QUINCY — Undefeated Irish boxer Thomas “The Kid” O’Toole (9-0, 6 KOs) will fight for the vacant Massachusetts light heavyweight title in a dangerous six-round bout May 4. He will face Russell Kimber (2 wins, 1 loss, KO). As part of the stacked “Rumble at the Rink” regional card presented by Granite Chin Promotions (GCP) at Quincy Youth Arena.
“What a great tribute this fight is to our first ‘Granite Chin Box Off,'” said GCP Chairman Chris Traietti. “The plan for this show from the beginning has been to stack up tournament finals with fights that people want to see, with fighters that people want to see, and this match is a prime example of that.” He’s an integral part of the game and will be facing a guy in Kimber who is no slouch. Kimber is the type of guy who is going to have a bad night if you take him lightly, as Thomas comes from a solid amateur background and a great gym. I don’t think anyone in the building would make a mistake like that, but it would be foolish for anyone in the building to sleep on Russell Kimber.”
The 26-year-old from Galway (IRE), who currently fights out of Braintree, has been fighting in his adopted home of Boston for the past year, and last August won the USBF Atlantic Light Heavy Championship in Quincy, also on the GCP card. won the class title. Due to Scott Lampert’s opening game suspension.
“I want to add this Massachusetts title and push on,” said O’Toole, a stylish southpaw. “We’ve got two big matches coming up after this one. He (Kimber) doesn’t fight a lot, but he’s sparred with some of my guys. He’s very competitive and he comes forward. I’m going to fight and that’s good for me.”
Kimber (2-1, KO) is taking on Peabody, but fighting is in his blood. His father Dick and his uncle Tommy were three and five-time kickboxing world champions, respectively. Mr. Russell owns Kimber His Fitness, which used to be in Peabody, but plans to relocate soon to nearby Salem.
He made his pro debut in 2017 following a decision by Nathan Schulte, but has only fought two fights since then due to COVID-19 restrictions and some fights not materializing.
“I train all the time, but I never compete,” Kimber said. “I kept my weight down and went into a fight in Florida last April against an undefeated local fighter (Mike Misa, 3-0). After the fight, my opponent stopped the fight because I was blocking his punches. I even said I shouldn’t have stopped. I really shouldn’t have lost that fight, but it was against a local fighter in Florida.”
“It would be great to fight for a Massachusetts state title. I don’t think he (O’Toole) fully understands what’s going to happen. He’s 3-1 and the title is up for grabs, so it’s a win. I’ve seen some Granite Chin fighters who have only fought six or seven fights get a chance to fight in places like Madison Square Garden. I took this fight, so let’s see what happens.”
The headliner is the innovative one-night-only tournament “Granite Chin Box Off,” featuring a quartet of New England super middleweight fighters including Lynn’s James “Pitbull” Perkins (13-1-1, 9 KOs) do.
Perkins is the pre-tournament favorite based on his professional performance and quality of opponents. A gravedigger by day, Perkins suffered his only loss to Steve Sumpter last August, 9-0, 7 KOs, losing the vacant IBA American super middleweight title in an eight-round majority decision.
“I’m really looking forward to this event. I’ve never fought in a Golden Gloves or an amateur tournament, so I’ve always wanted to fight in a tournament. After my sixth amateur fight, I decided to turn professional. It’s even better that this event is held at a hockey rink because I’ve always played hockey growing up. I started skating at the age of 2 and continued through high school (St. Mary’s of Lynn). I played…I’m ready to handle whatever happens. I know who all the combatants are.”
The other three fighters are Anthony “The Gentle Savage” Andreozzi of Swansea (5-3, 2 KOs), Bernard Joseph of Dorchester (6-1, 4 KOs) and Barrington, ME. Ryan Clark (4 wins, 5 losses, 2 KOs).
