Jun 15, 2016 3 min read

CHARLEROI – Charleroi resident Morgan “Big Chief” Fitch will try to remain unbeaten in the boxing ring when he faces Victor Kpadenou at The Meadows Racetrack & Casino Saturday night as part of the card for WBC 53.

“I am definitely excited to get back into the ring, always excited,” said Fitch about his return to the ring after a four-month layoff. “This is what we train for.”

The 33-year-old Fitch (16-0-1, seven knockouts) is a middleweight who is ranked 51st in the United States and 169th in the world by boxerec.com. He is a native Houmas Indian, which leads to his ring nickname.

Kpadenou, a native of Cotonou, Benin – which is located in Africa, just east of Nigeria – lives in Silver Spring, Md., and fought for the IBF Super Welterweight championship in 2005, dropping a unanimous decision to Tobia Guiseppe Loriga.

A win over Kpadenou would be Fitch’s sixth straight since a split-decision draw against Darnelle Boone Nov. 30, 2011.

Kpadenou has lost his last two fights by unanimous decision but Fitch isn’t taking him lightly.

“I don’t know too much other than he was born in Africa and lives in Maryland,” Fitch said. “But I do know that he is coming to fight.

“I need to put in the work and be prepared to go the distance, but if I can get him out of there that works, too, because I am just trying to get the W.”

In his last fight, Fitch, a native of Louisiana who moved to Charleroi so that he could work with trainer Tom Yankello in Coal Center, scored a unanimous decision over Timothy Hall, Jr. in a fight Feb. 13 at Mountaineer Racetrack and Resort in Chester, W.Va.

“We have been working on a few little things and sharpening things up,” he said. “I’ve just been staying in the gym to keep my game sharp.”

He hopes to show off his skills Saturday night with bigger fights in his plans.

“I am not taking this fight lightly,” said Fitch, who had an active amateur career, going 45-12. “But hopefully national TV is the next step. I will be looking for a good challenge.

“I will be waiting for the phone call (to head somewhere for a fight), but I have to take care of Saturday first.”

Headlining the scheduled seven-fight card are a 10-round bout between Oscar Mojica (9-1) and Antonio Nieves (15-0-1) for the NABO bantamweight title.

Tommy “Kryptonite” Karpency (26-5-1) of Adah, Fayette County, will be in action trying build off his dominant first-round KO of Paul Gonsalves at WFC 50 and his brother, Jeremiah Karpency (12-0-1), will try to rebound from a draw in his last fight.

There also is a women’s bout on the card.

Tickets can be purchased at The Meadows gift shop or online at ticketfly.com.