Youngstown Club backs Kelly

By Mark Sweetwood (Contact)

Published February 21, 2009

FROM REPORTER KATIE SEMINARE:

YOUNGSTOWN — The Youngstown Club in the downtown lined its windows with letters spelling out “GO KELLY,” and inside there were plenty of Pavlik supporters getting amped up for tonight’s fight.

Kenny Crewz and Gary Leppla drove from Dayton to cheer on “The Ghost.”

“This is the first time in a long time I’ve seen a fight of this magnitude in Ohio,” Crewz said. Crewz, who said he was a Golden Gloves champion in the late 1980s in Dayton, said he has a lot of respect for Kelly.

Crewz and Leppla don’t frequent Youngstown, but both were surprised at how well the city looks.

“I’ve been through Youngstown on the freeway, and I’ve never been downtown,” Leppla said. “I think downtown looks great.”

Crewz said, “We’re excited about this. It’s going to be a great night.”