Bryant Perrella: Prayers For France, Prayers For Fadli
Nov 14, 2015 • 9:48 AM ET
By Jake Donovan
No matter what happened in his fight, the last thing Bryant "Goodfella" Perrella had to worry about was the trip home from Biloxi, Miss. to Ft. Myers, Flor. or what awaited him upon arrival.
The same cannot be said for his most recent opponent - Chaquib Fadli, who not only suffered a 1st round knockout loss at the heavy hands of Perrella, but is now a man without a destination following their Spike TV-televised bout Friday evening in Biloxi, Mississippi.
The 34-year old boxer hails from Clermont-Ferrand, Puy-de-Dôme, France, roughly four hours south of Paris, but close enough to where the city serves as a major hub for international flights. Original plans called for Fadli to fly home from Gulfport, with stops in Atlanta and Paris.
That has now dramatically changed, given the horrific terrorist attacks that have left more than 150 dead and the city on lockdown as the world prays for peace and restoration. Meanwhile, Fadli - who was not told about the events going on at home until after his fight - is now forced to worry about his loved ones from afar while he remains in the Gulf Coast awaiting news of when he can return home.
Needless to say, learning of his opponent's situation didn't exactly leave Perrella in a post-fight celebratory mood, in fact portraying more "good fella" than "Goodfella" as his nickname suggests.
"I was naturally happy after my win on TV, but after hearing about everything that happened - it's just another fight. My thoughts are with Chaquib right now," Perrella (12-0, 11KOs) told BoxingScene.com after scoring his 5th win of 2015 - all by knockout and his last four coming in the span of five months.
Like Fadli, the unbeaten 26-year old southpaw from Ft. Myers, Florida was also in fight mode beforehand and unaware of what was going on outside Biloxi until hearing of the news after the fight.
"Prayers to everyone in France, to Chaquib and his family," noted Perrella. "I pray for them and I pray that Chaquib makes it home OK."
Jake Donovan is the managing editor of BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox
Jake Donovan is an award-winning journalist who served as senior writer for BoxingScene from 2007-2024, and news editor for the final nine years of his first tour. He was also the lead writer for The Ring before his decision to return home.
