JESSICA RADTKE MALTEZ/TOMMY MATLON MAKE WEIGHT FOR WISCONSIN SHOW, MARK NELSON TO REFEREE
Minnesota boxers Jessica Radtke Maltez (debut) of Brainerd, MN and Tommy Matlon (3-2, 2 KO’s) of Minneapolis, MN both compete in featured bouts tonight at the Riverside Ballroom in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The action is set to begin at 7 PM. Skylar Thompson of International Boxing and Jim Boone of Badger Boxing LLC will present the action. Radtke-Maltez officially weighed in at 128.8 pounds last night while her opponent Wildalys Rivera (debut) of Puerto Rico (residing in Iowa) was 127.6 pounds. Tommy Matlon, who weighed in wearing a hoodie, tipped the scales at 264 pounds which is pretty normal for him. His opponent Marlon Haywood will weigh-in on Saturday morning. Referee Mark Nelson will fly out of Minnesota this afternoon to officiate the boxing action in Green Bay tonight.
Matlon will defend his Wisconsin State heavyweight title against Marlon Haywood (2-4, 1 KO) of Kankakee, Illinois. The Minnesotan won the title on November 11, 2023 against Dominicc Hardy (then 5-1) by first round stoppage. Matlon vs. Haywood is scheduled for six rounds of action. Most recently, Matlon produced a huge kickboxing victory on February 24, 2024 with a second round KO over Bryan “The Lion” Mcvea in Oklahoma.
“Winning the title was great” said Matlon. “It’s taken a while for me to adjust from Muay Thai to boxing, but I feel like I’m starting to find my groove and an appreciation for the sport. I felt great going into the title fight and I’m hoping to replicate that feeling and performance going into my first title defense.”
“I don’t know too much about my opponent Marlon Haywood; it’s my understanding that he lost a close decision against our one shared opponent Dominicc Hardy. From what I can find of his fights it looks like he has a solid forward pressure style, likes to throw big punches, and mixes in a lot of body shots. I’m looking forward to seeing how my evolving boxing skills will do at being able to counter his pressure and keep the match from turning into a brawl. I am looking forward to this fight and I share his sentiments that this probably won’t go to the judges.”
Radtke-Maltez makes her long-awaited pro boxing debut leaving behind a nice run in the amateurs. The hard-working and dedicated boxer lost a razor thin and questionable decision to the eventual champion in the semi-finals at the 2023 National Golden Gloves tournament. She did not let that head-scratching decision slow her and now her sights are set on victory this Saturday night against the southpaw Rivera.
“I am very excited to make my pro debut” said Radtke-Maltez. “It’s been amazing to see and work with all of the different styles and skills of the boxers day to day at WURK Gym and Peek-A-Boo Boxing. I am in great shape and ready to show the new skills I’ve picked up to bring to this level”.
Some of the boxers that Radtke-Maltez gave a shout out to for helping to prepare for her pro debut include Meri Stewart, Alissa Boltz, Brenda Torres, and Brie Medin. Radtke-Maltez vs Rivera is scheduled for four, two minute rounds in the super featherweight division.