Research Challenge: Don Melancon...

[Dart340]

Primarily directing this to Il Duce, but open to anybody that wants to answer the challenge...

Melancon is a bit of a mystery here in Indianapolis. Known for knocking heavily pushed Gary Guiden out cold. His next fight, he was matched with the heavier and even more heavily pushed Sammy Nesmith and was stopped.

BoxRec shows his first fight against 25-0 Johnny Baldwin, which we know logically cannot be true, as world class and undefeated fighters don't fight debuting novices in main events in their hometowns.

Not soon after this "debut", in fact a mere three months later, Melancon (who evidently had several different aliases or different spellings of his name at least) kayoes a legit main eventer Gilbert De La Santos in eight.

Can anybody tell me who this guy was in terms of background and career? There has to be a host of unrecorded fights and also a reason that wily promoter Fred Burns didn't rematch him with eventual world tittle challenger Guiden and instead threw in a "ringer" in Nesmith.

Always been curious and hope somebody can fill in some blanks for me....?

[Dart340]

Where do you think the result from the phantom fight against Johnny Baldwin came from?

I'm both amazed and yet not surprised that you dug this stuff up out of the fog on a complete unknown that absolutely no one else would even remember.

Thank you again!

[Dart340]

Not only did you research Melancon thoroughly for me, but you actually saw the guy fight in person (!)

Amazing.

[Dart340]

Bonus points, Master Duce, if you can find a picture of Melancon.

You realize you showed how limited both the Ring Record Book and Boxrec are by your records research. How could there not be undercard results from a John Tate-Johnny Boudreaux main event?

[Dart340]

Which is exactly why it is surprising that none of the undercard is recorded on BoxRec or otherwise. Surely Ring Magazine sent a local correspondent to cover it or at the least get a newspaper report. They managed to track four round fights here in Indy on nothing cards between two guys from East Bumbletucky. Makes no sense, does it?