Kelly Pavlik won the Cleveland Golden Gloves back in 1999 in an unforgettable match against an established nationally ranked senior division fighter, Henry White. Kelly had just come up from the juniors and had just reached the minimum age of 17. Henry, 22 years old, was a constant local champion and a national stand out. Kelly seized the match with relentless flurries and repeated power shots. It was a boxing contest of legendary proportions even before Pavlik made a name for himself in the pros.

On Saturday April 17th at the North Hall of Browns Stadium the tradition continues. 2008 US Olympian Raynell Williams fights a hometown rival for the city’s most coveted amateur boxing title. Also on the card, 2009 USA Middleweight Champion Terrell Gausha, #1 141lb Zeddie Adams, #2 152lb Eddie Alicea. Heck, this might be a good portion of the 2012 US Olympic Team. Just 2 weeks ago,Terrell, Zeddie and Eddie were the premiere representatives of USA boxing against the Italian National Team.

Later in the night, one of the Cleveland Golden Gloves Alumni, Kelly Pavlik, will be at the center of the boxing universe on International TV. He defends his Universally Recognized World Middleweight Championship against Sergio Martinez.

Pavlik visits the Cleveland Golden Gloves tournament almost every year. It’s a reunion of sorts. Back in 2007 before he fought Edision Miranda he couldn’t walk 10 feet without someone yelling comments of encouragement, “Kelly, please shut Miranda up!”

A few weeks later he did just that. Within a few months he captured the World Middleweight Championship in dramatic form.

On April 17 his proteges, the kids that used to watch him with awe in his final amateur days and thereafter, will be chasing their Olympic dreams. They fight and then a couple hours later, they get to see one their own fight on the world stage.