World-ranked knockout specialist Jorge “Destroyer” Melendez (26-2-1, 25 KO’s), of Bayamon, P.R., and former amateur standout Nick “The Machine Gun” Brinson (14-1-2, 6 KO’s), of Rochester, N.Y., made weight on their first attempts Thursday for their 10-round main event fight tomorrow/Friday, June 7, on ShoBox: The New Generation live on SHOWTIME® (10 p.m. ET/PT delayed on the West Coast) from Turning Stone Resort Casino in Verona, N.Y.
There will be a new co-feature, undefeated Jeffrey Fontanez (11-0, 9 KOs), of Caguas, P.R., taking on Jose A. Rodriguez (18-10, 11 KOs), of Detroit, Mich. The Fontanez-Rodriguez lightweight bout was elevated to the telecast after a scheduled match between Jonathan Vidal and Mario Munoz was cancelled by the New York State Athletic Commission when Munoz could not make the weight.
10-Round Middleweight Bout
JORGE MELENDEZ – 158 Pounds
NICK BRINSON – 157¾ Pounds
Eight-Round Lightweight Bout
JEFFREY FONTANEZ – 132 Pounds
JOSE A. RODRIGUEZ – 132 Pounds
Vidal weighed in at 118 pounds, but Munoz came in at 125. When Munoz returned to the scale, he still weighed 125 and the commission called the fight off.
An aggressive-minded 20-year-old with good power, the highly regarded, 5-foot-8½, 20-year-old Fontanez is coming off a six-round unanimous decision victory over veteran Daniel Attah on March 2. It was the first time Fontanez had gone six full rounds.
Rodriguez, a 5-foot-7, 25-year-old, will be fighting for the fifth time this year after fighting six times in 2012 and seven times in 2011. A “traveling underdog” in recent outings, Rodriguez has often been matched against top prospects and local favorites, many times on short notice. He gives strong efforts each time out against very good opposition. He is coming off a 10-round unanimous decision loss against Ray Beltran in his last fight on April 27 – a fight he took on short notice.
Tickets priced at $75, $45, $35 and $25, plus tax and service charges, are on sale at the box office of the Turning Stone Resort & Casino, by calling (315) 361-SHOW (7469) and also through Ticketmaster at (800) 745-3000 or online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.turningstone.com
