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

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.”

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.

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.

Born on the boxing-crazed island of Puerto Rico and based out of the fighting city of Chicago, Illinois, Perez won his first five professional bouts, three of which came by way of knockout. Perez, whose only defeats came against blue chip prospects Luis Arias, Jermall Charlo and Steven Martinez, will look to pull off an upset against his popular foe.

With a solid record of 10-1-1 with 4 knockouts, Melson’s one of the most talked about fighters in New York. On April 16, Melson, who donated all of his fight purses and is heavily involved in helping finding the cure for chronic Spinal Cord Injuries, earned additional notoriety when he was featured with his best friend Christan Zaccagnino on HBO’s critically acclaimed series Real Sports. Originally scheduled to fight in February as part of the postponed Danny Garcia-Zab Judah headlined card, Perez is Melson’s third scheduled opponent.

“This is the part of boxing that nobody likes,” said Melson, who battled to a disputed draw in his last bout back in October. “The truth is guys get hurt at every level of this sport and opponents change. I’ve had a challenging training camp with a freak scratched cornea in my sleep as well as a reoccurring throat infection, but nevertheless I am in good shape with a strong mind ready to compete. I‘ve been working with my new head coach Simon Bakinde, who has my former Assistant Coach Bernie Lenahan still by my side now assisting him, and we’ve worked together as a new team for some time now. I am extremely confident about our adjustments to my technique that we have made. I’m extremely thankful that so many people enjoyed the story about Christan and I, but now it’s time to get back to work!”

Melson-Perez is scheduled for 6 rounds.

Tickets and merchandise are available on Teamfighttowalk.com. Following the bout, Melson will once again donate his entire fight purse to Justadollarplease.org in support of bringing trials to the United States that could help cure chronic Spinal Cord Injuries.

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.

For more information or to make a donation, go to teamfighttowalk.com or Justadollarplease.org. All specific questions about the nature of the Clinical Trial to cure Spinal Cord Injury can be sent to boydmelson@yahoo.com.

Less than 24 hours ago, Jones, the IBF’s 7th rated contender and a former USBA champion, offered to face Alexander May 18 after his original opponent Kell Brook withdrew for a second time due to an injury. Jones, who has a deceptive record 34-9-3 with 24 KO’s since he took many fights earlier in his career as an opponent, was abruptly rejected by Cunningham.

“Hey Carson, I wish I could help you out,” Cunningham told a popular boxing website. “But we already have all our sparring partners for this camp. Maybe we’ll consider bringing you into camp for Devon’s next fight. That’s the only use we would have for a guy with 9 losses and 3 draws.”

Jones, who said he respected Cunningham as a trainer before he hurled insults in his directions, believes that he only said that to keep his fighter away from a tough bout.

“These guys claim to be tough and from the streets of St. Louis, but how tough are they?” “The truth is that boxing wise, Devon’s anything but tough. Aside from quitting against Bradley, he’s been protected by his promoters and the premium cable networks. They want to talk about my 9 losses but forget what tough really is. I lost a few controversial fights and the only time Devon’s had any controversy, he received gift decisions in hometown. Cunningham and Alexander know deep down that records are overrated and there are plenty of 25-0 guys who can’t fight a lick. I earned my way up the rankings by knocking out quality fighters when my back was against the wall and that is something they can’t dispute no matter how hard they try.”

Jones also views his close loss to the aforementioned Kell Brook as a reason of why he’s more than worthy for the title shot.

“I went into Brook’s hometown, gave him hell and lost a very close decision. From what I’ve heard, Brook offered good money to face him in England but Team Alexander was too scared. I proved that I am a real fighter time and time again by facing whoever, wherever and whenever. Can Devon do the same or are you guys into playing the matchmaking game and pretending all the people in boxing are idiots and actually believe these undefeated stiffs can fight. They call him Devon “The Great” Alexander, but he’s acting like a coward. Man up and take the challenge. I’m ready to go!”

A 12,000 sq ft facility that is quickly becoming one of boxing’s hotspots, the Palm Beach Boxing Center’s held camps for world champions Lucian Bute, Devon Alexander, Cory Spinks and Nate Campbell as well as 2008 Olympian Matt Korobov. The gym’s also hosted Andre Dirrell, Kassim Ouma, Riddick Bowe, Jameel McCline and Oleg Maskaev amongst others.

During the last 40 plus years, the Florida Golden Gloves served as a competitive tournament for male and female fighters of all skill levels. Participants range from everyday people to future boxing champions. Notables include boxing legend Roy Jones Jr., Hall of Famer Mike McCallum, former world champions Andre Berto and Nate Campbell and unbeaten prospect Daquan Arnett among others.

“I feel like a kid in a candy store,” Martinez said of running the gloves. “I’ve had a number of my fighters participate and there have been so many greats that showcased their skills in this event before going to the pros. It’s always been a dream to run this great event. Luckily, I had the opportunity to take over the event this year and did so without hesitation.”

Athletes and coaches can register now on Floridagoldengloves.net and the tournament takes place April 20-21. Weigh-ins take place at 7 AM sharp on the 20th at the Ramada Inn at 1901 Palm Beach Lakes Blvd in West Palm Beach and all participants must bring their USA Boxing Passbook. The opening round starts the very same day just minutes away at City Soccer, located at 1016 Clare Ave in West Palm Beach, FL.

For more information on the Florida Golden Gloves, go to Floridagoldengloves.net. To sign up for the Palm Beach Boxing Center or purchase tickets to the Florida Golden Gloves visit Palmbeachboxing.com

The youthful but experienced 26-year-old began his career without true direction, taking a number of early losses against world class opposition. Since March 2009, Jones has an excellent 18-2-1 record with 13 wins by knockout. Along the way, Jones, whose overall professional ledger is 34-9-3 (24 KO’s), steamrolled previously unbeaten knockout king Tyrone Brunson, 2000 Olympic Silver Medalist Ricardo Williams, welterweight contender Said Ouali and former title challenger Michael Clark.

In July 2012, Jones lost a hotly contested majority decision in the hometown of Kell Brook in one of the best fights during that calendar year. Dubbed as “Special K” due to his diverse talents, Brook dominated all 27 of his opponents up to that point. Against Jones, a bruised and bloodied Brook survived a number of rough moments and never considered a rematch.

Fast forward to 2013, where Brook found himself pitted against IBF welterweight champion Devon Alexander; or so we thought. The two were scheduled to fight on multiple occasions, with each man pulling out of the fight due to an injury. On Saturday, May 18, Brook-Alexander was finally scheduled to take place on Showtime, but Brook suffered another injury that forced him to withdraw, leaving the champion without an opponent.

“I know a lot of guys are calling out Alexander and I can’t blame them,” said Jones, the IBF’s 7th rated contender. “But how many of them have been through hell in a gasoline suit? Which one of them went overseas and got the short end of a decision against a fighter that is considered one of boxing’s next bright stars? Can anybody else out there vying for this fight claim to have faced the level of opposition I have? The answer is no.”

Jones also believes that his fan-friendly style would make for a great fight and a bout with Alexander would produce two winners; Carson Jones and the spectators.

“After Alexander’s sleep-induced fight with Randall Bailey, I think the boxing world needs an exciting fight. I do not run from my opponents. Unlike Bailey, I will cut the ring off and force him to fight my fight just like Tim Bradley did. Alexander’s known as Devon “The Great” but does his name mean anything? If he’s true to his moniker and wants to show how great he his, all Team Alexander has to do send me a contract and see me in the ring on May 18!”

Jones is currently in training with the hopes of facing Alexander or another top welterweight in the immediate future.