The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT) March 9, 2011


"A boxing champion is reaching out to a bullied Middletown teen, inviting her to join him as his guest at an upcoming fight.
Monique McClain, a seventh-grader at Woodrow Wilson Middle School, will join middleweight boxer Sergio Martinez at Foxwoods Casino on Thursday, meeting the fighter and then being his special guest at the weigh-in.
McClain left school in January after months of harassment from other students. Her mother, Alycia, and grandmother, Alexa, say the school system hasn’t done enough to protect her.
McClain’s boxing coach, Johnny Callas, set up the event and said he and McClain are excited for the opportunity. A social worker, Callas coaches boxing to Monique and two dozen other Middletown children in the Champions of Life program at the Lion’s Den. The program teaches at-risk Middletown youth about life skills and personal development, as well as boxing." Read More