Brooklyn’s Boyd guts out big win
Melson overcomes nasty cut to score decision over Thompson
Brooklyn’s-own junior middleweight contender Boyd Melson smiled through the blood pouring down his face en route to a much-needed unanimous decision victory over Jason Thompson Wednesday night at Manhattan’s B.B. King Blues Club and Grill almost 10 months after the pugilists battled to a draw in the first-ever professional bout at Downtown’s Barclays Center.
Melson, eager to exact revenge for what he thought was a poor decision in the Oct. 20 meeting with Thompson on the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, seemed well on his way to an easy win when potential disaster struck.
Thompson landed a clean shot over the Bay Ridge resident’s right eye in the sixth round, causing a vision-impairing gash and temporary stoppage, followed by a close inspection via the ringside physician.
When asked if he could go on, Melson, a graduate of West Point and a four-time U.S. Army boxing champion, simply grinned at the doctor, indicating that there was no way he was going to allow him to stop the bout.
Rather than cower and protect his wound, Melson amped up his attack and caused a nasty cut over Thompson’s right eye in the seventh before felling his opponent with a short right hand in the eighth and final round.
Thompson got up, but the damage was done, resulting in a solid 78-73, 78-73 and 77-74 score on the ringside judges’ cards.
Melson, who improved to 12-1-1 with four career knockouts, was joined in the ring by Academy Award-winning actor Cuba Gooding Jr. following the big win, which raised money for his “Team Fight to Walk” and “Just a Dollar Please” organizations in the ongoing fight against spinal cord injuries via stem cell research.
For more information on the cause visit www.justadollarplease.org