Junior Middleweight Captain Boyd “Rainmaker” Melson, a West Point graduate and Army Reserve Officer, was featured in the latest issue of Sports Illustrated. The New York native donates all of his fight purses to justadollarplease.org, a 501(C)(3), to help support bringing trials to the United States to cure Spinal Cord Injuries. Melson, 10-1-1 (4 KO’s), also started Team Fight to Walk, a team of pro fighters that also support the cause through social media, word of mouth and personal donations amongst other ways. Currently, more than 300,000 Americans, including 40,000 veterans, suffer from serious Spinal Cord Injuries and are unable to get the care they need in the US.
I am privileged to be able to spend my ordinary life sharing the stories of extraordinary people,” said Bryan Graham, who wrote the story for Sports Illustrated. “Few if any of those figures are more exceptional than Boyd Melson. In an age of perfunctory, hands-off athlete philanthropy, Melson’s mission in the cruelest sport — where one punch can take your life — represents the pinnacle of selflessness. He is not the first sportsman to be driven by a higher calling, but how many have given so completely and without pretense? What he’s done and continues to do is reshaping our idea of a professional athlete.”
For more information, go to justadollarplease.org or teamfighttowalk.com.
