Reward Offered for “Schoolboy’s” Gold Ring!
Former two-time world champ Bobby “Schoolboy” Chacon’s fist is missing one very important piece of jewelry that is near and dear to his heart–a championship ring from his 2005 Induction into the famed International Boxing Hall of Fame. The slugger was presented this coveted gold jewelry at the 2005 ceremony held in Canastota, New York.
Now the ex-champion is reporting this prized possession as stolen. The former WBC Featherweight and WBC Super Featherweight Champion contacted me to tell me that his ring is gone and he is truly heartbroken with the loss.
“Hi Michele, they stole my ring!” Chacon’s voice cracked. “I want to tell everyone to PLEASE help me find it. I really want it back!”
As I spoke to the SoCal puncher (59-7-1, 47 KOs) and his girlfriend Rosie, the duo relayed the details about how the Hall of Fame ring first vanished. It has been a month since the incident. They had been hoping it would be returned by now but since it hasn’t materialized, the pair wanted to get the word out in regards to what went down.
The two were at a Coco’s Restaurant in Arcadia, California and also visited the Westfield Santa Anita Mall on June 18. Bobby was wearing the ring at the outset of their trip when later in the day they realized it was gone.
Anyone who’s ever met Chacon, 60, knows he is friendly and gregarious to all, always posing in a mock standoff, fist on chin or shadowboxing while playing to the cameras. When asked by fans, he may have shown off his shiny ring for a photo op. And that’s where things may have gone wrong.
“I believe it was stolen from him,” Rosie tells me. “It went missing. He may have shown it to people–and then someone took it. It’s gone…”
She is just as upset as Bobby and hopes someone turns it in very soon. Describing the ring, she says it has his name “CHACON” on one side and “CHAMPION” on the other side.
“I’m hoping it comes back! If someone wants to do the right thing, they will return it,” the couple says during our exclusive chat. “We want to make clear that there will be no questions asked if the ring is returned–and there is a $300 reward for it!”
The ring is invaluable to the champ, known for his wars versus Rafael “Bazooka” Limon, Alexis Arguello, “Boom Boom” Mancini, Ruben Olivares, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Freddie Roach, Art Frias, among others. Besides being an IBHOF inductee, he was also inducted into the West Coast’s World Boxing Hall of Fame.
He may have championship belts to his name and has given boxing fans many legendary battles, but for the hard-swinging prizefighter, Chacon admits he has a soft spot for this IBHOF ring, now missing from his finger. With all the well-documented tragedies in his life (wife’s suicide, son’s death, health issues stemming from too many ring wars, etc.) this was one piece of jewelry that really meant the world to him.
Here are some of my snapshots of the veteran boxer wearing the missing ring. This was at a recent Thompson Boxing Promotions show where the “Schoolboy” was modeling his new Improve Balance bands and in these photos, you can also see the IBHOF gold ring that was reportedly stolen from the champ while at Coco’s Bakery or the Santa Anita Mall in Arcadia.
If you have any information, please do not hesitate to contact: [email protected]
(NO QUESTIONS ASKED AND THERE IS A REWARD!)
Photos by Michele Chong
Michele, I have posted this story on the California Boxing Hall of Fame Facebook page.
The CBHOF’s Don Fraser, Ray Maynez, and myself hope Bobby recovers his ring.
Hopefully he did not leave it in the wash room of the Coco’s restaurant he was in on the day it was lost?
Ironic that you wrote a piece on Bobby Chacon. Last week I just happened to be on boxrec looking up various fighters from a few decades ago. If you have a chance, look up “schoolboy’s” record. He fought EVERYONE. Ray “Boom Boom” Mancini, Alexis Arguello, Rafael “Bazooka” Limon, Ruben Olivares, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Cornelius Boza-Edwards, Freddie Roach are just some of the fighters he faced in his career. He finished his career with a record of 59 (47 KO’s)-7-1. Somehow I really don’t remember him losing 7 fights. Every time my father tells me fighters from the 50’s & 60’s were tougher than any fighters in history, I just smile and think of guys like Bobby Chacon.
Good luck getting your ring back Bobby, you earned it for sure. Thanks for the memories!
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