Boyd Melson
Encyclopedia
Boyd "Rainmaker" Melson (born in White Plains, New York
) is an American light middleweight
boxer.
As an amateur, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship
gold medal
in the 69 kg. weight class, and was a four-time United States Army
champion, a three-time NCBA All-American boxer, a four-time West Point Brigade Open Boxing Champion, and received the Colonel Marcus Award. He also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships twice and at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships twice. He made it to the quarterfinals in the welterweight 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
, and won a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships.
As a professional, through October 2011, Melson was an undefeated 6–0–0, with three of his wins coming by knockout
. He is 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall, and weighs . Melson donates all of the money that he earns in his boxing matches to stem cell research.
on his trunks. Melson grew up primarily in Brooklyn, New York.
Melson graduated from West Point in 2003 with a psychology degree, and a minor in nuclear engineering
. He also graduated as a lieutenant
, and was promoted to captain three years later. He earned an MBA in business administration at Touro College
.
(NCBA) competition while he was a cadet
at West Point. He was picked for the US Army World Class Athlete Program
, and sent to Fort Carson, Colorado
.
Melson was a four-time United States Army
champion. He was also a three-time NCBA All-American boxer, a four-time West Point Brigade Open Boxing Champion, and received the Colonel Marcus Award, which is given to the best West Point boxer at graduation. He was trained by former lightweight
world champion Joey Gamache
.
In 2004, he won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship
gold medal
in the 69 kg. weight class by defeating Elshod Rasulov
of Uzbekistan
at Fort Huachuca
, Arizona
(as Ait Hammi Miloud
of Morocco shared the bronze medal with Vyacheslav Kusov of Ukraine). That year he also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships and the Armed Forces Boxing Championships.
Melson made it to the quarterfinals in the welterweight 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
, losing to Erislandy Lara of Cuba, the eventual gold medal winner. That year he also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships and the Armed Forces Boxing Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships.
He was an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, but withdrew with an injury.
Melson donates all of the money he earns in his boxing matches to stem cell research. He gives it to Justadollarplease.org, a non-profit organization
that raises money for the first U.S. spinal cord injury
trial in using umbilical cord
stem cells. Along with Justadollarplease.org, Melson created Team Fight to Walk, to increase awareness in boxing of the importance of stem cell research for spinal cord injuries. Team Fight to Walk is composed of Melson, IBF
cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham
, US Olympian Shawn Estrada
, Denis Douglin
, and other boxers.
Through November 2011, Melson was 6–0, with three of his wins coming by knockout. Welterweight
Dmitry Salita
said of him: "I have seen tremendous improvement in Boyd in the last two fights. He is a very talented fighter and sets an example inside and outside the ring."
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Russ Niggemyer
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Outstanding Jewish Scholastic (college) Athlete of the Year by the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
. He also serves as an Army Reserves Captain of the 1179th Transportation Brigade at Fort Hamilton
, in Brooklyn
. Melson is a Manhattan
resident.
White Plains, New York
White Plains is a city and the county seat of Westchester County, New York, United States. It is located in south-central Westchester, about east of the Hudson River and northwest of Long Island Sound...
) is an American light middleweight
Light middleweight
Light Middleweight , is a weight division in professional boxing, above 147 pounds and up to 154 pounds ....
boxer.
As an amateur, Melson won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship
International Military Sports Council
The International Military Sports Council or Conseil International du Sport Militaire , established 1948, is one of the largest multidisciplinary organisations in the world...
gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 69 kg. weight class, and was a four-time United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
champion, a three-time NCBA All-American boxer, a four-time West Point Brigade Open Boxing Champion, and received the Colonel Marcus Award. He also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships twice and at the Armed Forces Boxing Championships twice. He made it to the quarterfinals in the welterweight 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Mianyang, People's Republic of China from November 13 to November 20. The competition was organised by the world's governing body for amateur boxing AIBA.- Medal winners :- Medal table :...
, and won a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships.
As a professional, through October 2011, Melson was an undefeated 6–0–0, with three of his wins coming by knockout
Knockout
A knockout is a fight-ending, winning criterion in several full-contact combat sports, such as boxing, kickboxing, Muay Thai, mixed martial arts, Karate and others sports involving striking...
. He is 5 in 10 in (1.78 m) tall, and weighs . Melson donates all of the money that he earns in his boxing matches to stem cell research.
Early and academic life
Melson, who is Jewish, has an Israeli mother. He is the grandson of Holocaust survivors from Poland. He boxes with a Star of DavidStar of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
on his trunks. Melson grew up primarily in Brooklyn, New York.
Melson graduated from West Point in 2003 with a psychology degree, and a minor in nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering
Nuclear engineering is the branch of engineering concerned with the application of the breakdown as well as the fusion of atomic nuclei and/or the application of other sub-atomic physics, based on the principles of nuclear physics...
. He also graduated as a lieutenant
Lieutenant
A lieutenant is a junior commissioned officer in many nations' armed forces. Typically, the rank of lieutenant in naval usage, while still a junior officer rank, is senior to the army rank...
, and was promoted to captain three years later. He earned an MBA in business administration at Touro College
Touro College
Touro College is a sponsored independent institution of higher and professional education, in New York City, New York, United States. Founded by Dr. Bernard Lander, the College was established primarily to enrich the Jewish heritage, and to serve the larger American community...
.
Army champion and world military champion
Melson started boxing in National Collegiate Boxing AssociationNational Collegiate Boxing Association
The National Collegiate Boxing Association was founded in 1976 as a non-profit, autonomous organization whose goal is to provide a safe, positive experience for student athletes pursuing the sport of boxing. The association falls under the auspices of USA Boxing...
(NCBA) competition while he was a cadet
Cadet
A cadet is a trainee to become an officer in the military, often a person who is a junior trainee. The term comes from the term "cadet" for younger sons of a noble family.- Military context :...
at West Point. He was picked for the US Army World Class Athlete Program
US Army World Class Athlete Program
The U.S. Army World Class Athlete Program is a military unit whose primary mission is to support nationally and internationally ranked soldiers in participating on the U.S. Olympic Team. The program is headquartered at Fort Carson, Colorado....
, and sent to Fort Carson, Colorado
Colorado
Colorado is a U.S. state that encompasses much of the Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains...
.
Melson was a four-time United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
champion. He was also a three-time NCBA All-American boxer, a four-time West Point Brigade Open Boxing Champion, and received the Colonel Marcus Award, which is given to the best West Point boxer at graduation. He was trained by former lightweight
Lightweight
Light-weight is a class of athletes in a particular sport, based on their weight.-Professional boxing:The lightweight division is over 130 pounds and up to 135 pounds weight class in the sport of boxing....
world champion Joey Gamache
Joey Gamache
Joey Gamache, , was a professional boxer. Gamache is the former WBA Super Featherweight, and WBA Lightweight Champion.At the age of 10, playing third base in Little League, he tended to loop his throws to first...
.
In 2004, he won the 48th World Military Boxing Championship
International Military Sports Council
The International Military Sports Council or Conseil International du Sport Militaire , established 1948, is one of the largest multidisciplinary organisations in the world...
gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
in the 69 kg. weight class by defeating Elshod Rasulov
Elshod Rasulov
Elshod Rasulov is an amateur boxer from Uzbekistan, who won Gold at the 2006 Asian Games in the Middleweight division.-Career:...
of Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan
Uzbekistan , officially the Republic of Uzbekistan is a doubly landlocked country in Central Asia and one of the six independent Turkic states. It shares borders with Kazakhstan to the west and to the north, Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan to the east, and Afghanistan and Turkmenistan to the south....
at Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
, Arizona
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
(as Ait Hammi Miloud
Ait Hammi Miloud
Ait Hammi Miloud is a Moroccan Olympic boxer. He participated in the in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece.-Boxing career:...
of Morocco shared the bronze medal with Vyacheslav Kusov of Ukraine). That year he also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships and the Armed Forces Boxing Championships.
Melson made it to the quarterfinals in the welterweight 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships
The Men's 2005 World Amateur Boxing Championships were held in Mianyang, People's Republic of China from November 13 to November 20. The competition was organised by the world's governing body for amateur boxing AIBA.- Medal winners :- Medal table :...
, losing to Erislandy Lara of Cuba, the eventual gold medal winner. That year he also won gold medals at the All Army Boxing Championships and the Armed Forces Boxing Championships, and a bronze medal at the 2005 US Amateur Boxing Championships.
He was an alternate on the 2008 U.S. Olympic Boxing Team, but withdrew with an injury.
Professional career
Melson became a professional in 2010 to raise research funds to honor a woman who had been his girlfriend. She had been in a wheelchair for 17 years, since the age of 10, following a diving accident. They had met during his senior year at West Point, when she was already using a wheelchair.Melson donates all of the money he earns in his boxing matches to stem cell research. He gives it to Justadollarplease.org, a non-profit organization
Non-profit organization
Nonprofit organization is neither a legal nor technical definition but generally refers to an organization that uses surplus revenues to achieve its goals, rather than distributing them as profit or dividends...
that raises money for the first U.S. spinal cord injury
Spinal cord injury
A spinal cord injury refers to any injury to the spinal cord that is caused by trauma instead of disease. Depending on where the spinal cord and nerve roots are damaged, the symptoms can vary widely, from pain to paralysis to incontinence...
trial in using umbilical cord
Umbilical cord
In placental mammals, the umbilical cord is the connecting cord from the developing embryo or fetus to the placenta...
stem cells. Along with Justadollarplease.org, Melson created Team Fight to Walk, to increase awareness in boxing of the importance of stem cell research for spinal cord injuries. Team Fight to Walk is composed of Melson, IBF
IBF
IBF may refer to:*International Boxing Federation is one of several boxing organisations* International Bandy Federation former name of Federation of International Bandy , an international governing body for bandy...
cruiserweight champion Steve Cunningham
Steve Cunningham
Steven Ormain Cunningham is an American professional boxer. Nicknamed USS Cunningham in reference to his 1994–1998 US Navy service on the aircraft carriers and .-Amateur career:...
, US Olympian Shawn Estrada
Shawn Estrada
Shawn Estrada is an undefeated Mexican American professional boxer in the Super Middleweight division and was a U.S...
, Denis Douglin
Denis Douglin
Denis Douglin is an undefeated professional boxer in the Super Welterweight division.-Amateur career:Denis had a decorated amateur career, finishing with an outstanding record of 92 wins with only 9 defeats...
, and other boxers.
Through November 2011, Melson was 6–0, with three of his wins coming by knockout. Welterweight
Welterweight
Welterweight is a weight class division in combat sports. Originally the term "welterweight" was used only in boxing, but other combat sports like kickboxing, taekwondo and mixed martial arts also began to use it for their own weight division system...
Dmitry Salita
Dmitry Salita
Dmitry Salita is a Ukrainian-born Jewish-American boxer from Brooklyn, New York in the welterweight division.He has a 33–1–1 record, with 16 KOs. He is , and his reach is 69".He is a practicing Orthodox Jew, and became so after he moved to Brooklyn...
said of him: "I have seen tremendous improvement in Boyd in the last two fights. He is a very talented fighter and sets an example inside and outside the ring."
Professional boxing record
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Russ Niggemyer|
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Honors
He was honored as the 2005 Marty GlickmanMarty Glickman
Martin "Marty" Glickman was a Jewish American track and field athlete and sports announcer, born in The Bronx, New York. His parents, Harry and Molly Glickmann, immigrated to the United States from Jassy, Romania....
Outstanding Jewish Scholastic (college) Athlete of the Year by the National Jewish Sports Hall of Fame.
Personal life
Outside of boxing, he works for Johnson & JohnsonJohnson & Johnson
Johnson & Johnson is an American multinational pharmaceutical, medical devices and consumer packaged goods manufacturer founded in 1886. Its common stock is a component of the Dow Jones Industrial Average and the company is listed among the Fortune 500....
. He also serves as an Army Reserves Captain of the 1179th Transportation Brigade at Fort Hamilton
Fort Hamilton
Historic Fort Hamilton is located in the southwestern corner of the New York City borough of Brooklyn surrounded by the communities of Bay Ridge, Dyker Heights, and Bensonhurst, and is one of several posts that are part of the region which is headquartered by the Military District of Washington...
, in Brooklyn
Brooklyn
Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...
. Melson is a Manhattan
Manhattan
Manhattan is the oldest and the most densely populated of the five boroughs of New York City. Located primarily on the island of Manhattan at the mouth of the Hudson River, the boundaries of the borough are identical to those of New York County, an original county of the state of New York...
resident.