Golden Boy signs Jorge Melendez and Bastie Samir

Golden Boy Promotions has signed two fighters to new promotional deals, picking up junior middleweight gatekeeper Jorge Melendez and undefeated super middleweight prospect Bastie Samir, adding a couple of names to a roster that has taken severe hits over the last year and change thanks to the mass exodus of Al Haymon-managed/advised/whatevered fighters to the PBC brand.

Melendez (29-5-1, 27 KO) is a 26-year-old Puerto Rican puncher who has lost two of his last three and is 3-3 in his last six bouts. After early career losses in 2009 and 2010, he went on a 13-fight winning streak from 2010-13, before being outclassed by Nick Brinson on a Miguel Cotto-promoted ShoBox card in June 2013. More recently, he dropped a split decision to fringe contender Javier Maciel, and was stopped in eight rounds this past March by top prospect Ievgen Khytrov. He did win his most recent fight on June 20, beating a fighter with a 2-14 record in 1:08.

Samir (14-0-1, 14 KO) is the more intriguing signing, but only marginally so. At 29, he's a bit old for a prospect, and the 2008 Ghanaian Olympian hasn't fought since October 2013, and has never gotten past club level bouts in his seven-year pro career.