NEW YORK, NY — Junior Middleweight boxer Boyd Melson and Christan Zaccagnino, founders of Team Fight to Walk, are proud to announce their organization will host the second annual “Fighting for the Cure” benefit gala Thursday, October 16 at 6:15 pm in the Beckwith Pointe in New Rochelle, NY.
Tickets and sponsorship packages to “Fighting for the Cure” are available by going to teamfighttowalk.com or calling 914-497-5727. All donations are deductable per IRS regulations.
In May 2013, Team Fight to Walk held their inaugural fundraiser at BB King Blues Club in Time Square that featured a special act by world renowned comedian Artie Lange along with heartfelt speeches from Boyd Melson, Dr. Wise Young, former Rutgers football player Eric LeGrand, Christan Zaccagnino and boxer/cancer survivor Danny Jacobs. Last year’s event raised $100,000 towards a clinical trial and research of Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries.
Since meeting at a social event in 2002 while he was at West Point, Melson’s dedicated much of his life to helping Zaccagnino. At ten years old, Zaccagnino became paralyzed from the neck down following a diving accident. Since turning pro in 2010, Melson’s donated 100% of his purses from 15 of his 16 matches towards Spinal Cord Injury Research through Justadollarplease.org and Team Fight to Walk, 501c3 charities. Melson and Zaccagnino’s story has received a significant amount of national attention, as the two have been featured on HBO Real Sports, ESPN.com, Sports Illustrated, Yahoo, NY1 and various newspapers.
They also recruited a team of boxers to support the cause either by donating or promoting. The fighters include world champion Demetrius Andrade, former titlists Steve Cunningham and Austin Trout, 2008 Olympian Shawn Estrada and contender Will Rosinsky amongst many others. Even with all of the hard work and tireless efforts, Team Fight to Walk must still raise a significant amount of money before they can move forward with the trial that could changes the lives of hundreds of thousands of people.
On the 16th, guests will get to see performances by comedians Gilbert Gottfried, Jayson Cross and Damon Rozier. Former New York Knicks star Anthony Mason, world champion boxers Danny Jacobs and Demetrius Andrade, former champion Junior Jones and unbeaten contender Frank Galarza will all be on hand throughout the evening to support the cause and spend time with ticketholders. This special event also has a blackjack table, silent auction, DJ, live music, open bar and guest speakers throughout the evening. Dave Diamante, voice of the Brooklyn Nets, will emcee the “Fighting for the Cure” gala.
“I’ve seen the way the world positively reacts to certain causes through social media and there are a lot of people out there that need help with different issues,” said Melson. “I’m calling not only on the boxing world but the general public to help in whatever way they can with Team Fight to Walk and our “Fighting for the Cure” gala. Our 2013 gala was a great success and we need to top donations in 2014 in order to potentially change the lives of hundreds of thousands of Americans suffering from Chronic Spinal Cord Injuries. Christan, myself, the rest of Team Fight to Walk and our loyal supporters have put in a tremendous amount of time to assist with efforts but there’s still a lot of work left to be done. If you aren’t able to make it on the 16th, please consider making a donation of any amount or purchasing a sponsorship page if you run a business. This will go a long way and your assistance can have a major impact on the lives of others.”
In association with the 501 (C) 3 nonprofit Justadollarplease.org, Melson and his best friend Christan Zaccagnino created Team Fight to Walk, whose mission is to raise awareness within the boxing community as well as the entire nation about the importance of bringing Clinical Trials to the United States to help cure Spinal Cord Injuries. Team Fight to Walk is comprised of Melson, Zaccagnino, former Rutgers football player/ESPY honoree Eric LeGrand, two-time cruiserweight champion Steve “USS” Cunningham, Austin “No Doubt” Trout, title contender DeAndre “The Bull” Latimore, Edgar “El Chamaco” Santana, Sonya Lamonakis, Hector “Machito” Camacho Jr., WBO Junior Middleweight titlist/2008 US Olympian Demetrius “Boo” Andrade and fellow 08’ Olympian Shawn Estrada along with prospects Sid “The Messenger” El Harrak, Jeff “TNT” Spencer, Denis “Da Momma’s Boy” Douglin, Will “Power” Rosinsky, Floriano “Italiano” Pagliara, Danny “Little Mac” McDermott, Vinny “The Lion” O’Brien, Ahmed “Prince of Egypt” Samir and Delen “Sniper” Parsley.
For more information or to make a donation, go to teamfighttowalk.com or Justadollarplease.org. All specific questions about the nature of the Clinical Trial to cure Spinal Cord Injury can be sent to boydmelson@yahoo.com.
Contact: Matt Yanofsky (Publicist) – 551-206-0578 Twitter: @kopublicity or Twitter.com/kopublicity