February 17, 2011
By Staff Reporter
The 26-year-old middleweight, who was originally scheduled to fight in Dorchester on the day the alleged assault occurred, was arraigned on March 14 and held at the Dedham House of Correction in Dedham in lieu of a $10,000 bail.
Jean Alexander, an assistant clerk at the Quincy District Court, said on Monday that Thornton was arrested with a Michael Beverly who was charged with possession of a firearm. According to sources, Beverly, who’s also 26, is a promising heavyweight boxer.
Reading from the police report, Alexander said: “On March 11, 2005, being armed with a dangerous weapon, a hand gun, [Thornton] did assault Jakub Ziajz with intent to rob.
“He was held on bail, $10,000 cash [and] he’s to stay away from the victim. He’s due back in court on April 6 for probable cause,” she said.
Alexander declined to furnish further information on the case, but if the case goes to trial and he’s convicted, Thornton faces jail time and deportation.
Danny Kelly, a Boston contractor and co-promoter of the March 11 boxing card that was postponed after bad weather was forecast, confirmed that Thornton was in custody.
“Armed robbery, that’s what they’re telling me,” Kelly said, adding: “He’s had a lot of bad luck. He keeps getting caught.”
Kelly said Thornton (9-1-1, 4 KOs) was billed to fight on the rescheduled show at the Dorchester Armor his Friday, along with Paschal Collins and P.J. Keane, a 20-year-old middleweight out of Galway who’ll be making his pro debut.
Thornton was matched against Khalif Shabazz, a fighter he knocked out in five rounds in his last bout in Boston five months ago.
The grandson and namesake of a former All-Irish heavyweight champion, Thornton turned professional in 2002 and has fought exclusively in New England since.
He briefly relocated to New York last summer after reportedly signing to play Gaelic football with Astoria Gaels, but returned to the Boston area to fight.