NORTH BERGEN, NJ (3-24-10) – Both combatants for Thursday night’s NABC lightweight title fight made weight as Jersey City’s Danny “Little Mac” McDermott tipped the scales at a trim 135 while Brian Miller of Schenectady, NY weighed in at 134.5 pounds. The bout is scheduled for eight rounds and will headline Pound for Pound Promotions’ “March Badness” card at Schuetzen Park in North Bergen, NJ.
“We had a grueling training camp and I’m ready for war,” said McDermott, 8-1 (3 KO). “I’m ready to go home with the title belt. This guy is tough but he’s never seen anything like me.”
McDermott is trained by former Arturo Gatti assistant Michael Skowronski at the Passaic PAL. Sparring for this fight consisted of undefeated talent such as Jorge Diaz, Mike Perez and Victor Valenzuela, among others.
Miller, 7-0-3 (3 KO), is the reigning New York State Lightweight champion and has fought the majority of his fights in upstate New York.
Cruiserweight Patrick Farrell and featherweight Victor Valenzuela both received the heart-breaking news this morning that their fights were cancelled due to their opponents falling out last minute.
OTHER WEIGHTS:
Super-middleweight Jason “El Monstruo” Escalera of Union City, NJ weighed in at 169 pounds while his opponent Jesus Torres of Homestead, FL weighed in at 173. Escalera, 7-0 (6 KO), will be facing his second consecutive unbeaten foe in the 5-0 (4 KO) Torres. Both men are coming off their longest layoffs; Escalera hasn’t fought since August of 2009 while Torres hasn’t fought since August of 1999.
Ironically, the uncles of these two fighters fought each other back in 1981. Former WBC super-featherweight champion Alfredo Escalera Sr. knocked out Johnny Torres in 8 rounds at the Jai Alai Fronton in Miami, FL.
Junior-middleweight Steven Martinez of Bronx, NY weighed in at 154 pounds while Michael Ransome of Riedsville, NC weighed in at 159. The 20-year-old Martinez was the 2008 National Golden Gloves welterweight champion and has run his unbeaten record to 3-0 (3 KO) while Ransome is making his pro debut.
Junior-featherweight Eilon Kedem, a native of Herzelia, Israel but now living in Brooklyn, NY, weighed in the same as his opponent Pedro Antonio Salcedo, 122 pounds even. Kedem, 10-3-4 (7 KO), is looking to rebound following a second round TKO loss to Eden Sonsona last November. Salcedo, 3-2 (2 KO), of Yauco, Puerto Rico will be fighting for the first time outside of his native Puerto Rico.
Welterweight Christian Martinez of New York City weighed in at 143 while Union City, NJ’s Hector Collado weighed in at 145. Collado, a native of the Dominican Republic, will be making his pro debut while Martinez is 2-0 (2 KO).
Light-heavyweight Eddie Edmonds of Newark, NJ weighed in at 161 while Todd Eriksson of Dover, NJ weighed in at 167. Edmonds, 1-0-1, is fighting the most experienced opponent of his young career in Eriksson, 0-3-1.
Tickets, priced $100, $50 and $35, can be purchased at the door or by calling 201-864-9566. Schuetzen Park is located at 3167 John F. Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen, NJ. Doors open at 5:30 PM. First bout starts at 6:30 PM.