Lynn professional boxer James Perkins will return to the ring Saturday afternoon for a light heavyweight bout at the Castleton in Windham, N.H.
Perkins, 28, has a new nickname “Pit Bull” and a message for his Lynn fans: “I have a lot of love for the city. If it weren’t for Lynn, I don’t know if I would be doing this. I hope they’ll continue to support me in my journey to be world champion.”
Perkins attended Sewell Anderson Elementary School, Breed Middle School, and St. Mary’s High School (Class of 2011). He is the son of Lisa Cadigan and has a brother, Johnny, 19, and a sister, Keiko, 18.
After earning a draw in his boxing debut in 2019 at the Encore Boston Harbor Casino in Everett, Perkins has won his last three fights to raise his record to 3-0-1.
And just as all of the boxing world has been affected by the pandemic, so, too, has Perkins’ boxing career, so much so that the St. Mary’s High School graduate had to travel to Mexico for two of his recent fights.
Perkins has been trailing daily at the Broadway Boxing Club in Everett under the direction of his trainer, Joe Ricciardi, and his manager, Dennis Willcox.
“I feel like I’m improving my boxing skills every day,” said Perkins. “My trainer and manager do everything for me and I’m appreciative. I met Joe when I was 18 years old at a boxing gym (Bobby Tomasello Gym) in Saugus and he has been my trainer ever since. We moved to the Everett gym and I like the gym a lot.
Talking about being known as James “Pit Bull” Perkins, he said, “I have to live up to the name.”
“When the fans are back in the stands, they’ll know why they call him Pit Bull,” said Willcox.
Perkins played ice hockey at St. Mary’s High School for Hall of Fame coach Mark Lee.
“I had the most penalty minutes just about every year,” said Perkins. “But overall hockey was a great experience and I learned so much from Coach Lee.”
During the day, Perkins works for Advocate Healthcare in East Boston. Then it’s off to training and sparring sessions at the Broadway Boxing Club as he continues his move up the ranks in the squared circle.
Perkins current goals are to win a New England title and an ABF (American Boxing Federation) title and then pursue a world championship.
“James is coming along very well,” said Ricciardi. “He has the speed of a welterweight and he hits like a heavyweight.”
Lynn boxing fans can watch Perkins’ fight on the live broadcast at Youtube.com/Boston Boxing/.