WORCESTER — Lynn has its rivalries. From Classical and English to Tech and KIPP, it’s just a part of the city. That said, Saturday night at the Palladium in Worcester, people were just team Lynn.
In support of Lynn’s James “Pitbull” Perkins in his IBA super middleweight title match against Steve “The Savage” Sumpter of Pittsfield, the boxing event lived up to its name: Pandemonium at the Palladium.
Through eight rounds, it was up to the judges. The decision favored Sumpter in scorecards of 76-76, 80-72, and 80-72.
“He’s a pretty good fighter,” said Perkins, who weighed in at a trim-and-ready 166.6 pounds. “Props to him.”
But what a competitive bout it was. After Perkins walked out to rock music in his all-black trunks, followed by Sumpter with his championship belt hoisted in the air, it was go-time.
“There were a lot of fans,” Perkins said. “I thought it was awesome. It was definitely fun and I enjoyed it.”
Earlier in the week, Perkins referred to himself as a brawler, and Sumpter as more of a boxer. That was on display in round one. After a feel-out beginning, Sumpter was more proactive with his jab during the latter half of the round.
Perkins just missed in the corner to end the round, followed by a smile at his opponent.
“He was a little quicker on defense than I thought he was,” Perkins said.
Sumpter’s side-to-side movement eluded some of Perkins’ power combinations in round two, but the gravedigger from Lynn connected with a strong body shot along the ropes.
“I definitely did a lot more brawling,” said Perkins, who exercised two to three times per day in preparation for the fight.
Round three came with its entertainment. With a smile, Perkins told the quick, mobile Sumpter to “come on, come here.”
“Oh, yeah, we were talking back and forth,” Perkins said. “No, not friendly at all.”
The brawler finally broke through. Toward the end of the third, Perkins connected and Sumpter fell to the canvas. However, it was after the bell – ruled so by the referee.
“He told me after [that] the talking was all for show and I understand that,” Perkins said. “But at the same time, I did want to, you know, knock him out.”
Both fighters had their moments in the fourth and fifth rounds. Sumpter showed off his long jab at times, while Perkins looked for his corner traps. Sumpter also connected with a counter left in round five.
“He kept his distance, and then he would land his shots, then duck right out,” Perkins said. “I was kind of getting a little frustrated.”
No big shots were landed in the sixth, despite Perkins trapping Sumpter in the corner twice to thundering applause from his supporters.
When asked if Sumpter’s gameplan threw him off at all, Perkins was quick to answer.
“Not really,” Perkins said. “He fought pretty much how I thought he was going to.”
Sumpter stuck to his plan in the seventh, holding off Perkins and connecting on a few shots through the guard.
“He did what he was supposed to do, and he did good,” Perkins said.
From his previous fight – a knockout win against Larry Smith – to Saturday, Perkins said he improved in some aspects, including his conditioning.
“I thought he was slowing down,” Perkins said. “Even though he caught me a good amount of times, I thought I did move my head a bit better this time.”
The fight oozed of knockout tension as spectators knew – at any moment – one of the power punchers could end it.
That was the case even before the fight. In the co-featured event just minutes earlier, Denel Whitley recorded the quickest knockout in Palladium boxing history (25 seconds).
The eighth and final round featured Perkins and Sumpter letting their hands fly. Neither connected on the big one, leaving the rest up to the judges.
Despite the decision – something both knockout artists predicted the fight wouldn’t go to – Perkins said he “felt pretty good.”
“I think if it went a couple more rounds, he would’ve been in trouble,” Perkins said.
The two exchanged a quick hug and handshake in the ring, all to a standing ovation for both fighters.
Sumpter improved to a perfect 9-0, while Perkins fell to 12-1-1.
