416, and dominated the fight; Kelly scored a knockdown with a right hand late in the 1^st round, and rocked Pierre repeatedly in the 2^nd and 3^rd; Kelly scored another knockdown with a left hook in the 4^th round, and the referee stopped the fight without a count at 0:46; after the fight, Kelly said, “I’ve never hit a guy so hard that didn’t go down.”; after the fight, Dan Rafael of ESPN.com wrote, “Pavlik is a tremendous puncher... He is one of the sport’s bright, young potential stars...”; Boxing News reported, “Pavlik seemingly has the skills and power to dethrone the world champ.”...

1^ST NABF M TITLE DEFENSE – on 7-27-06 in Uncasville, CT, he TKOd lefthanded former WBO jr. middleweight world champion Bronco McKart (48-6): Kelly had the edge in the early rounds, but McKart scored a knockdown when both of Kelly’s gloves touched the canvas in the 4^th - replays showed that Kelly fell forward, off-balance, after a glancing blow to his shoulder; Kelly rallied and rocked McKart in the 5^th round, then scored a knockdown with a series of punches and cut McKart over his right eye in the 6^th; Kelly scored another knockdown with another series of punches later in the round - McKart got up but was unsteady, but the referee stopped the fight at 2:45; after the fight, Kelly said, “I think I ruined his whole game-plan. When he felt my power in the first round, I threw him off his plan. I figured, ‘Eventually you’re going to get tired and not me,’ and that’s what happened. We always train to keep the pace. In the fifth round, my trainers noticed he was keeping his elbow up. I just touched him under the elbow and snuck in another shot. I’ve been doing this for six years, and this was a convincing win. The way I won, it has to open doors, but all I can do is pray to the boxing gods.”...

2005 - WON VACANT NABF M TITLE - on 10-7-05 in Las Vegas he TKOd Fulgencio Zuniga (17-1-1): it was a fast-paced, exciting fight; Zuniga scored a knockdown with a left hook in the 1^st round, but Kelly recovered, dominated most of the rest of the fight, and steadliy wore him down; Zuniga was cut over his right eye by a clash of heads, and his corner stopped the fight after the 9^th round; after nine rounds, Kelly led by scores of 88-83, 87-83, 87-83; after the fight, he said, “I got it under my belt. He’s a pretty strong guy. I know I should have fought from the outside, but you can’t always do it. He had sneaky quickness.”…

On 8-26-05 in Houston, TX, he TKOd Vincent Harris (12-17-2): at 2:19 of the 2^nd round…

On 6-10-05 in Chicago, IL, he TKOd Daniel Neal (9-8-1): at 1:49 of the 1^st round…

On 3-4-05 in Choctaw, MS, he TKOd Dorian Beaupierre (12-2-2): Kelly dominated the fight - he scored a knockdown with a right hand midway throught the 1^st round, and staggered Beaupierre again just before the bell; Kelly scored another knockdown with a right hand in the 2^nd round - Beaupierre got up, but Kelly staggered him with a series of punches and the referee stopped the fight at 2:35…

2004 - on 11-27-04 in Las Vegas he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Ross Thompson (26-9-2): the fight was on the undercard of the Erik Morales-Marco Antonio Barrera III main event, and Kelly dominated; he consistently outworked Thompson and landed the harder punches, and won by scores of 80-72, 80-72, 79-73…

On 9-18-04 in Las Vegas he knocked out Carlton Holland (16-9-1): the fight was on the undercard of the Bernard Hopkins-Oscar De La Hoya main event, and Kelly gave a very strong performance; he scored one knockdown in the 1^st round and two more in the 2^nd, and Holland was counted out at 2:59…

On 7-2-04 in Struthers, OH, he TKOd Pedro Ortega (30-13-1): Kelly wore down Ortega with body punches, rocked him several times, and Ortega did not continue after the 6^th round; after the fight, Kelly said, “This guy was very smart, as he knew to stay away from my power. But because of the body shots, especially to his ribs, I knew it was only a matter of time before he went.”…

On 3-26-04 in Phoenix, AZ, he TKOd Roberto Baro (11-3): Kelly scored two knockdowns with body punches in the 2^nd round, and Baro was counted out at 2:50…

On 1-23-04 in Kansas City, MO, he won an 8 round unanimous decision against Anthony Ivory (28-66-4)…

2003 - on 7-1-03 in Niles, OH, he TKOd Rico Cason (16-7): Kelly entered the fight with a sore right hand, but scored two knockdowns in the 2^nd round - the first with a right hand, and the second with a left hook to the body - and the referee stopped the fight at 2:02; after the fight, Kelly said, “It’s a dream come true to fight on national television in front of a home crowd. I was very happy with the crowd tonight. On the first knockdown, I knew he was hurt on an earlier shot. I stepped back and nailed him with a right cross. My left has become much stronger because lately I have been favoring it because of the injury to my right. Anytime you can have a guy out early it is beneficial, because the longer an opponent lasts, the better the chance he has of beating you.”…

On 3-22-03 in Las Vegas he TKOd Cesar Avila (8-3-1): at 2:00 of the 6^th round…

On 2-8-03 in Las Vegas he TKOd Eduardo Gutierrez (31-12-2): Kelly scored one knockdown in the 1^st round and another in the 2^nd, and stopped Gutierrez at 2:59 of the 2^nd round…

2002 - on 9-14-02 in Las Vegas he won a 6 round unanimous decision against Edson Madrid (4-3-1): Kelly scored knockdowns in the 1^st and 2^nd rounds, and won by scores of 60-51, 60-61, 60-52…

On 7-30-02 in Concho, OK, he knocked out Abel Hernandez (5-3-1): Kelly scored three knockdowns in the 1^st round, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:54…

On 6-21-02 in Las Vegas he knocked out Eric Olds (4-2): Kelly scored a knockdown in the 1^st round, and Olds was counted out at 2:45…

On 2-23-02 in Las Vegas he knocked out Robert Dasoyan (12-6-4): Kelly scored a knockdown in the 2^nd round, and Dasoyan was counted out at 2:15…

2001 – on 11-21-01 in Youngstown he knocked out veteran Rob Bleakley (77-40-1): it was Kelly’s first fight as a pro in his hometown, and an enthusiastic crowd of 2,000 was on hand; Kelly scored one knockdown late in the 1^st round and another one in the 2^nd - Bleakley beat the count, but the referee stopped the fight at 1:56; after the fight, Kelly said, “When I dropped him in the second, I knew it was just a matter of time. Jack told me to still be careful. After that, I was just trying to time my punches and pick my spots. It’s great. I’d rather fight here than anywhere else. If they ask me would I rather fight here or in Las Vegas, I’d come back here anytime.”...

On 8-4-01 in Las Vegas he TKOd Mario Lopez (3-1-1): Kelly scored one knockdown in the 1^st round and another one in the 2^nd, and Lopez’s corner stopped the fight at 1:42…

On 6-8-01 in Baraboo, WI, he TKOd Grady Brewer (7-1): Kelly scored one knockdown in the 1^st round and two more in the 2^nd, and the referee stopped the fight at 2:48…

He debuted at the age of 18 on 6-16-00 in Indio, CA, and knocked out Eric Tzand (0-0-1): in the 3^rd round…

AMATEUR, PERSONAL BACKGROUND: Kelly said, “I was born and raised in Youngstown. I have two older brothers. They used to box as amateurs, but they don’t box now. My oldest brother is the head tech at the kidney center, and my brother Ricky was in the Navy. He’s been out for a few years. My dad sells insurance for AIG. He also works a side job at Mr. Anthony’s. My mom, she works at Vic & Syl’s, it’s a restaurant.

“At the time, I wanted to take up martial arts a lot. I played all the other sports, football, baseball, and I just liked contact. When I was nine, I went down to Southside Boxing Club and Harry Arroyo was in there. [note: former IBF lightweight world champion] I didn’t even know it was him until I left. My mom told me. I just kind of fell in love with the sport after that. He was a great guy, funny as can be. The first time I got to go in and spar and actually hit somebody, where in martial arts, you didn’t do none of that. I got hit and hit people back - it was fun. My amateur record was 89-9.

“I had a lot of hand speed and I was outboxing people then. When I hit 17, the power seemed to really come all of a sudden, and I had more snap to the punches and I was getting more and more stoppages. But I learned those basic boxing skills. I don’t have to go in there and slug and rely solely on power. I can box, too.”…

In addition to Arroyo, Youngstown is also the hometown of former WBA lightweight world champion Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini; Kelly said, “Their careers are an inspiration to me to win a world title and defend it a couple of times. I talked to Boom Boom a lot earlier in my career, and Harry Arroyo I talk to a lot.”…

Kelly graduated from Youngstown’s Lowellville High School; he studied computer graphics at Mahoning County Joint Vocational School, and graduated in 2000…

He married his longtime girlfriend, Samantha, in a private ceremony in Hawaii in July, 2008; they have two young children – daughter Sydney, born May 11, 2006, and son Kelly Robert Jr., born February 25, 2009...

AMATEUR HIGHLIGHTS:

            2000 OLYMPIC TRIALS - Tampa, Florida, 156 pounds, double elimination tournament: in his first fight on 2-9-00 he lost an 11-5 decision against Jermain Taylor of Little Rock, AR; in his second fight on 2-10-00 he won a 9-6 decision against Darnell Wilson of Lafayette, IN; in his third fight on 2-12-00 he lost a 15-7 decision against Tony Hanshaw of Mansfield, OH; looking back on the losses against Taylor and Hanshaw, Kelly said, “They were both really close fights. Both of those fights could have gone either way.”…

2000 U.S. NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - Colorado Springs, Colorado, 156 pounds – BRONZE MEDALIST: in his first fight on 1-12-00 he won a 20-8 decision against Darnell Wilson of Lafayette, Ind.; in the quarterfinals on 1-13-00 he stopped Dorian Beaupierre of South River, N.J., at 0:28 of the 4^th round; in the semifinals on 1-14-00 he lost a 22-12 decision against Sechew Powell of Brooklyn, N.Y.; in the bronze medal box-off on 1-15-00 he stopped Francisco Diaz of Kansas City, Mo., at 1:30 of the 2^nd round…

1999 U.S. NATIONAL UNDER 19 CHAMPIONSHIPS - Gulfport, Mississippi, 147 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST: in his first fight he stopped Alvino Villalobos of Napa, Calif., at 1:34 of the 4^th round; in the quarterfinals he won a 33-6 decision against Joel Salas of of Oxnard, Calif.; in the semifinals he stopped Terry Cade of of Gloverton, S.C., at 1:33 of the 3^rd round; in the finals he won a 15-6 decision against James Parison of San Diego, Calif....

1998 NATIONAL JR. GOLDEN GLOVES CHAMPIONSHIPS - 147 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST...

1998 NATIONAL JR. PAL CHAMPIONSHIPS - 147 pounds – GOLD MEDALIST...

STRENGTHS: Has an aggressive style and good skills...has good punching power in both hands...a good body puncher and a good finisher…is big and strong…very tough and determined, has tremendous heart and the ability to overcome adversity...is experienced against top opposition...had a strong amateur background…

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE: 42 fights…194 total rounds…36 world championship rounds...

AVERAGE LENGTH OF BOUTS: 4.6 rounds…

KNOCKOUT PERCENTAGE: 85 %...

DISTANCE FIGHTS: 12 rounds – 3 (1-2)…10 rounds – 2 (2-0)…