Knockout Publicity

New York, NY (May 18, 2013) – Thursday evening at BB King Blues Club in Times Square, Team Fight to Walk hosted their first ever charity Gala “FIGHTING FOR THE CURE” to raise money for spinal cord injury research and a pending trial to help cure Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries.

The packed house for this elegant black tie event was treated to special comedy acts from Artie Lange and Damon Rozier as well as a performance by rapper Professir X. Guests, including Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, Steve “USS” Cunningham, Danny “Miracle Man” Jacobs, Luis Collazo, Junior Jones, Marcus Browne, and Kim G from the Real Housewives of New Jersey, partook in live and silent auctions throughout the evening. Jacobs, a well known boxer who fights for Golden Boy Promotions, also served as a guest speaker and put forth a speech from deep inside his heart, bringing members of the audience to tears.

Emceed to perfection by renowned PA announcer David Diamante, the voice of The Brooklyn Nets at The Barclays Center, the evening’s theme was the Five Fighters, each of whom are affected by Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries or have major involvement with “FIGHTING FOR THE CURE”. The Five Fighters, Captain Boyd Melson, Dr. Wise Young, Major Max Brewer, Eric LeGrand and Christan Zaccagnino, spoke at length about the crucial importance of raising awareness and funds through events like the gala to help bring the procedures needed to America.

While the Five Fighters closed the evening by taking the stage together as a team, they each took turns sharing their hearts by speaking to the audience. It was at this time that Melson opened up his speech by taking a medal donated to him by Jill Diamond, President of The WBC Cares Program, and placing it around Eric LeGrand’s neck. The medal was a miniature version of the center piece of the WBC World Championship belt and Melson placed it around Eric LeGrand’s neck as a gift from one friend to another thanking him for joining him in this fight.

Melson closed his opportunity to speak by reaching to the audience and asking them to carry his words and loving intentions with them when they leave the night’s events returning to their own lives. He charged them with the favor of picking one day of the week in their busy lives to remember his words, and use that day to try to contribute in any form to Team Fight to Walk’s mission- raising the necessary funds to conduct this much anticipated Clinical Trial this Fall here in New York and New Jersey.

Overall, after covering the expenses to carry out the Gala, the event raised close to $40,000, with additional checks from the evening still coming in. Every penny raised will be used to cover the costs of surgery in the Clinical Trial along with the minimum six weeks of physical therapy immediately after the surgery. With the trial hoping to include 40 patients at $100,000 per patient, a total of $4,000,000 is needed to begin the next critical phase of “FIGHTING FOR THE CURE,” which is the extremely promising Clinical Trial.

For more information or to donate, please visit Justadollarplease.org

Baltimore, MD (May 2, 2013) – Baltimore Boxing & Fitness’ middleweight sensation Jerome Featherstone is headed to Salt Lake City, UT for the National Golden Gloves Tournament of Champions.

The tournament begins May 13 at the Salt Palace Convention Center and tickets are available by going to smithstix.com/events/item/root/national-golden-gloves-tournament-may-13.

A local high school wrestling legend at Maryland’s Boys Latin High School, Featherstone took up boxing a few years back following an excelling as a collegiate wrestle for the University of Oklahoma. Defined by trainer Jake Smith as one of the top natural talents he’s seen, Featherstone earned his way to the nationals by winning the 165 pound Golden Gloves title, besting top fighters from Maryland, Washington DC, Virginia and the Marines.

“It’s incredible how far he’s come in such a short period of time,” stated Smith, a former prizefighter who is a member of the DC and Maryland Boxing Hall of Fames. “Jerome first entered the gym not even a year and a half ago and now he’s headed to the National Golden Gloves to compete against the top fighters in the country. I believe he’ll continue to win en route to bigger and better things at the next level.”

Brooklyn, NY (April 29, 2013) – Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson of New York improved to 11-1-1 with 4 wins by knockout following a dominant victory against Chicago based veteran Edgar Perez Saturday, April 27 at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Fighting for the first time since last October, Melson was the classier fighter from the opening bell, soundly outboxing Perez and scoring a knockdown in the fifth round en route to a one-sided six round decision. Melson, who received national attention after being profiled by HBO Real Sports along with his best friend Christan Zaccagnino, considered this victory an important one in multiple facets.

“I’m glad to be back in the ring and performing in front of my loyal fans,” said Melson, who donated his entire fight purse to justadollarpleae.org to help support a trial that could help cure chronic Spinal Cord Injuries. “Most importantly, we raised extra money for the trial thanks to the extreme generosity of Oscar De La Hoya and Golden Boy Promotions for matching my fight purse and my full-time employer Johnson&Johnson matching it 2:1. There is still a lot of work left for me to do both in and out of the ring, but everything is on the right track.”

Melson’s next fight date will be announced shortly and he will serve as a special guest at a charity fundraiser for Justadollarplease.org Thursday, May 16 at BB King’s Blues Club. For more information on the fundraiser, please visit fightingforthecure.org. Donations can also be made on Teamfighttowalk.com and Justadollarplease.org.

In association with the 501 (C) 3 nonprofit Justadollarplease.org, Melson and his best friend Christan Zaccagnino created Team Fight to Walk, whose mission is to raise awareness within the boxing community as well as the entire nation about the importance of bringing Clinical Trials to the United States to help cure Spinal Cord Injuries. Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, former junior middleweight titlist Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., 2008 US Olympians Demetrius “Boo” Andrade and Shawn Estrada along with prospects Sid “The Messenger” El Harrak, Jeff “TNT” Spencer, Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin, Will “Power” Rosinsky, Floriano “Italiano” Pagliara, Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, Vinny “The Lion” O’Brien, Ahmed “Prince of Egypt” Samir and Delen “Sniper” Parsley.

All specific questions about the nature of the Clinical Trial to cure Spinal Cord Injury can be sent to boydmelson@yahoo.com.

Cincinnati, OH (April 27, 2013) – When lifelong boxing fan and successful club promoter Michael Grace opened Starpower Boxing Management in 2013, his goal was to enhance the careers of talented fighters that have either been overlooked or misguided.

A self-professed boxing junkie, Grace’s personal relationships and time spent around the gyms in Cincinnati, OH helped him find a number of quality fighters that needed a push to get their careers going in the direction they expected upon turning pro. Currently, Grace has four fighters in his stable hailing from the Queen City.

Inactive since 2012 due to prior managerial issues, lightweight Mel “Black Diamond” Crossty is 5-0 as a professional. Many fight fans may not be aware of the soft-spoken 27-year-old yet, but those who’ve been around the sport have heard the name Mel Crossty for years. A successful amateur, Crossty is a sharp boxer who has been in training camps with Andre Ward, Devon Alexander, Sharif Bogere and Cincinnati’s very own Adrien Broner. Crossty spends time training in Cincinnati with Brandon Bush as well as Las Vegas with Floyd Mayweather Sr., who personally invited him to the famed Mayweather Boxing Gym.

Welterweight hopeful William “Action” Jackson brings a 10-1-1 record to the table with 5 wins by knockout. The popular 24-year-old fought all 12 of his bouts in Cincinnati, including a knockout victory over previously unbeaten Edward Ochoa, before promotional problems forced him out of action 1 ½ years ago. With Grace in his corner, Jackson will have the opportunity to get right back into the mix when he meets perennial contender Michael Clark in the main event of a card in Columbus, OH May 18.

As an amateur, 25-year-old super featherweight Jesse Carradine notched victories over notables Duran Caferro, Brandon Bennett, Walter Sarnoi and Archie Ray Marquez. Unfortunately, the paid ranks haven’t been as easy. A participant at the 2008 Olympic Trials, Carradine’s taken fights wherever he could find them, showcasing his skills in New Jersey, Florida, North Carolina, Georgia and Ohio. His two defeats came against top level opponents in current world champion Evgeny Gradovich and unbeaten rising star Karl Dargan. His record stands at 8-2-1 with 4 victories by knockout.

Rounding out the Starpower stable is 24-year-old DeVonte Allen, 4-1-1 (3 KO’s). Like his new stablemates, Allen’s had issues out of his control and hasn’t fought since July.

Crossty, Carradine and Allen are also slated to fight on the 18th in Columbus.

“There are so many good fighters out there who don’t get a fair shake,” said Grace, whose built a close relationship with each of his boxers. Not everybody is going to be promoted the right way and get signed by Golden Boy or Top Rank off the bat. William, Mel, Jesse and DaVonte are all very good fighters. People who have been in the gym with them, and I’m talking quality fighters and top trainers, can vouch for these guys. I know what I’ve got here and I’m excited about giving these guys the opportunity they deserve while getting their careers on the right path.”

Starpower Boxing is a Cincinnati-based management company established by Michal Grace in 2013. Grace grew up in English Woods, a tough crime-stricken neighborhood that also produced world champion Adrien Broner, three-time Olympian Rau’shee Warren and unbeaten prospect Brandon Bennett. As a die-hard fan of the sport, Grace became a manager to further indulge his passion for boxing. As CEO of Starpower Boxing, Grace is committed to representing his fighters’ best interests to allow them to maximize their potential both in and out of the ring. For more information, please email starpower81.mg@gmail.com.