SoCal Star Donates Equipment and Gear
Popular comedian Willie Barcena visited the Burbank Boxing Club (BBC) to meet some of the young amateur fighters along with donating some much-needed gear and supplies to the always-growing boxing club founded by trainer Steve Harpst. Check out my exclusive story on what went down last night when the comic surprised the members at the gym.
Barcena is busy traveling and prepping for future shows, but the well-known face of comedy also took time to check out the boxing class in which his son Camilo trains in a couple times a week. The workouts are held at the Burbank Community YMCA.
It’s been an exciting week for the youth, teens and adult members of the club. On Monday, U.S. Olympian and pro boxing champ Vanes Martirosyan came by for a special Meet & Greet session and last night, it was noted funny man Barcena who popped in to catch the action.
Barcena is no stranger to the sweet science. He and Coach Steve first met almost a decade ago when Willie’s older son worked out with the club. Always the supportive dad, the comedian has watched his son Willie Jr. fight in MMA. Willie enjoys combat sports and has become friends with many champs through the years.
A successful comic for over 25 years, Barcena has carved out a long successful stint in show business. At the mic, he’s known for his no holds barred style of comedy. His irreverent stage presence has made him a hit on “The Tonight Show” and the comedian/actor has also helmed his own specials on Netflix, Showtime, etc. He’s an old-school road warrior and has several events coming up including an April 7 comedy show (a fundraiser for the National Boxing Hall of Fame) and an April 14 Latin Comedy Jam in Fresno.
While he may crack jokes under the spotlight, in person you won’t find a nicer person than Willie Barcena. While chatting with the entertainer, I found him to be humble and extremely down-to-earth and, yes, a genuinely nice guy.
A devoted father, he watched on as his teenage son Camilo jump roped, shadowboxed, and hit the bags.
Coach Steve says it’s been great having the father-and-son duo as part of the club. “Willie’s a great guy,” trainer Harpst (a Californa Boxing Hall of Fame inductee) comments. “He has generously donated a speed bag, a heavy bag and mouthpieces to our fighters. We can’t thank him enough.”
As part of the various YMCA programs, there never seems to be enough funds to buy new equipment for the boxing club which has grown every year since its inception in 1996. Harpst and his young sluggers have to raise the funds themselves or rely on the donations of others in the community. With over 50-60 students in the class, new boxing gear is always a much-needed issue.
So Barcena contacted one of his compadres who surprised some of the competing boxers with brand new mouthpieces. Juan “J.R.” Vera (Down to Scrap) distributes Shurfit Thermaguards, made to protect the fighter.
I had a chat with him on Wednesday night as J.R. shared what makes his mouth guards unique to the world of combat sports.
“Shurfit features safe mouth guards that protect the fighter; these change colors and are easy to mold with a great fit,” Vera explains. “When the rubber reaches a certain temperature the black color will turn to orange if an athlete is dehydrated.” He also expresses Shurfit mouthpieces are handcrafted “Boil and Bite” guards that can be reboiled and refit anytime.
We had some of the BBC punchers test out this new gear. Check out BBC members Toni, Miguel, Maya, Kevin, Oscar, Ace and Minette with their new Shufit gum shields!
“A big thanks to Willie Barcena for all these wonderful donations to our club,” Harpst says. “We really appreciate it. Wilie’s not just a stand-up comedian, he’s a stand-up guy too.”
Photos by Michele Chong
