For New England Fights (NEF) mainstay Bruce Boyington, the changing of the seasons in Maine still carries a meaning that goes far beyond the weather.
“This time of year is always a special time because of the winter in Maine,” Boyington said during a recent interview with James Lynch. “Just finally getting a little sun and the green grass in the background, that’s why I’m outside.”
That season of renewal mirrors where Boyington (19-14) finds himself in his fighting career. A veteran mixed martial artist with nearly three dozen professional bouts, he’s still drawn back to the cage when the moment feels right.
On Saturday, May 16, at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine, that serendipity arrives in deeply personal form: A main event, hometown clash with former teammate and fellow veteran CJ Ewer (3-3) at “NEF 66: Salute.”
It’s not a fight Boyington eagerly sought.
“I think a couple fights ago they mentioned his name to me,” Boyington said. “I’ve trained with CJ for quite a while. He’s kind of in and out of the gym and always has been in his career. He’s tough, a good wrestler with Young’s MMA. I’ve been with Titan Athletics for a while now. They mentioned his name a couple of fights ago. I went to Minnesota and fought, but they offered it before that.”
Boyington initially declined, not out of fear, but out of respect and familiarity.
“I turned it down, just because of my old coach,” he said. “I spent most of my career with Chris Young. There’s a lot of my deepest weaknesses and so on, if you will, that he’s well aware of. It’s not a fight I would have jumped at to begin with, plus the fact that CJ is probably two weight classes above me. I guess (Ewer) had mentioned my name and wanted to fight me. Matt Peterson (NEF co-owner and matchmaker) threw that name out there, and I just kind of squashed it and said, ‘What else do you got?’”
But the buzz didn’t go away.
“Then this card came up in April, and they changed it to May 16 (Armed Forces Day), so I was able to do that date,” Boyington said. “They threw CJ’s name back in the mix, and I kind of felt the same way. But they threw an offer financially that I just couldn’t turn down.”
That tender, Boyington admits, was historic not just for him, but potentially for the regional scene.
“It’s the biggest financial fight I’ve ever had, and that includes World Series of Fighting and the fight over in Russia,” he said. “Probably the biggest payday any pro fight has ever seen in the region, if I had to guess. I don’t want to go into (the specifics).”
He laughed at the ramifications of those comments.
“I’m probably throwing them under the bus, because everybody’s going to want more money now,” Boyington added. “It’s kudos to NEF for doing what they’re doing (for me) after such a long, storied career. Despite the size difference and the controversy with former teammates and whatnot, it’s one I can’t pass up.”
For all the intrigue surrounding their shared history, Boyington sees the matchup itself in simple terms as a classic clash of styles.
“I think I say this every time I’ve ever had an interview,” he said. “Generally, I find myself saying the same thing, and that’s, it’s no secret what he’s going to try to do. It’s no secret what I’m going to try to do. It’s just whoever is going to be able to implement their game plan.”
“He’s a good wrestler. He’s got bigger size and strength on me. He’s going to go out and try to get hold of me and try to hold me down. I’m going to go out there and try to stay moving. I’m going to try to pick him apart and put him to sleep if I can. That’s just smart for the both of us.”
Still, the “why” behind the fight lingers in Boyington’s mind.
“I don’t know. CJ’s a man of few words as it is,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to know where he’s going and what the whole point of him throwing my name out there was. I haven’t talked to him.”
The two had a chance meeting far away from the gym. Their cage background came up, but not in the context of ever fighting one another.
“It was last summer at one of our kids’ mutual school events. Our kids were both doing sports, and we ran into each other and talked for a bit. It was the last time I talked to CJ, and we talked about him getting back into it and whatnot,” Boyington recalled. “Next thing I heard, he was asking to fight me. It’s kind of strange for that name to pop up, especially with how the conversation went.”
He understands the allure. The window for both men may be closing: “Pretty Boy” Boyington is 47 years of age; “The Albino Rhino” Ewer, only a year younger.
Plus, a spotlight dance with such a prominent name in the region carries weight, especially in Bangor.
“I know people are trying to get a fight with me, especially in our hometown,” he said. “It’s a main event. It’s a big deal, especially for somebody like him that hasn’t had many of them.”
Even so, it runs counter to Boyington’s usual approach to matchmaking.
“I’ve fought for a lot of different reasons,” he said. “It’s never really been worth it to me to fight somebody I’ve trained alongside with that I’ve kind of called a fellow brother.”
He cited specific examples.
“They’ve offered me Josh Harvey, Ryan Sanders a few times,” Boyington said. “Those are guys I’ve trained extensively with and for a long time and been really close with, so it’s not somebody I’d want to go in a cage and stand across from. Somebody’s night is not going to be as pleasant. This is not something I like to do, but I can’t turn this one down.”
Preparation for this unique challenge has taken place at Titan Athletics, where Boyington has built the closing chapter of his career.
“I’ve been there I can’t remember how many years it is now,” he said. “We’ve been down to Connecticut, and several fights with New England Fights, and Minnesota as well. Jeremy Tyler heads up the fight team. Eduardo Benjamin is the jiu-jitsu side of things. I’ve got a lot of guys over there. Jeremy is my head coach, but Eddie Davis, if it weren’t for him, especially for this camp. He came out to Minnesota with me.”
Boyington won that fight last August by decision over Ozzy Judge, another veteran with 18 wins to his credit at the time.
The Titan teammates both celebrated wins last year over Matt Denning, a perennial NEF showman who preceded Ewer in calling out Boyington.
“Eddie Davis has been my prime guy. I’ve got to work until 9:30 at night, and him and some of the other guys will come in late at night so I can get my training in,” Boyington said. “Eddie just bends and breaks and does whatever he’s got to do. He gives me a call and makes sure I’m pushing it in the gym. Without him, I’d be lost for this fight right now.”
That work, combined with years of familiarity, gives Boyington confidence, even in a fight layered with complications.
He also hearkens back to those unofficial meetings of yesteryear with Ewer in the room at Young’s.
“To be honest with you, man, I feel good about it, just because I’ve sparred with CJ many times,” he said. “I know how he is, and I know how it’s kind of unfolded each time. I feel good about how a lot of things are going my way, my health and all that. I feel great.”
That self-assurance extends to Boyington’s prediction, though it comes with mixed emotions.
“I see him getting caught with something as I always do,” Boyington said. “I try to make that vision come true. I don’t like to think about that, as much as it kind of disappoints me to have him call my name out.”
Ewer, the former NEF professional middleweight champion, hasn’t fought since 2019.
As Boyington noted, both are family men away from the arena. That makes the thought of prevailing in violent fashion a tad less satisfying.
“I know he’s got kids, too. I don’t like the idea of him getting knocked out in front of kids if that’s what happens,” Boyington said. “If I was to lose, it’s going to be a shitty night for me as well. One way or another, it’s going to go down. Somebody’s got to lose.”
Boyington doesn’t picture himself as that somebody.
“I see him getting knocked out if I’m being honest,” he said. “That’s not trying to sound any certain way. It’s just how I’ve experienced it in our sparring matches in the gym and whatnot.”
He also questions whether Ewer’s activity level can compete with his own.
“I know he hadn’t been in the gym. He’s in there right now, as far as I know, but he kind of comes in and goes out as he feels like being part of MMA,” Boyington said. “That catches up to you. It’s hard to stay with somebody who’s been fighting all their life, so we’ll see what happens.”
Beyond the fight itself, Boyington’s motivation is increasingly tied to family, particularly with a unique full-circle moment looming on fight night.
“My kids are getting up there now. Their sports are taking over,” he said. “My oldest son, Riddick, is going to be doing a wrestling match to open up the show on May 16 for New England Fights. He’s only 16. He wrestles for Penobscot County Wrestling.”
“They did something special for him to get in there, because he’s dying to fight in the cage, as well, but he’s got to be 18. That’s his first night to be influenced into this.”
Looking ahead, Boyington acknowledges the balance between fighting and fatherhood is becoming more delicate.
“I’m focusing on the kids after this,” he said. “I do want to fight at least one fight (card) with him when he turns 18 if I can. I’m going to be pretty old by then if I’m not already.”
The obstacles are more practical than physical.
“It’s not a matter of being able to get in the cage and fight. It’s just navigating life around it now,” Boyington said. “It’s a little harder when you’re older and the kids are older. But I love to stay in shape and in the gym with Titan Athletics and my brothers. I’m always going to be in there as much as I can.”
Even with one eye on the future, Boyington isn’t closing any doors.
Whether it’s the lucre or the uniqueness of an opportunity, and both are true of this fight, competitors such as Boyington find it hard to ride off into the sunset without basking yet again.
“We’ll see what happens,” he said. “If a fight gets offered and it makes sense like this, I’m not going to say no to it. I don’t care what age I am.” “NEF 66: Salute” is slated for Saturday, May 16 at Cross Insurance Center in Bangor, Maine. Doors open at 6 p.m., with the first bout to begin at 7 p.m. Tickets are on sale now at www.ticketmaster.com or at the Cross Insurance Center box office. For more information, go to www.nefights.com