Promoter Ken Thompson and WBC’s Dr. Joe Noriega celebrate with Nelly
For all of you men who always ask, “What should I get my wife for her birthday?” here is one answer: You have her cook, clean and wait on all the guests who help celebrate her special day. Who said, “Diamonds are a girl’s best friend?”
I’m kidding, of course. But for one Nelly Noriega, spouse of the esteemed Dr. Joe Noriega (former World Boxing Hall of Fame President, World Boxing Council (WBC) Advisory Committee, and California Boxing Hall of Fame inductee) that is exactly what her birthday wish was! Well, she got the diamonds too!
Nelly and Dr. Joe recently hosted an intimate dinner party for a few close friends, including Thompson Boxing Promotions’ Ken Thompson and his wife Vera, Dolores Schunke (wife of Chris Arreola’s cutman “Indian” Willie), judge/referee Gwen Adair, boxing trainer and artist Steve Harpst and the Noriega’s neighbors Wayne, Karen and Cambria. Willie Schunke was at the gym with heavyweight Arreola training for the September 26 Vitali Klitschko fight and couldn’t attend, but spoke to the group during a break to say hello.
The guest of honor, Nelly, invited everyone into their spacious San Gabriel Valley home for a veritable feast including her specialty, Chinese dumplings. She wanted to spend her birthday (September 10) with some pals in a casual, relaxed setting. You see, this milestone birthday of 65 years is also a bittersweet one. Nelly is currently battling cancer, after first conquering the disease almost a decade ago. Undergoing her fifth round of chemo this week, the lady was not going to let it get her down and spoil her big day. She was happy as a clam frying up enough dumplings to feed an army and had more energy than all of us put together.
And as difficult as this has been for her family and friends, Nelly never wavers from her strong and positive attitude. Perhaps because she’s always around tough fighters and disciplined champions that she is showing such a strong resolve. Anyone fighting cancer is already a true champion in my book.
“Nelly’s like a magnet; she’s incredible. Nelly just has this uplifting spirit,” guest Dolores Schunke says. “She’s always happy, no matter what. Nelly doesn’t show any negative feelings, she’s always positive.”
The Noriegas first met in 1984 and have been married for 14 years. She has two grown sons from a previous marriage and Dr. Joe has three adult sons as well. And together they have five pampered pooches they dote on. As we toured their beautiful house, decorated in a Southwestern style, you can’t help but notice all the photos lining every nook and cranny on the walls and shelves. The couple love to travel and their many adventures have been captured through the years, framed for posterity. But family is their cornerstone; they are very proud of their children and grandkids whose pictures occupy many prime spots in every room.
Nelly is a go-getter and before she retired was one of the top car salesmen in the area. The Noriega duo still keep a busy schedule. Dr. Joe, a well-known chiropractor with several health centers in the L.A. region is also a new manager of female fighter Carina Moreno. She’s fighting in October in Mexico and Noriega tells us, “This is our first fight together as her manager. I’m looking forward to the trip!” Noriega has stepped down from his WBC post in order to work with “La Reina” Moreno, who has held WBC, WBA, WIBA, IBA, IFBA and NABF titles throughout her illustrious career.
But for this hardcore boxing group, as much as we all tried to chat about other topics, the sweet science never strayed far from our thoughts.
As Nelly scurried around her kitchen cooking for all of us (she insisted, I swear!), we all caught up about the latest boxing news. Promoter Thompson has his fight night tonight “Locked N’ Loaded” where you will see the Noriegas at ringside. He also told us his champion, Tim Bradley (whom he co-manages with Gary Shaw), will be facing Lamont Peterson on December 5. “Timmy is the WBO champ and everyone wants to fight him now,” says Thompson of his talented light welter.
A female pioneer in boxing, Gwen Adair, an Executive Member of the World Boxing Hall of Fame, regaled the table with stories of her early start in the sport. It all began when she first fell in love with all things fistic.
“Years ago I was at a local fight, just in the crowd yelling instructions to the fighter,” Adair explains. “I couldn’t help it…I saw what he should be doing to win. Well, after everyone saw me and heard me, they gave me an award: “Female Fight Fan of the Year!” Since that first award, she has accumulated many honors and awards and is still an active fixture on the fight scene.
She has been a manager, amateur referee, professional referee and judge and truly dedicates herself to boxing. She mentioned her next gig was at the San Manuel fights last night. Gwen also said she had her own female mentor to learn from, her mother Lovie Yancey. Her mom passed away last year at age 96, and her lasting legacy was in creating the Fatburger restaurant chain. So it’s no wonder why Gwen fought for her own way in a male-dominated sport!
During the festivities, boxing matches were always on, thanks to TiVo master, Dr. Joe. As we dined throughout the evening and were treated to freshly baked cupcakes and a gorgeous birthday cake (courtesy of Vera Thompson), we also caught a replay of the Roy Jones Jr. vs. Jeff Lacy bout, various recent fights and even one of Pernell Whitaker’s vintage battles. We all share a passion for boxing and the understanding Nelly encouraged us to get our pugilistic fix.
If you would like to wish Nelly Noriega a “Happy Birthday” you can catch her tonight at Ken Thompson’s boxing show. The entrepreneur has featured a successful series of events like his “Path to Glory” and “New Blood” shows. Tonight’s card features seven fights and he says there’s going to be some great matchups. Included on the card are Jose Lopez vs. Anthony Mora, Dominic Salcido vs. Ilido Julio, a rematch between Aaron Garcia and Jesus “Pollo” Hernandez, and the return of Raul Franco.
“Chris Arreola will also be there since Jose is fighting,” comments the promoter and construction mogul. Jose Lopez shares a trainer, cutman and cornermen with “The Nightmare” Arreola. “Chris fought at a lot of our shows before.” Arreola fought at tonight’s venue, the Doubletree Ontario, four times and at Thompson’s Omega Products International venue once before.
So be sure to look for Nelly Noriega at the Ontario fight–she’ll be the one with that championship smile!
Photos by Michele Chong