Knockout Day with the Champ
It was a knockout day at the 2023 Thompson Boxing Golf Tournament held at the Desert Princess Country Club in Cathedral City, Calif.
There was a pound-for-pound group of current fighters, ex-champions, boxing trainers, and matchmakers taking part in this annual event near Palm Springs. Here is my recap all about this year’s golf event!
First and foremost, the participants all paid tribute to Thompson Boxing Promotions’ (TBP) President and Founder Ken Thompson (who passed away in February). There was a large portrait of Thompson at the check-in table and the beloved businessman and boxing promoter was on everyone’s minds as they began to board their golf carts.
In attendance were past and present boxers including Josesito Lopez, Albert Davila, Nelson Oliva, Louie Lopez, Artemio Reyes, Aron Martinez, Isaac Zarate, Anthony Chavez, AJ Saldivar, matchmaker Whit Haydon, trainers Danny Zamora, Henry Ramirez, Rashad Hughes, Steve Harpst, ring announcer Sonny Franco, and more.
The desert air and the stunning atmosphere on the golf course made it a KO day as the prizefighters took off the gloves and picked up the clubs at this yearly bash.
It was a best-ball competition and Josesito Lopez, Aron Martinez, Artemio Reyes and Steve Harpst made a fearsome foursome on the Cielo and Lagos holes. Lopez (“The Riverside Rocky”) is an excellent golfer who now takes his swings on the greens instead of a boxing ring. And Martinez proved to be a very good putter as he helped his team make par. Reyes and Harpst also proved their skills on the links during the May 12 tourney.
And it was ironic that Jose and Aron were paired up as the two combatants had fought each other in the past. TBP’s Alex Camponovo stepped between them for a mock “rematch” photo op (all in good fun).
While the punchers are used to teeing off inside the ropes, the guys showed their athleticism by teeing off on the lush course at the Desert Princess. The goodie bags are always a big hit too with special Thompson Boxing golf balls, hats and towels with the TBP logo on them.
After an action-packed time on the fairways, birdies, eagles and par were made by several of the teams signed up to play. The fighters enjoyed meeting the other golfers, vendors, sponsors, customers and business associates from Thompson Building Materials, Omega Products International, etc.
When all the teams returned to the clubhouse, it was time for the awards dinner. The ceremony is always a lively and jovial event with raffle prizes, a delicious meal and the announcement of this year’s winners.
Ring announcer and emcee Sonny Franco introduced all the special guests and Camponovo gave a very moving speech honoring Kenny Thompson and thanking everyone for their support through the years.
Winning first place in the celebrity division was Josesito Lopez (one of the very first fighters signed by TBP) and second place went to his teammate (and former boxing rival) Aron Martinez!
Also, winning that night was trainer Henry Ramirez’s lucky table of prizefighters who won several of the raffle prizes from the array of coveted gifts up for grabs. Sonny Franco called out the winning numbers and Ramirez’s table enjoyed their lucky streak as the night continued. Henry won prizes as did Anthony Chavez (who won a TV) and Rashad Hughes (who won the grand prize of a huge TV set)!
All in all, the event was fun, cool, competitive, classy and memorable, exactly what Thompson Boxing is known for. In honoring their late founder, the Southern California boxing company has continued to host their live fights in Ontario and just held a boxing show on June 23. Their next event is scheduled to take place on July 21.
And their 2023 Golf Tournament of Champions is now in the books.
Thanks again to Alex Camponovo and Jeanette Gonzales for a great time in the desert!
Photos by Michele Chong