Champs Attend Annual Event
Summer in Southern California means sizzling temperatures, cookouts and fun in the sun. And the month of August also means it’s time for Paul Banke’s annual BOXFAM BBQ with the Champs!
On August 12, a large crowd of prizefighters, boxing folks, friends, family and fans all gathered together throughout the day at the picnic held at Covina Park in Covina, Calif. It’s always a great time at this special outing; it was my fourth year in a row attending this yearly bash.
WBC champ Paul Banke and his BOXFAM brand hosted this fiesta that included food, music (DJ Phillip Guerrero), photo ops with the champions and more.
And while there were many professional sluggers in attendance, it was time for them to take off the boxing gloves and put on the BBQ mitts! There was a lot of grilling goin’ on and the tables were filled with lots of delicious dishes for everyone to enjoy. From babies to boxing veterans, the BBQ spanned generations. And Texas boxing was well represented with Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, Jesse Benavides and Jesse Castellanos all in town for the big day in SoCal.
The guests kept streaming in and spotted at this year’s party were former/current pro and amateur fighters, Olympic competitors, boxing coaches, cornermen, USA Boxing officials, pro referees and judges, commentators, etc. Many came from out of state to make the day a mini reunion within boxing circles.
The list of visitors is long and there’s no way to mention each and every person there. There were tons of notables in the fight game (past and present included). Joining Banke were Carlos “Famoso” Hernandez, Daniel Ponce de Leon, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Alex Ramos, Art Frias, Frankie Duarte, Surge Jimenez, Ray Corona, Steve Harpst, Steve Banke, Roman Almaguer, Greg Puente, Ronnie Rivota, Jesse Benavides, Sindy Amador, Victor Valenzuela, Zack Padilla, Weaver Triplets (Floyd, Lloyd and Troy), George Rodriguez, Nars Martinez, Don DeVerges, Joey Olivera, Carlos Morales Jr., Antonio Ramirez, Mathew Porcellino, Larry Ramirez, Robert Ortiz, Anthony Huizar, Bill and Linda Young, Bobby Rizzo, Ricky Romero, David Martinez, Andy Rojo, Freddy Fender Jr., Manny Nava, Jacquie Richardson, Cary Hashimoto, Putasos’ Ralph Sarabia, Thompson Boxing’s Joe Pajar, Echo Lynn Designs, Primero Boxing’s Lisa Valencia and so many other familiar faces that came and went throughout the knockout day!
There was also a special presentation of artwork given to Banke by Robert Ortiz (Scraptime Promotions), a poster signing with the National Boxing Hall of Fame’s Bill and Linda Young, and a fundraising raffle (a beautiful WBC belt) with Team Castineyra to benefit injured fighter Edy Valencia.
While no punches were thrown, it was definitely a KO event under the sun. The best thing about the day was the relaxed atmosphere, friendly vibes and casual setting where everybody could just kick back and talk about boxing!
A couple days after this get-together, I spoke with Paul Banke to hear his thoughts about the day. This was his fifth year in a row of hosting this Meet and Greet withthe boxing champions. He thanked everyone for joining him and he mentioned that he will continue to expand his BOXFAM brand and is already looking forward to making the 2024 BBQ even bigger and better!
Thanks again to Paul and Angela Stanfield for the perfect summer outing!
Photos by Michele Chong
Great commentary and you summed it up beautifully. It is always my honer to donate my time and efforts to make the Paul Banke BOXFAM BBQ with the Champs a super fun day for the boxers families, friends and fans. Thank you Michelle Chung for your special words.
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