Pavliks Latest Hometown Interview

Kelly Pavlik admits he's looking forward to someday cruising on a motorcycle. Asked if he owns a motorcycle, Pavlik said, "I do not but I am a huge, huge Harley fan. The guys here who run the store treat me well, but I don't think it's safe for me right now to ride a bike. With my luck, I'll fall off, hit my head, bounce around, break an arm."
Saturday, Pavlik spent a couple of hours meeting fans and signing autographs at the store. "It's fun," said Pavlik of the meet-and-greets that have filled his schedule since he defeated Edison Miranda May 19 in Memphis and began receiving national attention. "Sometimes, staying busy is a good thing."
A fan of "all Cleveland" sports teams, Pavlik said throwing out the ceremonial first pitch before Friday's Indians game at Jacobs Field was "pretty neat.
"[Indians catcher] Kelly Shoppach even asked for my autograph," Pavlik said. "After the pitch, he comes out and goes, 'Would you sign this for me?' I was surprised by that ... though maybe it's because we share a first name."
Pavlik also was a guest in the SportsTime Ohio broadcast booth, chatting during the fifth inning with Tribe broadcasters Rick Manning and Matt Underwood.
"We sat right behind home plate," Pavlik said of the ballpark's Diamond loges that are between the dugouts and visible from the center-field camera. "The Royals' on-deck circle was eye-level with our seats. Usually, we're in nosebleed seats.
"Then I was up in the [television] booth — it was awesome," said Pavlik who has become a media favorite in the past two months. "To be able to walk on the field let alone throw the first pitch out — what an experience.
"No matter whatever happens in my career, if boxing is over tomorrow, this is something I can always look back on [happily]."
Memorable time
Pavlik said the whirlwind of the past two months has been memorable.
"Some of the things I've been able to see and do, the people I've been able to help with charities, they're very good experiences," Pavlik said.
Pavlik was wearing an armband to support Boardman teen Dante DelSignore's cancer battle .
Pavlik said he's pretty much pain free as his summer break winds down. He expects to begin intense training for the Taylor fight in early August.
"My hands have been great," Pavlik said. "With sparring and training, they get a little beat up but overall my hands have been feeling really good. The reason we only go seven weeks is because we train eight-to-nine hours a day, brutal workouts.
"So sometimes close to fight time, my lower back, my legs, my arms [are feeling it] so we don't want to go any longer than seven weeks. That's why I take time off so everything is healed up."
When training begins, public appearances will dwindle.
As for cycles, Pavlik isn't impressed with "crotch rockets, the ones who drive 75, 80 miles per hour, zooming in traffic.
"With the Harleys, they're more of a cruise bike. You can hear them, you can see them sooner. Those crotch rockets, those are the ones that are dangerous. I watch them on the freeway, zipping in and cutting over. And if the driver doesn't see them, it's over, they're done."
Unlike Pavlik's time in the media spotlight, which appears to be taking off.