Two Indicted on Charges of Fixing Las Vegas Fight

A U.S. District Court grand jury in Las Vegas has indicted a matchmaker and a fighter on charges they fixed a fight held last summer as part of an ongoing conspiracy to pad the record of New York heavyweight Richie Melito Jr.

Bobby Mitchell of Columbia, S.C., and heavyweight Thomas Williams of Washington face federal sports bribery and conspiracy charges, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Las Vegas. Melito was not named in the indictment.

The indictment charges that Mitchell and others paid opponents to lose to Melito beginning in March 1995. The U.S. Attorney’s Office, which is working with the FBI, didn’t provide details of the other alleged fixes in what officials characterized as an ongoing investigation.

The indictment was handed down in Nevada because of an audio tape on which Mitchell and Williams can allegedly be heard arranging the fix.

Melito knocked out Williams at 2:37 of the first round of a preliminary fight on the undercard of the Aug. 12 Evander Holyfield-John Ruiz heavyweight title match at the Mandalay Bay Events Center, a show promoted by Don King.

King’s office had no comment.

Melito, 25-1 with 24 knockouts, ended the fight by knocking Williams, 26-10 with 16 knockouts, through the ropes and onto referee Carole Castellano, bruising her shoulder.

“All I can remember is that it was a great right hand,” said Marc Ratner, executive director of the Nevada State Athletic Commission. “I always believed it was a real punch.”