New York, NY (January 22, 2016) – WBC USNBC 154 pound champion Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson will serve as a special guest speaker for Johnson & Johnson during their Veterans Leadership Council Town Hall Meeting Thursday, February 18th in Raritan, New Jersey.
A 2003 West Point graduate, Melson was personally invited to speak by retired Army Colonel and current J&J employee Irving Smith, who was Melson’s Minority Admissions Representative and mentor when he applied to West Point as a teenager. On the 18th, Melson will present to J&J employees who are part of J&J’s Veterans Leadership Council with respect to the topics of Traumatic Brain Injury and Spinal Cord Injury. A former standout salesman for J&J’s Ethicon Division, Melson’s success in and out of the ring is still closely monitored by J&J’s CEO and fellow West Point graduate Alex Gorsky.
“Johnson and Johnson will always exist within an independent aspect of my heart. I am overwhelmed with pride that the honor of speaking to J&J’s Veterans Leadership Council is now extended to me as I was once myself a Veteran working for J&J” said Melson.
Last week, Melson was honored at Johns Hopkins University as a military superstar. He was their guest of honor for their Men’s and Women’s basketball game, and upon personal request from the women’s basketball team’s coach, he delivered a pre-game inspirational talk to the ladies on that team.
In regard to J&J, Melson said it “it was a great place to work. They were extremely supportive of my boxing career and the mission of Team Fight to Walk. Many of J&J employees are loyal supporters that purchased tickets to see me fight. I am personally asking J&J CEO Alex Gorsky to attend this lecture on the 18th. It is very important to me that he learns how close we are towards receiving FDA Approval to conduct the clinical trial in the United States that Team Fight To Walk has worked the past 5.5 years to raise money for.”
For more information about Team Fight to Walk, please visitTeamfighttowalk.com. Tax deductible donations can be made on the website or by texting “Walk” to 20222.
Ring 8 historian Henry Hascup (right) eulogized and made a historical tribute to the late Herschel Jacobs, who passed away this past December at the age of 75 (pictured to right). Jacobs (27-20-2, 11 KOs) fought professionally between 1960 and 1978. His most notable win was a 10-round decision in 1971 against three-time world light heavyweight champion and Hall-of-Famer, Harold Johnson, at the famed Sunnyside Garden in Queens. Jacobs also gave Rubin “Hurricane” Carter (4-0) his first pro loss in 1962 by way of a six-round decision.
