Outdoor Event With Champs, Pets & Boxing!
A special fundraising event was held Saturday for amateur fighter Damien Lopez at the Beachside Animal Hospital in Capistrano Beach, California.
Co-hosted by Dr. George Grant and boxing trainer/sculptor Steve Harpst, the afternoon included boxing demos, live music, prize raffle, art display, silent auction, food, face painting, free giveaways and more. Brand new Team Lopez Support Crew T-shirts were also unveiled at the function. The event was a one-two punch affair combining the love of the sweet science with a passion for animals at the new veterinarian’s office near Orange County. Customers also had the opportunity to get special low-cost vaccines for their dogs and cats.
Lopez, 20, first met Coach Harpst when Damien was just 10 years old. Through the years, the young fighter has traveled with his father/trainer David Lopez and co-trainer Harpst to many shows throughout the U.S. and Canada. Damien (who fights at 152 pounds) is a 2014 Adidas National PAL champion. This year competed in the USA Boxing “Pathway to Glory” Olympic Men’s Trials Qualifier III in Spokane, Washington and Colorado Springs, Colorado. The next competition will be this month’s final qualifier in Memphis, Tennessee.
Training camp’s expenses are needed as the SoCal athlete continues to follow his dreams so Coach Steve (founder of the Burbank Boxing Club) and the club members have been hosting various fundraisers to help Damien, who began boxing at the BBC a decade ago. The funds donated will assist with travel costs like flights, hotel room, food, equipment supplies, etc. He and his supporters are hopeful they can make it all the way on their “Road to Rio” for the Summer Games in Rio de Janeiro 2016. Lopez hopes to be one of the “top dogs” when the bouts are complete.
And everyone had a “doggone” good time at this outdoor gathering for a good cause. A check was presented for $600 and at the end of the day the final tally was close to $700 as more donations came in that afternoon. This will all help Team Lopez as Damien preps for the Memphis fights.
Special VIP guests included boxing champs, a beauty queen, artists and entertainers. Pro slugger Artemio “King” Reyes lent support in inspiring Damien go after this Olympic dreams. Reyes trains with Joel Diaz in Indio and has 23 pro victories and 19 knockouts as a professional prizefighter. He was crowned a WBC FecarBox welterweight champ in 2012 and continues to add wins to his record.
WBC champ Rodolfo “Gato” Gonzalez is a Mexican legend and knockout king. A cancer survivor, he continues to give back to others and remains a standout in boxing circles. “El Gato” was a feared puncher and a known warrior in the sport.
And besides the brawn, there was also beauty. Pageant queen Analizia Lopez was just crowned the new Ms. City of Angels 2016 and is also the current Ms. International World Mexico 2015. Ana knows what it takes to work hard to reach goals and she was also an encouraging presence at the outing.
Thompson Boxing Promotions (TBP) was also a welcome force at the weekend event. Founded by President Ken Thompson, the company has produced many homegrown world champs through the years. In attendance to cheer on Damien were Vera Thompson (wife of Ken Thompson) and Jeanette Gonzales (TBP Executive Assistant).
A live performance came from singer/entertainer Larry Covin (a former fighter himself) who sang throwback tunes at the mic. There was also an interactive art exhibit courtesy of legendary artist Cao Yong’s family and representatives (Leo and Chin). There was an exhibit of Cao’s famous artwork with large paintings that provided a beautiful backdrop in the lot.
Co-host Steve Harpst also had a display with his boxing bronzes featured. The statues are of prizefighters in classic stances. The boxing trainer and sculptor is happy to combine his love of sports and art into these statues handcrafted by Harpst.
This community event was a nice way for people to get to meet Damien while getting a chance to also meet the staff at the new Beachside Animal Hospital. Damien is an animal lover and has a dog named Bella. And young Lopez had some “fierce” competition as the furry pets and puppies up for adoption came to visit the Capo Beach facility.
The canines were a big hit during the day. I had a chance to chat with Melissa from the Zuri Pet Spa and Resort; she is a true champ who has helped save many orphaned animals by finding them healthy, happy homes through their rescue program. Bumping fists with paws, the pooches were a real knockout!
There were many generous donations and contributions from the Zuri Pet Spa and Resort, Zoetis Animal Hospital, Heavyweight Collections T-Shirts (Jay Durkee), Purina, Ferguson’s Plumbing, Kinecta Federal Credit Union and the Williams family. Coach Harpst and the Team Lopez said they really appreciate all the support from everyone and thanked Dr. Grant and his crew (Debbie, Kristin, Rylee and Amadea) for volunteering at the fundraiser held at their office building.
All in all, it was a fun day!
Good luck to Damien on his “Pathway to Glory”!
Photos by Michele Chong
