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Niles’ Billy Lyell ready for hometown fight
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READY FOR A FIGHT: Billy Lyell works out at Burnside Boxing Club on Wednesday. Lyell will fight Chris Gray at Eastwood Expo Center on Saturday night.
He’ll face Chris Gray in the main event at the Eastwood Expo Center.
By Joe Scalzo
In April, Billy Lyell earned the biggest win of his career. Now he’s looking for a few more small ones.
Lyell (20-7, 4 KOs) will defend his NABC Inter-Continental middleweight title against Louisiana native Chris Gray (12-10, 1 KO) in a 10-round headline bout at Saturday’s “October Fists” show at the Eastwood Expo Center in Niles.
“I know he’s a tough guy,” Lyell said of Gray. “This isn’t one of those shows where the local guy goes against some bum.
“[Gray] kind of reminds me of myself. He’s beat some tough guys and he’s beat some underrated guys. He seems like he boxes and moves, but you never know until you get in there. I’m expecting a hard fight.”
The fight is one of six bouts on Saturday’s card, which also features local fighters Durrell Richardson (11-3, 4 KOs) and Jake Giuriceo (4-0, 2 KOs).
Lyell will fight his second bout since upsetting previously-undefeated contender John Duddy on April 24 in New Jersey.
That win vaulted him into the top 20 of several sanctioning bodies. He’s now ranked 15th by the IBF and 16th by the WBC.
Lyell knocked out Chris Overbey in the second round in July and is using Saturday’s bout as a way to stay busy, stay sharp and improve his record as he waits for a bigger fight.
“This fight keeps me moving in the right direction,” said Lyell, a Niles native. “The rankings are real important. As long as I keep working hard and catch a little luck, I’ll keep moving in the right direction.”
This is the second hometown fight for Lyell, who began his pro career in July of 2003 on the undercard of Kelly Pavlik’s bout against Rico Cason at then-Cafaro Field. Lyell has since fought three times in Youngstown but this is his first fight back in Niles.
“It’s always great to fight in my hometown,” he said. “Whenever I’m near Youngstown, it’s a little extra special.”
Lyell, who is managed by Pat Nelson, has spent most of his career training under Jack Loew at the Southside Boxing Club, where Pavlik also trains. He recently switched to the Burnside Boxing Club, where he trains under Keith Burnside.
“Me and Jack are still good friends,” Lyell said. “He gave me my start and he’s a great trainer, but sometimes you need a different set of eyes.
“I’ve known Keith for awhile, so I didn’t miss a beat.”
Richardson, a light middleweight who has lost three of his last four bouts, will meet former 2000 Olympic quarterfinalist Dante Craig (18-8) in an eight-round co-feature. Craig once defeated Pavlik when they were amateurs.
Giuriceo will meet James Hope (4-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round bout that could be the best fight of the night.
Giuriceo made his pro debut on the undercard of Pavlik’s bout against Marco Antonio Rubio in February at the then-Chevrolet Centre. He has stayed busy, most recently defeating Raymond Cain on Sept. 26 in a four-round unanimous decision.
The weigh-in is at 1 p.m. today at the Big Family Sports Bar and Grill in Niles. It is open to the public. Doors open Saturday night at 7 p.m. with the first fight at 8.
Tickets are $20 for general admission and $60 ringside. Tickets can be purchased at the Eastwood Mall customer service desk, both Big Family locations or online at http://wwboxing.net. (Note the unusual Web address.)
“I think it’s going to be a great show,” Lyell said. “There’s no easy fights. It should be real entertaining and very, very competitive.”
scalzo@vindy.com