To this minute, Nicky Tejada still does not know how things fell apart in Woburn.
He’s just ecstatic they did.
The Haverhill Downtown Boxing Club’s rising star, now 12-0-1 in the ring as a pro, will headline Boston Pro Boxing’s annual Thanksgiving Eve extravaganza … with an added bonus.
Haverhill High School will host the event, set for Wednesday, Nov. 26 in the Mansfield Gym.
“I can’t wait. It’s where I went to high school, where I work now. It’s home,” beamed Tejada. “I’ve been trying to get a pro boxing show here for a year or two now. Where it all started.”
Tejada, the reigning WBC US Silver Super Lightweight Champion, will tangle with savvy Aelio Mesquita, a ring veteran who has been in with world champions in his 43-fight pro career (22-20-1, 20 knockouts).
Coming off a pivotal win in July over title-holder Wilson Mascarenhas in a headline bout at Mohegan Sun in Connecticut, Tejada, now 25, faces a pivotal point in his ring career.
“With the last win, if I get a stoppage here, I feel like I’m pretty close to the road to a world title shot,” said Tejada.
“The last fight was huge, Mohegan Sun, main event. We went right into enemy territory, fighting against that kid on his own promotion. I thought I dominated that fight.
“(Mesquita) has been in with the top guys in the world. If I go in there and stop him, I’m knocking on a pretty big door. We know something big is coming. We’re staying as ready as possible, hoping to get something big soon.”
For now, Tejada is ultra-focused on showcasing his talent to his people, the school, the community, Haverhill.
“I can’t wait to get all the people from Haverhill there. It’s going to be a show, too,” said Tejada. “There’s a big buzz right now, going around the school here. These tickets are going to go really fast, I don’t know if there are going to be enough.”
Assistant principal Sean McLaughlin helped get the ball rolling, and Superintendent Dr. Margaret Marotta OK’d the night.
“The superintendent got it done. Without her, this doesn’t happen,” said a gracious Tejada.
And the fight comes at just the right time for Tejada.
“I have a baby boy (his first child) coming in February, so it’s been busy,” he said. “(My impending fatherhood) is definitely making me work harder. I need to step it up. I’ve been working non-stop. I want to be there and be able to support the baby.”