After getting ducked last month, boxer set to fight on ESPN2
card Friday night
This time it’s for real.
Kelsey ‘The Road Warrior’ Jeffries is in Temecula, Calif. and getting ready for her scheduled six-round bout against Texan Melissa Yanas at the Pechanga Resort Casino on Friday.
“She’s here. She’s going to be here,” said Jeffries, while driving with her manager Bruce Anderson to the site of Friday’s fight. “Finally, can you believe it? I’m so excited.”
The last time Jeffries was ready to go – July 22 on the Miller Lite Fight Night At The Tank Series in San Jose – her expected opponent, Valanna McGee, failed to show up and the fight was canceled.
The world champion has been itching to get back in the ring ever since.
“A week ago I found out that it was confirmed,” Jeffries said. “I’m itching. I felt so ready my last fight, but obviously that didn’t happen so I saved it for this fight. I’m ready to go. I can’t wait.”
Anderson immediately started working on getting another fight for Jeffries as quickly as possible after the strange disappearance of her last challenger.
“For her to be letdown like that, I was a little bit concerned about her emotionally and mentally,” Anderson said. “I knew I needed to get her a fight right away.”
So he called an old friend, Arthur Pellulo, with Banner Promotions to see if he could line anything up. Pellulo, the founder and president of Banner Promotions, got Jeffries a spot on the ESPN2 card, which has a featured bout of J.C. Candelo versus Joachim Alcine for the a junior middleweight title.
“Quickly, that’s the main thing,” Anderson said. “We’re not looking for any war. It’s like shock therapy – a new audience, a new fan base, a new everything. This is big.”
And even though Jeffries knows nothing about Yanas besides her fighting out of San Antonio, Texas, she is just happy to go to work again.
“I just know she’s bigger than I am,” said Jeffries, who will be fighting up at 128 pounds. “That’s what I’ve got to do to stay busy. I like a challenge. I like to be the underdog. Everything against me, I like that.”
Jeffries, who regularly fights at 126 and 122 pounds, is used to going up against bigger opponents. But she’ll find out everything she needs to know at 2 p.m. today for the weigh-in.
“I think she’s a righty, but I’m prepared for either stance,” Jeffries said. “It’s difficult, but I do it. It’s a challenge, but I like it prepare for the worst and prepare for the best. I’ve got to just mentally be ready for anything.”
Jeffries expects that Yanas will trim down to make the 128-pound maximum weight and then bulk up for fight night.
“She’s going to dry out and be back at 140 by the time we fight,” Jeffries said. “She’s up there with some other girls that I fought before. … I just got to be smart.”
The Gilroy-based fighter, who resides in Hollister, compared her new opponent to that of Melissa ‘Honey Girl’ Del Valle.
In that fight, Jeffries won a decision at the Shark Tank, despite Del Valle weighing in over at 129 pounds and bulking up more by fight time.
“My goal this fight is to go to the body early and tire her out,” said Jeffries, who doesn’t even know what Yanas’ record is.
The garlic pugilist holds a 27-8 professional record with two wins coming by way of knockout. She last fought June 17 when she won for the second time in a span of six days.
For the first time since hooking up with the world renowned trainer, Jeffries will have James ‘Buddy’ McGirt in her corner. She takes trips to Florida to train with him and speaks with him on the phone, but has not been back there since October.
“I can’t wait,” Jeffries said. “Just because he’s so smart. He knows me as a fighter. We’re on the same page. I understand him.
“I think that he’s going to see things that I need to do. I’m looking forward to what he has to say in the corner. It can’t get any better than that.”
The future continues to look even brighter for Jeffries, who is scheduled to fight for the vacant 122-pound IBA title on Sept. 23 in San Jose.
“I’m working on that now,” Anderson said. “It’s in. It will be at The Tank.”
Jeffries is already the California State Featherweight Champion, the IFBA World Champion, the WIBF America’s Champion, and the WIBA Intercontinental Champion.
And Anderson also plans on getting her another title fight in November in Oregon.
Friday’s fight card will be televised on ESPN2. Depending on how short the main event and semi-main event are, Jeffries bout could be shown on tape delay.
