QUINCY — By day, professional boxer James “Pitbull” Perkins digs graves, but at night, the Lynn native 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, Nov. 15.
Perkins vs. Clark is a scheduled six-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 Aug. 23, 2019, when Perkins won his pro debut.
The 33-year-old Perkins (14-3-1, 9 KOs) is the reigning World Boxing Council (WBC) USA Silver Light Heavyweight Champion, although this fight will be contested at super middleweight.
On Nov. 15th, 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. Perkins fought to a four-round majority draw with Aaron Trecell Smith. East Providence’s Elijah Peixoto (4-0-1, 2 KOs) is matched with Pina, who stopped Robbie Thomas in the third round of a six-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 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 . . . I do both six 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, N.H., 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 said. “We’ve fought a lot on the same shows (six times). I won’t have to chase him. We’ll go head-to-head, toe-to-toe.”
Undefeated Weymouth 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, N.H. welterweight Jaydell “The Pazmanian Devil” Pazmino (8-0, 7 KOs), Milton junior featherweight Jennifer Perella (3-1, KO), South Boston cruiserweight Charlie “The City Point Sicilian” LoGrasso (2-0, 2 KOs), and Nashua, N.H. bantamweight Christian Moura (1-0, KO).
The card is subject to change. Tickets prices range between $60-200 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. with the first bout slated for 7 p.m.
For more information, contact Bob Trieger: [email protected] – 978.590.0470 – @fightpublicist
