Bay Ridge’s Melson eager to avenge draw
Brooklyn-based boxer to settle matters with Thompson in rematch
Years from now, when boxing historians scramble to figure out exactly whom christened the ring inside the Barclays Center for the first-ever professional bout at the state-of-the-art Downtown Arena, the names Boyd Melson and Jason Thompson will eventually be unearthed.
Ten months after returning to their dresssing rooms on the night of Oct. 20 with an unsatisfying draw following their historic inaugural bout on the corners of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues, Boyd and Melson will be matched up again next Wednesday night for an eight-round rematch at the B.B. King Blues Club in Manhattan.
Melson, better known as “The Rainmaker” after capturing four United States Army championships, felt he was the winner in Barclays’ arena-opening bout last fall.