2018 Inductions: West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame!

Recap and Photos from Sold-Out Ceremony

The Class of 2018 was inducted in style as the West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame (WCBHOF) held their annual Banquet of Champions at the Garland Hotel Event Center in North Hollywood, Calif.

It was a day to remember in which boxing history was not only remembered but revered, respected and honored. It was the place to be in L.A. especially if you’re a boxing fan!

This September 30 event featured the inductions of Archie Moore, Hedgemon Lewis, Richard “Trino” Savala, Joey Orbillo, Ray “Windmill” White, Gabriel “Flash” Elorde, Thell Torrence, Martha Salazar, Canto “TNT” Robledo, Art Frias, Mando Muniz, Ruben Navarro, Jackie McCoy, Theo Ehret, Eric Gomez and John Beyrooty; “Book of the Year” honors went to Joe Robledo (Blood on the Canvas).

Here’s my special report and snapshots from the gala (which had been sold out for months)!

WCBHOF President and Co-founder Rick Farris and Co-founder Dan Hanley and their knockout team of Board of Directors and volunteers all pitched in to make sure the inductees had their shining moments on stage. Well-known emcee Jim FitzGerald introduced all of the living inductees, champions in attendance and special guests in the audience.

It was a star-studded crowd. Spotted in the building were Oscar De La Hoya, Frankie Duarte, Carlos Palomino, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Jeff Bumpus, John Scully, Paul Banke, Loreto Garza, Tony Lopez, Joey Olivera, Ronnie Essett, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Russell Peltz, J’Marie Moore, Blanca Gutierrez, Hedgemon Robertson, Eliza Olson, John Liechty, Gene Aguilera, Steve DeBro, Johnny and Liza Elorde, Rita Elorde, Ramon Elorde, Willie Lucero, Patrick O’Neal, Robert Diaz, Lee Espinoza, Alan Swyer, Bill Caplan, Monica Mendez, Burney Spencer, Colleen Kelly (daughter of Tom Kelly) and many more.

The awards show was a spectacular one–a bona fide knockout event. President Farris is a noted Hollywood lighting technician and knows how to produce a first-class ceremony which included touching tributes to the late Don Chargin, an amazing introduction involving the late Archie Moore and “Iceman” John Scully, rare film footage, the revealing of restored boxing robes (courtesy of Frank Aragon), autographs on the 2018 souvenir programs, the unveiling of the special awards by Jun Aquino (artist/painter) and Steve Harpst (sculptor/boxing trainer) and once-in-a-lifetime photo ops for the ticket holders in the ballroom.

The induction day began with red carpet arrivals, meet and greets with the guests, mini reunions with the prizefighters who came from all over the world and a lot of reminiscing amongst the attendees. As a former pro fighter, Rick Farris makes sure the day is all about the boxers.

Rick knows the fight game very well. As a child, he was in the gym with the legends like Sugar Ray Robinson. Little Ricky was a mainstay at the famed Main Street Gym in the ’60s. The SoCal boy grew up to become an amateur boxer, a pro fighter, boxing historian and President and Co-founder of the WCBHOF. The sweet science runs deep in his veins and has for decades. Farris is known to be very detail-oriented and enjoys taking time to respect the past gladiators in the sport. He wants others to know these boxing heroes’ stories as well; and he wants these blood-and-guts warriors to be rightfully honored for the sacrifices and contributions in the game.

The WCBHOF doesn’t just honor the most famous and well known players in boxing circles, they also pay tribute to pugs who were talented contenders back in the day, or perhaps lesser known local champs who faded as the years went on, or the victors who are now battling Father Time. It was touching to me to see these amazing fighters get their time in the spotlight once again, if only for a few minutes in the limelight.

Some of the inductees like Eric Gomez (President of Golden Boy Promotions) and former champ Martha Salazar (active coach training fighters now) are still working in boxing, while others have hung up their gloves long ago. Each inductee touched people’s hearts with their funny, poignant and at-times emotional speeches. And the older veteran boxers also made an impact too with bittersweet moments.

The speeches were riveting, their minds strong while their legs may have weakened. They may speak slower and more haltingly, but their vivid memories and colorful recollections don’t miss a beat. While they were young and at their physical peak, the same arms that threw punches in bunches now reach out to steady themselves with a cane. But don’t feel sorry for these fighters; no need for any pity. As professional boxers and champs, they worked hard to attain the heights of success that we mere mortals can only dream of. They fought epic wars and had shiny championship belts strapped on their waists. They know the euphoria after scoring a KO and the glory of winning…and many have also tasted bitter defeat. It’s all part of the boxing biz. And these glorious boxers who trained every day for our entertainment deserve respect and love from the audience and that is what they received at this year’s WCBHOF awards.

A few days after the bash, I got in touch with President Farris to hear his thoughts about the WCBHOF inductions, his take on what the day meant to him and what the future plans are for his West Coast organization?

Michele Chong: This was your fourth year of WCBHOF awards. How do you continue to grow and expand each year to ensure great events?

Rick Farris: I believe we grow each year by recognizing legitimate Hall of Fame worthy boxers and boxing personalities, and sharing the history that validates their accomplishments. We have a lot of good boxers in the world, but not all are Hall of Fame worthy, so we validate our choices using film and written history.

MC: What has changed in the last four years?

RF: What has changed? We continue to need a bigger venue to satisfy the demand for tickets to our events. We sold out months before our recent event, and I regret not having moved to the larger LOEWS Hollywood Hotel this year, instead of waiting until next. Our event coordinator Dimas Hern is connected with Loews, and their central location in the heart of Hollywood will serve us and our guests better in the future.

MC: What were our own personal highlights from the day?

RF: The thing I enjoyed most about this event is the same as every year, seeing my friends and celebrating the careers I so enjoyed back in the day. In this case, Ruben Navarro, Ray “Windmill” White, Armando Muniz were boxers I appeared with in places like the Olympic Auditorium, The Forum, the L.A. Sports Arena, Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, the Anaheim Convention Center and the Long Beach Arena, to name a few.

MC: What’s next for the WCBHOF?

RF: What’s next? At the moment I am going to take a breather. It takes a lot of time to create a good event, one that will flow smoothly, and entertain our guests. It’s one thing to rent a venue, choose the inductees, and sell tickets, however, that does not guarantee the guests will have a good show. I think a certain production value must be addressed, and that is providing a show that people will be happy they attended, and look forward to being a part of in the future. Right now, I am focused on our “Art of Boxing” future, and and promoting the talent of Jun Aquino, and the work of the late photographer Theo Ehret. Jun has a dream of painting the cover of The Ring Magazine, and Oscar De La Hoya is supportive of our goals. We have a few surprises in store for the West Coast boxing community on the burner at the moment.

MC: Congrats again, Rick. Your event was a memorable production!

RF: Take care and thank you for how you keep things alive in print.

And keeping things alive while honoring the golden eras in boxing is what Rick Farris does best. He has an incredible memory and will regale you with insider stories from the past. How does he remember everything so well? Because he was often there, part of a magical time in the sport. Those days of real fisticuffs and jaw-dropping fights in historic venues may now be in the rear view mirror but with his West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame, history is recorded, appreciated, honored and remembered.

Congratulations to all the new inductees!

WCBHOF Preview:
Martha Salazar Profile:

Photos by Michele Chong