Poker Pro Liv Boeree Defeats Melissa Castello in "Rumble Nowhere Near the Rio"

Poker pro Liv Boeree won the "Rumble Nowhere Near the Rio" on July 1st, 2009. The Ultimate Bet poker pro won against video hostess Melissa Castello in an amateur boxing fight in Las Vegas, Nevada. Despite admitting to having no experience in boxing, Boeree easily defeated her boxing rival over three rounds at Barry's Boxing Center. Boeree said that it was very difficult than she expected. Boeree brutally punished Castello with a series of blows but the British poker pro was nothing but gracious to her opponent following her victory in the boxing match.

Boeree said that Melissa is just an amazing fighter because even she keeps hitting her with everything she got, she just keeps coming back. With the win, Boeree won $1,000 for the Marie Curie Cancer Trust, while Melissa Castello earned $500 for the Hemophilia Foundation of Southern California. Beyond the victory for her non-profit organization, Boeree cited pride as her main motivational factor to win the event.

She said that winning the boxing match against Castello was one hundred percent important and that she could not lose for her charity and for the hundreds of fans cheering her on and had wagers on her. Originally scheduled to be fought in the personal octagon of UFC fighter Wanderlei Silva, the boxing match attracted the attention of the State Athletic Commission of Nevada, necessitating for a number of important changes.

The match was moved to Barry's Boxing Center and both Liz Boeree and Melissa Castello were awarded amateur boxing certification as a condition for the State Athletic Commission sanctioning the event. Boeree now finds herself with a record of 1-0 in the Commission's official boxing register while Castello drops to a record of 0-1.

July 21, 2009
John Tucker