Tag Archives: Team Fight to Walk

boxing, Team Fight to Walk

Melson to speak at Rutgers Student Society for Stem Cell Research!

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New York, NY (April 26, 2015) – Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson will serve as a special guest speaker Tuesday, April 28 as part of a special fundraiser for the Rutgers Student Society for Stem Cell Research. The event is named “Knocking out Spinal Cord Injury One Punch at a Time” and benefits Rutgers’W.M. Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience. Admission is $4 and the start time is 8 PM. The fundraiser is taking place at the Busch Student Center’s Multipurpose Room.

In addition to Melson’s speech, there will be performers from the Rutgers Belly Dancing Troupe and RU Salsa Club. Dinner is also included for all attendees.

A close friend of the Rutgers Foundation through his involvement and donations to Spinal Cord Injury research, Melson’s generosity has helped make him one of the biggest local attractions on the east coast. The 2003 West Pointgraduate is a former world military champion and founded Team Fight to Walk along with best friend Christan Zaccagnino. As a pro, Melson is 14-1-1 with 4 wins by knockout. His next bout takes place May 8 against Mike Ruiz for the NABA championship at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, NY.

Having worked closely with Dr. Wise Young and Dr. Patricia Morton from the Rutgers Foundation with the ultimate goal being to cure Spinal Cord Injuries, Melson considers the campus his second home.

“Rutgers has a special place in my heart and I visit whenever I get the chance. I’ve received a tremendous amount of hospitality from students, teachers and members of the athletic staff. Eric LeGrand is a member of Team Fight to Walk and a close friend of mine, so speaking on this subject at Rutgersabout something that can potentially get him out of his chair is extraordinarily humbling for me. I look forward to meeting many new friends and growing the support system we’ve built to finally get the trials in the United States so those suffering can walk again.”

Tickets for Melson’s fight are available by going tohttp://teamfighttowalk.com/tickets-for-boyd-melsons-may-8-fight/

Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two division world champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Sonya Lamonakis, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., WBA Middleweight champion Danny Jacobs, WBO Junior Middleweight titlist/2008 US Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade and fellow 08’ Olympian 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 toteamfighttowalk.com. All specific questions about the nature of the Clinical Trial to cure Spinal Cord Injury can be sent tobamstrong1981@gmail.com. Fans can also interact with Melson via Twitter @BoydMelson or Facebook.com/Boydmelson

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Melson to return against Ruiz May 8!

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New York, NY (April 7, 2015) – Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson returns to the ring following a fifteen month layoff when he battles fellow popular New Yorker Mike “El Cangri” Ruiz in the ten round main event of a DiBella Entertainment and New Legend Boxing card Friday, May 8 at the Hilton Westchester in Rye Brook, NY.

 

Tickets starting at $40 are on sale now at http://teamfighttowalk.com/tickets-for-boyd-melsons-may-8-fight/.

 

Out of action since February 2014, Melson has an excellent professional record of 14-1-1 with four wins by knockout. The Manhattan resident, who is one of the biggest box office draws in the Big Apple, was slated to face contender Glen Tapia last June at Madison SquareGarden but withdrew after suffering a shoulder injury in training. In his last bout, the 2003 West Point grad outpointed Donald Ward while fighting through a stretched brachial plexus. The injury, which a ringside doctor said he’s never seen in more than 30 years of working with fighters, caused temporary paralysis in Melson’s right arm during the last five rounds of the match.

 

A Long Island based Puerto Rican, Ruiz has a solid 17-8 professional ledger with 9 victories by knockout. In July 2012, Ruiz scored the best win of his career, traveling to Atlanta, GA to knockout title contender Paul Delgado in his hometown. Having faced the aforementioned Tapia, often-avoided Martin Wright (twice) and contender Charlie Ota, Ruiz is Melson’s most experienced opponent to date.

 

“Ruiz is a tough fighter with a lot of experience,” Melson said of his next foe. “This is also my first ten rounder and in order for me to get to the next level, I’ve got to defeat him impressively. I know I’ve been out of the ring for awhile but at this stage of my career it’s time to step up. Even with the inactivity on paper, I’ve spent a lot of time in the gym so I expect no ring rust come May 8.”

 

Melson also has personal ties to the area, which further inspires him to put forth a career best performance.

 

“The high school I graduated from is right down the road. (Team Fight to Walk Founder) Christan Zaccagnino lives a mile away from the venue and we’re expecting a great turnout on fight night.”

 

After his fight with Ruiz, Melson will continue his pledge assist in curing chronic Spinal Cord Injuries by donating 100% of his purse to Team Fight to Walk in support ofAmerica’s first trial of its kind.

 

Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two division world champion Paul “The Punisher” Williams, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Sonya Lamonakis, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., WBA Middleweight champion Danny Jacobs,  WBO Junior Middleweight titlist/2008 US Olympian Demetrius “Boo Boo” Andrade and fellow 08’ Olympian 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 bamstrong1981@gmail.com. Fans can also interact with Melson via Twitter @BoydMelson orFacebook.com/Boydmelson

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Team Fight to Walk begins Pushups for Paralysis!

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New York, NY (January 27, 2015) –Captain Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson and Team Fight to Walk have started the Pushups for Paralysis challenge. Melson created the challenge to assist fundraising efforts forAmerica’s first clinical trial to help cure Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries.

 

Yesterday, Melson, who donates 100% of his purses towards the trial, posted a video where he completed ten pushups. After finishing the pushups, Melson called out other members of Team Fight to Walk including Danny Jacobs, Marcus Browne, Riddick Bowe, Anthony Mason, Christan Zaccagnino, Paul Williams and Eric LeGrand to complete the challenge.

 

Like the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge, Pushups for Paralysis’ goal is to raise both funds and awareness through social media. Each participant is challenged to do 10 pushups, call out others to participate then donate $10 to teamfighttowalk.com. If they are unable to complete ten, participants are asked to donate an additional $1 for each incomplete pushup. For example, if only six pushups are completed, the donation would be $14. The goal is to raise $5,000,000 so the trial could take place in 2015 following delays due to funding issues.

 

“The world saw how powerful the ALS Ice Bucket Challenge was and we all participated” said Melson. “More than $100 million was raised for ALS and everybody was talking about it. I’m challenging everybody out there to complete 10 pushups and donate $10 to Teamfighttowalk.com to help cure paralysis. Through widespread efforts, I have no doubt that our goals can be met. Ultimately, America will benefit by seeing hundreds of thousands of people confined to wheelchairs from Spinal Cord Injuries walking again following the trials.”

 

For more information on teamfighttowalk, go to teamfighttowalk.com. All participants are asked to use the hashtag #pushupsforparalysis.

 

A video of Melson’s Pushups for Paralysis can be seen at http://teamfighttowalk.com/push-ups-for-paralysis/

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Melson to receive “Heart of a Champion” Award

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New York, NY (January 15, 2015) – Humanitarian and junior middleweight boxer Captain Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson will receive the “Heart of a Champion” award from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital Sunday, January 25.

 

The award will be given during a special fundraiser for St. Jude titled “NY Champions for St. Jude” taking place at O’Neill’s of Maspeth in Queens, NY. More than 2,000 people are expected to attend the event, which will include a good amount of professional athletes from various sports, celebrities, and overall supporters of St. Jude and its mission. The event will be hosted by New York Rangers legend and Hockey Hall of Famer Brian Leetch.

 

Founded in 1962 by entertainer Danny Thomas, the goal of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital is to advance cures and means of prevention for pediatric catastrophic diseases through research and treatment. Through the years, St. Jude has focused significantly on providing care for children suffering from different forms of cancer. Consistent with the vision of Thomas, no child is denied treatment based on race, religion or family’s ability to pay.

 

Since turning pro in 2010, Melson’s received mainstream attention in and outside of the boxing world for donating 100% of his fight purses towards helping find a cure for Spinal Cord Injuries in the United States. Melson, along with Christan Zaccagnino, founded Team Fight to Walk and recruited notable professional athletes to join the fight to cure paralysis. The past two years, Team Fight to Walk’s hosted their annual fundraising gala “Fighting for the Cure,” that helped raise additional significant funds. Due to their admirable efforts through Team Fight to Walk, Melson and Zaccagnino were profiled by various large media outlets.

 

“This is an incredible honor.” Melson said of the recognition from St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. “I met a young girl a few years back, who was 10 years old at the time, and her name is Lilly; I call her my lil’ flower. When she was a few months old, she developed Astrocytoma where she developed a cancerous tumor along her spinal cord. When the surgeons removed the tumor, she was left paralyzed. She was not even a year old, and she is now 14. She has only known life looking up from a wheelchair. Cancer paralyzed her.”

 

“Well Lilly my lil’ flower, cancer paralyzed you, and you are so very special to me, that I am proud to risk my life in the ring just so one day selfishly, I can hug you while you are standing. This award I am receiving is a gift from me to you as my way of saying thank you for being in my life. Little do you know lil’ flower that you have helped me never give up.” Melson closed by saying that “like St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Team Fight To Walk’s goal is to bring hope to families and show those that are suffering that hope is light in the darkness.”

 

Tickets to the fundraiser are available www.eventbrite.com/e/ny-champions-for-st-jude-tickets-14424781911?aff=eac2 and the event takes place from 1-8 pm. All adult ticketholders can enjoy a complementary buffet, live music, silent and live auctions and a live raffle drawing. Children under 12 will receive the buffet, unlimited juice or soda and family friendly entertainment.

 

For more information on Team Fight to Walk or to donate, go to Teamfighttowalk.com. All questions about Team Fight to Walk or Spinal Cord Injuries can be emailed to Boydmelson@Teamfighttowalk.com.