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He may not whack like Wayne Braithewaite. He may not crack like O’Neill Bell. And he may not attack like Jean Marc Mormeck. And unlike these world champions of both present and past times, Chris McInerny has also never clasped a world championship belt around his slender waistline. Yet, there is one such attribute that the sniper from Stoughton, Mass. can proudly hold over each of these cruiserweight colleagues.
None of the aforementioned titlists have ever partaken in a Fight of the Year affair.
It was fireworks galore last July 5, the night after Independence Day, when McInerny and adversary Anterio Vines lit up the Roxy night club with a fire-fisted affair that had its patrons gasping for air at the conclusion of those four hellacious rounds. Compacted in those 12 minutes of pulse-pounding entertainment was nothing short of pure TNT.
“I’ve been to some of the great fights of our era, like (Arturo) Gatti-Micky (Ward) I,” says promoter Rich Cappiello. “That one ranks right up there. Chris offered more excitement in those four rounds than most of today’s champions have served up in four years. That display alone was worth the price of admission.”
McInerny’s draw with Vines was so intense, so thrilling, that it capped ESPN network’s “Fight of the Year” honors, an unprecedented milestone for any four-round affair. McInerny (3-0-1) hopes to duplicate his wild theatrics at the vibrant Mohegan Sun Arena on February 18 when swapping leather with Staten Island’s Henry Raftrey. McInerny-Raftrey comes on the heels of a juicy headliner pitting middleweight Rasheem Brown against hard-hitting Gabriel Holguin.
“When you have a fighter like Chris, it really doesn’t matter if you win or lose,” adds Cappiello. “When you have a Fighter of the Year caliber performance, everyone wins. The winner wins. The loser wins. The sport wins. Most of all, the fans win.”
Aside from last July’s draw to Vines, that’s all the 6-foot-3 McInerny has ever done is win, starting with his professional debut on December 17, 2004, when he took apart Johnny Taylor in one quick round. With crunching power in both hands, McInerny followed up with quick knockout disposals of Willie Hernandez and Joe Lorenzi in rapid succession.
“What we learned in those fights is that Chris can really punch,” says Cappiello. “What we learned in the Vines fight is that he can also entertain.”
Tickets are now on sale for $75.00, $40.00 and $25.00, and available through Ticketmaster and the Mohegan Sun Box Office. Customers may log onto ticketmaster.com; call any Ticketmaster phone number; or visit any Ticketmaster outlet. Doors open at 7:30 p.m.
