When Brandon Berry looks across the ring at the start of his second professional fight, he’ll see a familiar opponent. Challenging Berry will be Bill Jones, the opponent Berry defeated in his pro debut on May 11 at Skowhegan Area High School.

Berry and Jones will have their rematch on Saturday night, at Tri-City Christian Academy, in Somersworth, N.H., not far from Jones’s home town of Berwick.

“They wanted a rematch, and out of respect, we did,” Ken “Skeet” Wyman, Berry’s trainer, said.

In that May fight, Berry won via TKO in the fourth and final round. Saturday’s fight also is scheduled for four rounds. Both men will fight at approximately 143 pounds.

“I try to look at it as a second fight. I don’t look at it as a rematch. I don’t expect the same things from (Jones),” Berry, a West Forks native, said. “He was fairly competitive right up until the third round in the first fight. I expect a tough fight.”

Berry, 25, said he expects to come out stronger than he did in the May fight. One reason is he’ll be used to fighting without wearing headgear.

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“That was my first fight without headgear. There’s definitely a difference. The first couple of rounds, I was being patient and cautious,” Berry said.

Berry defeated Jones with a steady stream of jabs and hooks. Since that fight, Wyman has focused Berry’s training on increasing the boxer’s power.

“He’s pivoting in his hip and putting things together,” Wyman said of Berry. “I believe (the fight) will pick up where it left off in the fourth round.”

Wyman also noted Berry is doing a good job correcting one of his weaknesses.

“His head movement’s been good, but he had a bad habit of looking at the floor when he moved his head,” Wyman said. “Now, he’s looking his opponent in the eye.”

While Berry won the last fight against Jones, Wyman said that Jones, who has a long and successful career in mixed martial arts, has the ability to land a fight-changing punch.

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“Billy Jones is a rugged individual. He’s capable of landing punches. In the first fight, he did,” Wyman said.

Berry will follow Saturday’s fight with a bout on Sept. 12 at the Verizon Wireless Arena in Manchester, N.H. As with his fights against Jones, Berry will focus on the basics when he trains.

“The basics will take you to the top in this sport,” Berry said.

Berry ended his amateur boxing career last winter, finishing runner-up in the New England Golden Gloves finals in February. In January, Berry defeated Julio Perez in a unanimous decision at TD Garden in Boston.

Travis Lazarczyk — 861-9242

tlazarczyk@centralmaine.com

 


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