‘Rumble at the Rink’ at Quincy Youth Arena in Quincy

Boxer with local ties is the favorite in an innovative 1-night, 4-fighter tournament

Granite Chin Promotions (GCP) has announced the launching of its innovative one-night tournament, “Granite Chin Box Off,” on Saturday, May 11 – featuring a quartet of throwback super middleweight fighters from New England headlining the “Rumble at the Rink” pro boxing card – at Quincy Youth Arena in Quincy, Mass. The quartet of super middleweights will fight in three-round bouts (fourth round of sudden death if needed in case of a draw) early in the evening, and the two winners will advance to the five-round main event (sixth round of sudden death in the event of a draw) to determine the champion of what promoter Chris Traietti plans to be an annual tournament, which has been sanctioned by the Massachusetts Boxing Commission. All four fighters are aggressive and gutsy, which translates into a memorable evening for fans.

“This tournament has been an idea I have been flirting with since 2021,” GCP President Chris Traietti said. “I didn’t want to pull the trigger on it until I felt as though I had some of the initial concerns worked out and I had the right four guys. It has all come together now! There is no combination of fights with these four that won’t be action-packed right from the opening bell. This is something Granite Chin plans to do annually, so once this inaugural tournament is complete, we will assess it to see if any improvements are needed to get one ready for 2025. Thank you to the fighters for their passion in being part of something special like this and the Massachusetts Commission for all its help in navigating me to getting all the safety issues addressed and handled so it could be sanctioned.”

One of the four challengers is James “Pitbull” Perkins (13-1-1, 9 KOs), from Lynn, who trains at Broadway Boxing in Everett. Perkins is the pretournament favorite based on his pro record and quality of opposition. A gravedigger during the day, Perkins suffered his lone loss last August to Steve Sumpter (9-0, 7 KOs), losing an eight-round majority decision for the vacant IBA America Super Middleweight Championship.

“I’m really looking forward to this event. I’ve always wanted to fight in a tournament because I never fought in the Golden Gloves or any amateur tournaments. I decided to turn pro after my sixth amateur fight. It’s even better that the event is being held at a hockey rink because I grew up my whole life playing hockey. I started skating at two years old and played all the way through high school [St. Mary’s of Lynn].”

He added, “I’m prepared to deal with whatever comes at me. I know who all the fighters are, but I know Clark a lot more than the other fighters. Me and Clark have fought on the same card a number of times. I like Clark and he’s a tough guy, but if we end up in the ring together, it will be all business. We won’t be friends when we are in there. At the end of the night, I’m very confident I’ll be the winner of the tournament.”

Other boxers confirmed for the match: Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi (5-3, 2 KOs), of Swansea, Mass.; Bernard Joseph (6-1, 4 KOs), of Dorchester, Mass.; Ryan Clark (4-5, 2 KOs), of Barrington, Maine. Additional matches will soon be announced. Card subject to change.

  WHEN: Saturday, May 11; doors open at 6:00 p.m., first bout at 7 p.m.

  WHERE: Quincy Youth Arena, 60 Murphy Memorial Dr., Quincy, Mass.

Tickets are on sale at https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/granite-chin-promotions/rumble-at-the-rink