By Anthony Bosco
The father and adviser of Queens heavyweight boxer Richie Melito Jr. vehemently denied that he or his son were aware that any of the fighter’s 26 professional fights were “fixed” after two men were indicted last week for allegedly throwing a bout in August 2000.
The indictment, handed up by a federal grand jury in Las Vegas and brought by the U.S. attorney for the District of Nevada as well as the Federal Bureau of Investigation, alleges that boxer Thomas Williams and matchmaker Robert Mitchell conspired to fix Williams’ Aug. 12, 2000 bout with Melito on the Evander Holyfield-John Ruiz undercard at the Paris Hotel and Casino. Melito won the bout via first round knockout.
The investigation is ongoing.
“Anything about fixed fights is unbeknown to us,” said Richie Melito Sr., father of the 31-year-old fighter from Flushing. “We had nothing to do with that. My kid can fight. There’s no reason for me to fix a fight.
“It’s baffling to me,” he added. “It’s hurting my son’s career and it’s unfair. It’s all hearsay. I think we’re scapegoats.”
The bout in question took place at 4 p.m., an hour before scheduled and in front of no spectators or media. The fight, originally scheduled for 5 p.m., was reportedly moved up when it was learned that the FBI might be in attendance.
Melito Sr., a former police officer and high school baseball coach at Holy Cross High School, said he and his son complained about the schedule change at the time and were never told why it had been made.
“That had nothing to do with us,” Melito Sr. said. “We were supposed to be the third fight, then all of sudden we were told we were the first fight. Even our people who came down and paid for $100 tickets didn’t get to see the fight. We complained about it. We had nothing to do with moving the fight up.”
The FBI launched its investigation into Melito’s fights following his knockout of Williams, but according to the indictment, the Williams bout is not the only one of the Queens boxer’s professional bouts called into question.
“The indictment alleges that beginning in approximately March 1995, Robert Mitchell and others associated with the professional boxing world conspired to fix boxing matches for the purpose of promoting the professional boxing career of Richard Melito Jr.,” the U.S. Justice Department said in a release.
“The conspiracy included other professional boxers who agreed to intentionally lose their boxing matches against Richard Melito Jr. in exchange for money and other considerations.”
Melito Sr., however, maintains that his son’s win over Williams was legitimate, something backed up by two prominent members of the boxing world, Bob Goodman, vice president of Don King Productions, with whom Melito Jr. has a contract, and Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission.
“To me, it looked like a clean knockout,” Goodman told the Associated Press.
Ratner, quoted in published reports, added: “I thought it was a legitimate knockout. It was filmed. I saw the tape afterward. It showed a good right hand that knocked [Williams] through the ropes.”
Melito Sr. said he and his son first heard the rumors about fixed fights after they signed with King, perhaps the most controversial figure in boxing. King, who promoted some of the biggest and most lucrative bouts in boxing history, has been the target of numerous federal probes surrounding his business practices and was twice convicted of manslaughter.
“This only happened when we went with King,” Melito Sr. said. “But King has always been upfront with us. And I don’t have a bad word to say about him. That fight was an up-and-up fight.
“I don’t know if it’s because he’s a white heavyweight or because he’s associated with Don King,” he added. “If Bobby Mitchell [fixed the fight], he’s a jerk. I don’t know why he did something like this.”
Mitchell, a matchmaker used by King, and Williams, who sports a pro record of 26-10 with 16 knockouts, are officially charged with federal sports bribery and conspiracy to commit sports bribery. Each count of the indictment carries a possible sentence of up to five years in prison and a $250,000 fine.
Melito’s lone professional loss was at the hands of former heavyweight title challenger “Smokin” Bert Cooper, who knocked out the Queens boxer in the first round of a nationally televised bout. The rest of Melito’s opponents are virtual unknowns.
Melito’s father maintains that those connected with Melito are moving him slowly against light opposition, not fixing fights to fatten up his record.
“He hasn’t really had an amateur career,” Melito Sr. said. “We’re moving him slowly and moving him the way we feel we should move him.
“For the last four years we were under the tutelage of John Davenport, who trained Lennox Lewis,” he added. “He’s helped Richie out tremendously. A lot of time when we want to make a move, a lot of guys won’t fight us. We’re not going to put Richie in with a Mike Tyson unless it’s worth our while.”
Melito was unavailable for comment, but his father said the boxer is taking the investigation hard.
“It’s tough,” Melito Sr. said. “He had the fight of his life, then all this [stuff] comes out. He’s down. I try to tell him that this will all blow over. I wouldn’t be able to face my son if I fixed a fight. It wouldn’t be fair to my son. He’s taking it pretty hard. It’s unfair, it’s really unfair.”
Reach Sports Editor Anthony Bosco by e-mail at TimesLedgr@aol.com or call 229-0300, Ext. 130.
