LYNN — If the nickname doesn’t give it away, James “Pitbull” Perkins of Lynn is as tough as they come. Now, the 30-year-old brawler prepares for his toughest fight yet.
A gravedigger by day and boxer by night, Perkins (12-0-1, 9 KO) goes up against Steve “The Savage” Sumpter (8-0, 7 KO) in an eight-round fight on Saturday, Aug. 19 for the IBA Super Middleweight Championship.
Headlined as the “Pandemonium at The Palladium,” doors open at 6:30 p.m. at the Palladium in Worcester.
“You just can’t wait to get in there,” said Perkins, who trains at Broadway Boxing Club in Everett. “This is for the IBA title and this is the biggest fight of my career so far, so I’m just looking forward to it. I want to get in there and go to work.”
Raised by a single mother in Lynn, Perkins was “always getting into fights.” Playing ice hockey at St. Mary’s filled the void for a while, and after graduation, Perkins got an idea.
“Hockey and fighting go hand in hand,” Perkins said. “After high school, I just got into boxing and it was a pretty easy transition.”
Fast forward to his days as an amateur, and then-undefeated Perkins lost his first fight (4-1). That said, he got back up to win his next one.
“After that, I knew even if I take a loss, I can come back and win,” Perkins said. “I had the idea that I was a true fighter and can come back after a loss. A lot of guys, sometimes, when they lose, they just never recover.”
With that mindset instilled, boxing became more serious for Perkins. His “street fighter, brawler” style came with him.
“Oh, I’ve always been that way,” said Perkins, whose favorite boxers are Mike Tyson, Jack Dempsey, and Joe Frazier. “I’ve actually tried to learn how to box and I think I’ve gotten a lot better. I look at myself as a brawler that can box.”
With a chuckle, he admitted he’s more like Rocky than Apollo.
“For sure,” Perkins said.
Like Balboa, Perkins’ trainer, Dennis Willcox, got a phone call regarding a big fight – this one against Sumpter.
Perkins didn’t hesitate.
“Absolutely,” Perkins said. “I’ll fight him.”
Despite Perkins being “not too concerned about belts,” Sumpter stands in his way for one.
“Sumpter is a pretty good boxer, a pretty decent boxer,” Perkins said. “I know he’s an athletic guy… I saw a couple clips.”
When asked if the fight will be decided by the judges, Perkins was quick to answer.
“No. I don’t think so,” said Perkins, who sports all-black trunks every fight. “He’s more of a boxer; I’m more of a brawler who can box. Someone usually gets caught, you know what I mean?”
To make sure he’s the one who does the catching, Perkins’ plan is to take his time, look for openings, and “if I hurt him, I’m going to jump on him.”
“I’ve been in so many street fights as a kid that I’m usually pretty calm in there,” Perkins said. “Sometimes, I get a little too impatient and try to get the guy out of there a little too early. That’s something that I’ve been working on: stay relaxed and take my time.”
He added Sumpter is “one of those guys where he likes to talk a lot.” Well, Perkins has a solution for that, too.
“I plan on shutting him up,” Perkins said. “I think he thinks he’s a little bit better than he is, but we’ll see on the 19th.”
Perkins trains six days per week. After running in the morning, he goes to work with the Catholic Cemetery Association. After that, he trains for two hours at the gym.
“I just love it, you know?” Perkins said. “Since I love to do it, why not make some money doing it?”
Surrounding his diet, the fight’s weight is set at 168 pounds.
“You change it up as you get closer to the fight, and you’ve got to make weight,” said Perkins, who has a steak after every weigh-in. “I’ve cut back on a lot of the carbs, and salt, and sugar.”
Training and trash talk aside, it will end – somehow – next Saturday.
“It’s more excitement for me,” Perkins said. “I want to thank my family and friends for all their support. It means everything to me.”
