Hall of Fame Lineup–Preview Pics

October 23, 2009

WBHF Banquet has over 50 boxers attending-This Saturday!

October is well underway and to me, this month ushers in two of my favorite things: Baseball’s World Series and, as I like to call it, “Boxing’s Fall Classic,” otherwise known as the World Boxing Hall of Fame’s (WBHF) 30th Annual Banquet of Champions. The dinner and awards show is being held this Saturday at the Los Angeles Airport Marriott where over 50 fighters from past and present will all be in attendance.

While most of the country is getting out their umbrellas and snow boots, we in L.A. are fortunate enough to enjoy summer-like temps of 80 degrees. Yeah, I know, it’s really tough for us trying to find more tank tops and flip flops to wear! But for the new Class of 2009 Inductees being honored this weekend, we had a chance to offer them a really warm “Welcome to L.A.” greeting at yesterday’s press conference held at the host hotel.

This will be my twelfth banquet in a row, and this year’s gala should be just as memorable as the others. At Thursday’s luncheon all seven fighters and expanded category inductees were present: Lucia Rijker, Orlando Canizales, Brian Mitchell, Rafael Herrera, Al Bernstein, Amilcar Brusa and Dr. James Jen-Kin. This was indeed a knockout dais. As emcees Danny Valdivia and Jim Fitzgerald announced the newest honorees, the anticipation and excitement of this weekend’s festivities are really building steam. Also in the conference room were several special guests including Emile Griffith, Carlos Ortiz, Ruben Castillo, Paul Gonzales, Alvaro “Yaqui” Lopez, Allen Syers, and John Montes. Some of the fighters live nearby while many of the others had just arrived in town, suitcases still in tow.

There was a Q&A session with the new crop of inductees that involved a spicy exchange between the first female boxer to be inducted, Lucia Rijker and a favorite local fighter, Ruben Castillo. This was just one of the highlights of the day. More on this interesting and humorous “verbal sparring” between the two warriors to come in a future column!

I also got a chance to meet up with one of my recent interview subjects, the one and only Al Bernstein. The busy Showtime analyst arrived for the press conference before quickly heading back to Vegas for a fight tomorrow night. But don’t worry, fight fans, the popular commentator will be at Saturday’s festivities! Before he left, there was still time to chat with Al about Showtime’s World Boxing Classic, the groundbreaking middleweight tournament that just got off to a bang with the Carl Froch-Andre Dirrell bout and the Arthurs Abraham-Jermain Taylor fight. A few boxing aficionados that were milling around added their two cents about the Froch decision and questioned the future of Taylor, who suffered a devastating knockout right before the bell rang. I added my own two cents in mentioning that if Taylor needs to be replaced, I think Allan Green should get the call. Bernstein, himself, is hoping for an American fighter to keep the U.S. and International balance in the modified round robin.

Call me crazy, but there’s nothing better than talking shop with some of the best in the biz. I go to sleep thinking about boxing and I wake up thinking about the sport. Hmmmm, perhaps I need a therapist! Anyway, if you’re still reading this, you must love boxing as much as I do. Maybe there’s a “12-Step” boxing program we can all enter.

Anyway, back to yesterday’s gathering. As President Mando Muñiz, the Executive Committee and WBHF Board Members mingled, it really was a mini-reunion for all of us. I’ve seen the same familiar and friendly faces for over a decade and it’s always great to catch up with everyone while making brand new acquaintances.

It was very nice to meet Argentinean trainer Amilcar Brusa, who was with a large contingent of South American media pals. The veteran trainer guided the careers of Carlos Monzon and Carlos Baldomir, among countless other warriors. And sitting at the same table with his group, I think I found the secret to his longevity: his passion for Tango dancing and music! Turns out the the youthful Brusa (in his eighties) is a connoisseur of the Argentine Tango culture and his friendly cohorts even gave us tips on where to find the best Tango in L.A.

I can also now reveal to you that Manny Pacquiao has been chosen “Fighter of the Year” and the Juan Manuel Marquez-Juan Diaz battle has been voted as “Fight of the Year.”

I’m currently putting the finishing touches on the VIP Celebrity place cards so I can give you a sneak peek at some of the invited boxers planning to attend! Some of the names on the guest list are Israel Vazquez, Genaro Hernandez, boxing brothers Rafael and Gabe Ruelas, fighting siblings Julio and Antonio Diaz, Erik Morales, Jesus Pimentel, “Terrible” Terry Norris, Timothy Bradley, George Chuvalo, Paul Banke, Alex Ramos, Greg Haugen, Manuel “Mantecas” Medina, Michael Carbajal, Henry Tillman, Gaspar Ortega, Ernie Terrell, James “Bonecrusher” Smith, Mike Weaver, Tommy Morrison and Mia St. John. These names are just a sample of the star-studded dais you’ll see this Saturday night. There are over 75 boxers invited to join the party. And at every banquet I’ve attended, there’s also a lot of surprise guests, so keep your eyes peeled for more famous faces!

Speaking of surprises, upon exiting the press room, our group recognized a very tall, very famous face from the classic ’80s Los Angeles Lakers: #45 AC Green. I watched the power forward play back in the day on the Lakers back-to-back championship team, so it was a delight to meet the basketball player. Fellow Board Member and fellow Laker fan, Henry Vega, and I invited Green to the banquet, but the Oregon native had to decline. He told us he’d be at the USC-Oregon State matchup this Saturday.

So here’s a behind-the-scenes look from yesterday’s presser. The pics are of all seven inductees, President Muñiz with Lucia Rijker, boxer Brian Mitchell (all the way from South Africa) and yours truly with the legendary Al Bernstein.

The WBHF nonprofit organization is dedicated to the sport of boxing, and this is our biggest fundraiser of the year. If you’d like to join us there’s still time!

See you at the Banquet!

L.A. Airport Marriott Hotel