New York City (June 24, 2014) Top junior middleweight contenders will square off on the undercard of the “G4” boxing extravaganza set for SATURDAY, JULY 26 at The Mecca of Boxing, Madison Square Garden. “GLEN “Jersey Boy” TAPIA, favorite son of Passaic, New Jersey, will clash with BOYD “The Rainmaker” MELSON of Brooklyn, New York in an eight round battle.
Also added to the undercard is undefeated and all-action junior welterweight newcomer JULIAN “Hammer Hands” RODRIGUEZ of Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersey in a scheduled four rounder against an opponent to be announced.
“We’re excited to add this fight between these two local fan favorites to an already stellar HBO double header,” said Tom Loeffler of K2 Promotions. “Tapia and Melson are both very popular in the New York City area and have a lot to gain with a win. Fighting on the sport’s biggest stage will no doubt bring out the best in each of them and give them the most publicity for their career.”
Continued Loeffler about the “G4” undercard additions, “Although only 19-years-old Rodriguez is one of the most talked about young fighters in the sport and fans are in for a real treat with his all-action style.”
Pat Lynch, manager of Tapia and Rodriguez added, “I’d like to thank Tom Loeffler and K2 Promotions for putting Glen and Julian on the show. It’s always exciting when they’re fighting at the Madison Square Garden as both my guys have a huge following.”
The 24-year-old Tapia, sporting a record of 21-1-0 with 13 knockouts, returns to the ring following a first round knockout of Keenan Collins on June 14 in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Tapia has resumed training at the legendary Wild Card Boxing Gym in Hollywood, California this week under the watchful eye of Hall of Famer FREDDIE ROACH.
Southpaw Melson, a West Point graduate who is very active in numerous charitable endeavors including Stem Cell Research, boasts a current undefeated streak of seven fights amongst his record of 14-1-1 (4KO’s).
On February 12th, Melson kicked off his 2014 campaign with an eight round decision over Donald Ward at the famed Roseland Ballroom in New York City.
Rodriguez, sporting a record of 4-0-0 with three knockouts, was a 2012 U.S. Olympic alternate in the 141-pound division and is coming off a second round stoppage of Angel Figueroa on June 14th also in Atlantic City, New Jersey.
Tapia and Rodriguez both appear at the “G4” event in association with Top Rank Incorporated and Pat Lynch Boxing.
“G4” is headlined by boxing’s fastest rising star, WBA/IBO Middleweight Champion GENNADY “GGG” GOLOVKIN and Two-Time World Champion DANIEL “The Real Deal” GEALE.
Co-featured on “G4” is the WBC World Heavyweight Title Eliminator between undefeated and top rated heavyweights BRYANT “By By” JENNINGS of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and MIKE “The Rebel” PEREZ of Cork, Ireland.
GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE is presented by K2 Promotions and GGG Promotions in association with Gary Shaw Productions and Grange Old School Boxing.
JENNINGS VS. PEREZ is presented by K2 Promotions and Gary Shaw Productions in association with Antonio Leonard Promotions. Both featured bouts will be telecast Live on HBO World Championship Boxing® beginning at 9:30 p.m. ET/PT
Advance tickets for “G4” priced at $500, $300, $200, $100, $50 and $25 can be purchased at the Madison Square Garden Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, Ticketmaster charge by phone (866-858-0008) and online at www.ticketmaster.com and www.thegarden.com
For Social Media updates on Glen Tapia, Boyd Melson and Julian Rodriguez follow them on Twitter at @RealGlenTapia, @BoydMelson and @TeamHammerHands.
For fight updates on JENNINGS VS. PEREZ via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, Bryant Jennings on Twitter at @BYJennings, Tom Loeffler/K2 Promotions at @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions at @GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #JenningsPerez to join the conversation on Twitter.
For fight updates on GOLOVKIN VS. GEALE via Social Media, follow HBO Boxing on Twitter at @HBOBoxing and Facebook at /HBOBoxing, in addition to on Twitter at Gennady Golovkin/@GGGBoxing, Daniel Geale/@RealDealGeale, Tom Loeffler – K2 Promotions/ @TomLoeffler1 and Gary Shaw Productions/@GaryShawBoxing. Use the hashtag #GolovkinGeale to join the conversation on Twitter.
