Special to the Independent
By day, pro boxer James “Pitbull” Perkins digs graves for a living but at night, he rigorously trains at the new Broadway Boxing Club in Saugus, where he’s been preparing for his throwdown with fellow super middleweight Ryan Clark less than a mile away at Encore Boston Harbor on Saturday night, November 15.
Perkins vs. Clark is a scheduled 6-round bout on “Boston Harbor Fight Night,” presented by Granite Chin Promotions and CES Boxing. This will be only the third pro boxing event held at Encore Boston Harbor, the first since August 23, 2019, when Perkins won his pro debut there.
The 33-year-old Perkins (14-3-1, 9 KOs), fighting out of Lynn, MA, is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) USA Silver Light Heavyweight Champion, although this fight will be contested at super middleweight.
On Nov. 15, Perkins will be one of only two prize fighters to fight twice at Encore Boston Harbor, joining Boston lightweight Jonathan de Pina (14-2, 7 KOs), who also made his pro debut there the same evening. Perkins fought to a 4-round majority draw with Aaron Trecell Smith. East Providence’s Elijah Peixoto (4-0-1, 2 KOs) is matched with de Pina, who stopped Robbie Thomas in the third round, in a 6-round bout.
“Making my pro debut at Encore was awesome,” Perkins said. “I thought it would be a spot where I’d frequently fight. It was my first time fighting in that atmosphere. Fighting there again is a great opportunity for me. I train in Saugus and live close by in Lynn.”
Six days a week, Perkins digs graves at Holy Cross Cemetery in nearby Malden, followed by training and sparring at night. A former hockey player at St. Mary High School in Lynn, Perkins has been a gravedigger for four years, the first three working at St. Joseph’s Cemetery in Lynn.
Perkins credits his job for his unusually powerful body, particularly his torso, saying: “I have a physically labor-intensive job, and then my training,” Perkins explained. “I do both 6 days a week, digging and jumping in and out of graves and then a full boxing workout on top of that,”
The fight between Perkins and Clark (5-7-1, 2 KOs), who lives in Barrington, NH, could be fought in the proverbial “boxing phone booth,” because neither fighter takes a step back and both are willing to take a few punches to land an effective shot.
“Clark is a tough guy” Perkins concluded. “We’ve fought a lot on the same shows (6 times). I won’t have to chase him. We’ll go head-to-head, toe-to-toe.”
Undefeated Weymouth, MA middleweight prospect Francis “Frank The Tank” Hogan (20-0, 17 KOs) headlines against upset-specialist Antonio “Primo” Todd (17-13, 9 KOs), of Atlanta, in the 10-round main event.
Other New England fighters scheduled to be in action include Boston welterweight Eric “The Gladiator” Goff (8-0, 6 KOs) vs. Springfield’s Derrick Whitley, Jr. (9-5-2, 2 KOs), Londonderry, NH welterweight Jaydell “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazmino (8-0, 7 KOs), Milton, MA junior featherweight Jennifer Perella (3-1, 1 KO), South Boston cruiserweight Charlie “The City Point Sicilian” Lograsso (2-0, 2 KOs), and Nashua, NH bantamweight Christian Moura (1-0, 1 KO).
Card subject to change.
Tickets prices range between $200.00 and $60.00 and are on sale and available for purchase online at https://www.tickettree.us/fan/events/3b79ff85-75db-4cdc-86e8-f174da9e09ab/c2362884-6ba6-492e-9612-44d16cc95d90.
Doors open at 6 p.m. ET, first bout at 7 p.m. ET.
Facebook.com/GraniteChinPromotions-GCP.