Welterweight Bryant “Goodfella” Perrella returns to the ring against Alex “Chi Town Heat” Martin Friday, December 8 at Hialeah Park in Miami, FL.
The Perrella-Martin showdown is scheduled for 10 rounds and airs on FS1 at 9 PM ET as part of Premier Boxing Champions’ "PBC on FS1" series. The bout proceeds a light heavyweight matchup between former world champion Jean Pascal and unbeaten Ahmed Elbiali.
Fighting for the first time since a disappointing setback against Yordenis Ugas in September 2016, Perrella’s an outstanding 14-1 with 13 wins by knockout. The Fort Myers native has impressive stoppage victories over David Grayton (14-0), Ramon Ayala (25-5-1), Abraham Alvarez (20-8-1) and Patrick Boozer (11-3). A self-described gym rat, the 28-year-old has spent the last year fine-tuning his skills while also allowing a lingering injury to heal.
Living and fighting out of Chicago, IL, Martin is 13-2 as a pro and has 5 victories via knockout. In 2016, he scored a career best win by outpointing Juan Carlos Abreu (19-2-1) over eight rounds. Prior to entering the paid ranks, Martin was one of America’s top amateur boxers, winning the 2012 National Golden Gloves, 3 Chicago Golden Gloves titles and captured a silver medal at the 2011 National Golden Gloves. Martin is coming off consecutive slugfests with Miguel Cruz where he came up short both times, but a win over Perrella would put him back in the picture.
“Alex Martin is a talented fighter but like myself, is coming off a defeat,” said Perrella. “I’m expecting him to be at his best because this is an important fight for both of us. Training is great so far and we’ve traveled throughout Florida to work with some awesome fighters. I will be fully prepared for December 8 and plan to show everybody that my last fight was a fluke.”
Unbeaten welterweight prospect Francisco Armenta (4-0, 1 KO), signed by Thompson Boxing Promotions last year, headlines the first show of his young career in his native Mexico this Saturday, Dec. 2.
The 6-round fight, the first for Armenta as a professional, comes against a seasoned boxer in Miguel Lopez from the Hernando de Villafañe in Lopez's hometown of Guasave, Sinaloa.
Armenta, who is trained by Cuban Juan Quezada, hails from Guamuchil, a town about 45 minutes east of Guasave.
"Lopez is a dangerous opponent so I expect a tough fight," said Armenta, who will be fighting for the fifth time this year. "He's not someone that you can easily knock out. We're prepared to give a great fight and if we follow our game plan, the knockout will present itself."
Armenta, 23, is unfazed by the experience gap between himself and Lopez. As an amateur, he tallied about 250 fights and won numerous regional and national tournaments in Mexico.
"I saw a lot of different styles in the amateurs," Armenta said. "I'll be ready for whatever Lopez brings on Saturday night. I'll have a lot of support behind me. My hometown isn't very far from where I'll be fighting. My fans are going to see a great fight."
In the six-round co-feature, lightweight Miguel Madueño (5-0, 4 KOs) of Guasave, Sinaloa will test his unblemished mark against Carlos Bacasegua. Madueño signed with Thompson Boxing last year.
Madueño, like Armenta, is a graduate of one of Mexico's most renowned boxing academies - Centro de Alto Rendimieto de Boxeo. The academy, which prepares its students for careers in boxing, also consists of an academic and civic component that strives to develop solid citizens out of its alumni.
Madueño, 19, will be making his sixth start of the year.
"When we signed Armenta and Madueño the goal was to keep them active right from the start," said Alex Camponovo, longtime matchmaker and general manager for Thompson Boxing. "We've been able to get them plenty of fights in Mexico with the understanding that they'll soon be fighting in the United States as early as next year."
