Niles’ Lyell has fight date and location — now all he needs is an opponent

The middleweight contender will headline an eight-bout professional fight card at the Eastwood Expo Center on Oct. 17.

Vindicator staff report

NILES — TBA, TBA, TBA.

That’s the long and short of it for the upcoming eight-bout professional fight card at the Eastwood Expo Center on Oct. 17.

Yes, the date and place are set, but the opponents for Billy Lyell, Durell Richardson and Jake Giuriceo are not.

Matchmaker-promoter Dave Bowers said that opponents and the remainder of the card will be finalized before tickets go on sale Sept. 21.

“He’s 100 percent locked in,” Bowers said of Lyell’s commitment. “But there’s nothing else in ink.”

It will be Lyell’s second fight in his hometown. His first was his pro debut at then-Cafaro Field in July, 2003.

Lyell (20-7) agreed to a 10-round main event against someone in the middleweight range.

“I’ll fight whoever you put in front of me on Oct. 17,” Lyell said he told Bowers.

“I’ll be ready to do my job. I trust they’ll find somebody for me, as long as it’s between 150 and 160 pounds.”

Lyell’s last action was in July in Charleston, W.Va., against last-minute opponent Chris Overbey, whom Lyell stopped in the second round of a scheduled eight-rounder.

On April 24, Lyell scored a huge win, upsetting then-No. 2 ranked John Duddy.

That vaulted him into the rankings — No. 12 IBF and No. 19 WBC.

“I’m working with Lyell’s management team to pick the right opponent,” said Bowers, who spends his time between Hilton Head, S.C. in the winter and Niles in the summer.

“As of now, with the show being over a month-and-a-half away, I’m not throwing out names. When we have a contract in ink and it’s a done deal, it will happen.”

Lyell’s manager is Pat Nelson and he recently started training under Keith Burnside. Lyell said he was trained by Jack Loew for the Duddy fight.

“I like to stay busy,” said Lyell. “I don’t like waiting. I like to improve each fight and the only way is to fight regularly. When he [Bowers] approached me, I was excited about fighting in my hometown. It’s neat to come back and fight in front of friends.”

Bowers of World Wide Boxing and Bowers Productions has named the event “October Fists.”

“The area is a hot spot right now,” Bowers said of the boxing climate in town. “Before heading back down South, this show should go over well.”

Lyell still talks of his bout against “Yory Boy” Campas at the Chevy Centre in June, 2007.

“That guy was rough,” said Lyell. “I’m still feeling the effects of that one. I thought I was done after that fight. I had to get an MRI and everything else,” the Niles boxer said Campas, a crafty veteran.

“I fought a lot of good guys, but none hurt like that. Everything he hit me with I felt,” said Lyell, who was 22 at the time.

Afterwards, Lyell took almost a year off, then beat Don Shrock in April, 2008 in Morgantown, W. Va.

He then lost two of his next four fights before beating Duddy.

“I think I’m a lot better fighter now,” Lyell said.

Bowers, a former amateur boxer, said he met Lyell while working at Tony Maiorana’s McDonald A.C.

“He was about 12 years old then,” said Bowers, who fought as an amateur before quitting to help Maiorana run the gym.

“I started going down to Tony’s gym when I was 10 or 11. Dave was older and he’d catch pads for me.”

Bowers said he taught Lyell his fundamentals.

“Then he went off to Jack Loew’s gym, which was a good move.”

Bowers said he has a good relationship with the middleweight.

“Billy loved the idea of me doing the promotion,” said Bowers, who promoted a show at Packard Music Hall in March, 2007, when Richardson was the co-main event.

At the time, Richardson (11-3) won a six-round light middleweight over William Prieto, then, two months later, beat Scott Ball in Maryland before losing three of his last four.

Of Giuriceo (3-0), Bowers said, “Jake has an unbelievable fan base.”

Whoever the opponent on Oct. 17, Lyell likes to think that his ring days are on the upswing.

“Duddy helped turn things around a little. We’ll see how things shake out.”