Ponce de Leon, Hernandez Celebrate

At Victory Party for Maywood fighters–Exclusive Photos!

A special celebration was held for three Southern California fighters who certainly have a lot to celebrate.

Daniel Ponce de Leon, Freddy Hernandez and Emanuel Medina gathered with family, friends and fans this past weekend at the Acapulco Grill in Long Beach. The fiesta was a fun get-together in the casual and cozy atmosphere of the Hawaiian-style eatery. In these exclusive photos from the lively get-together, see all three warriors at their “Triple Victory” party! The men recently fought to victories in Nevada and California and this hard-hitting trio all train at the famed Maywood gym.

Joining these talented Mexican warriors were WBA Female Super Featherweight titlist Kina Malpartida, super featherweight Lissette Medel, boxer Sergio Nuñez, trainers Clemente Medina, Mando Huerta, Yuca Morales and others, along with their various family members.

As a DJ spun some tunes outside the cafe, back inside the venue, attendees watched HBO PPV replays of the guests of honors’ recent victories.

Featherweight Daniel Ponce de Leon (40-2, 33 KOs) was seen on screen in his stunning third-round knockout of the talented Antonio Escalante last Saturday night on the undercard of Shane Mosley-Sergio Mora. As the final crushing blow is delivered and shown again in slow motion, I ask the southpaw how many times he’s watched it now. “I think I’ve watched it five or six times now,” the humble boxer said. He’s very comfortable in this restaurant and was even a co-owner in its early years. Ponce’s good friends Saul and Tony run Acapulco these days, but the slugger’s framed photos, past news clippings and souvenir T-shirts are well-placed prominently on their walls.

So comfortable is he in this dining establishment, that this “hands on” guy automatically starts checking the trash bin and even takes out the full plastic bag as he assists the current owners on the job! “Ponce’s even takes out the trash,” everyone commented. A week ago he was a gladiator in the spotlight at the Staples Center but on this day, he remains just a normal husband and doting dad to Mayra and their three kids. I ask the boxer when he’ll be fighting next and he said they do have an opponent in mind and it looks like he’ll be back in action in December, maybe in Mexico. As the fresh fish and Hawaiian-style teriyaki plates continue to be ordered, the pug, wearing a sporty hat and a Ponce de Leon yellow and black T-shirt, then steps in and lends another helping hand in serving a customer.

After Ponce’s winning bout is shown, the flat screen then plays the Freddy Hernandez (29-1, 20 KOs) clash against another well-liked fighter from Los Angeles, Mike Anchondo. Their fight, with Freddy defending his WBC Latino Welterweight championship, took place on September 17 in Primm, Nevada. Scheduled for ten rounds, Hernandez scored a fourth-round over the tough “Mighty” Mike.

While his match was airing on the replay, Freddy got some ribbing from his compadres about always entering the ring with a lollipop in his mouth.

So what’s with those candy suckers? “I just like it; I always have one,” the likable boxer says. “In California, I can’t have candy in the ring, so I just rip it off and have the stick in my mouth!”

“Any special flavor or brand?” is asked–inquiring minds want to know!

“Anything…If it’s candy, I’ll have any flavor!” he answers. Up on the TV screen, the opening bell rings and we see Freddy in action against his shorter challenger, who used to train at the same gym in Maywood.

After their initial round, Hernandez comments, “Going into the second round, I fought with more pressure.”

“Did the height difference affect him in any way?” I wonder.

“Yeah, at first it was really awkward!” he nods. “He’s shorter than me–and kinda hops up with his jab.”

And then Freddy took control on the canvas. In the fourth round, Hernandez, nicknamed “El Riel,” kept connecting: “I knew it when I felt I had hurt him. I had to finish him off and went after him!”

Did he expect to get the TKO in the early rounds?

“Well, you never know; it’s never easy!” he replied, giving his opponent all due respect. “You just never know…”

Nicknamed “El Riel,” this Mexico City fighter has had two high profile wins now including his February knockout over DeMarcus “Chop Chop” Corley.

Now there’s a lot of talk of the rangy Mexico City puncher possibly facing Andre Berto in November. Will this be his next foe?

“Berto is a good fighter, but I am better!” the welterweight told me with an easy grin. “But it’s what Gary Shaw decides, and if it works out with Berto and Lou DiBella. I will fight anyone!” Hernandez has had many of his battles in his native Mexico as well as in the U.S. He had his family and his three-year-old son with him at the party. “His name is Freddy too. My dad is named Freddy, so I’m Junior and my son is the ‘third.'” The boxer has an outgoing personality and joked around with everyone who came to see the champs, making everybody feel welcome and at home.

And Freddy and Ponce not only share a close bond through boxing, but the two really are like family. In fact, they are family. Hernandez’s sister, Mayra, is Ponce’s wife. The two guys also share a trainer, Yuca Morales, out of the Maywood Boxing Club.

Through the years, this gritty and notorious Maywood bunch have stacked up countless championship titles, belts and trophies in both pro and amateur boxing. At various amateur shows in the Southland, whenever I see their name on the bout sheet, I know to expect fireworks. One of their most high-profile trainers is Clemente Medina, who’s in the corner of Alfredo “Perro” Angulo. While the coach has been deluged with phone calls and questions in regards to the status of his prized pupil, junior middleweight Angulo, the always professional trainer remained tight-lipped in respect to “Perro’s” latest situation. During the weekend celebration, Clemente wanted to keep the focus on the three victors–Ponce, Freddy and the third celebrant, his own son, Emanuel Medina.

The light welterweight recently turned pro and is already 2-0 with back to back knockout wins in both his August debut and his September win on the undercard of the Hernandez-Anchondo card. The young pugilist has literally grown up in the gym–he’s got some great memories that you’ll be able to hear all about in a future profile of the up-and-comer.

As Emanuel, Freddy and Ponce all visited with family members and pals who came out to visit the fighters, there was a lot of kidding around in this relaxed setting. Hernandez is a known jokester and had everyone cracking up. And Medina also shared a good laugh with Ponce, as the Maywood crew explained that the fiery southpaw gives his favorite punches a name.

“Ponce has a name for every punch!” Emanuel says chuckling. The group rattles off several Spanish names that stand in for uppercuts, left hooks, right hooks and straight punches that loosely translate to “The AK-47,” “The Cobra,” “The Poison Arrow” and more.

The fighters all laugh and continue greeting guests at the party. With their September victories, the trio have a lot to celebrate before all three head back to the gym to begin training for the next fight.

Congratulations again to all the teams.

Photos by Michele Chong