KO Crowd at Boxing Superstars–Round 5
The fans began lining up almost two hours before the doors officially opened at the 2015 “Boxing Superstars–Round 5” Meet & Greet with the Champs hosted by the City of Pico Rivera Department of Parks & Recreation.
Southern California fight fans anxiously awaited entrance to the 5th annual event organized by the city’s Efrain Lee, Lety Reyes and staff, along with partnerships with fighter Alfonso Gomez and the Cleto Reyes company. The yearly boxing bash (FREE and open to the public) took place on Saturday, January 24. This was my fourth straight year participating in this community gathering and I’ve watched the event get bigger and better each and every year.
Pico Park’s Efrain Lee (Senior Coordinator) is a longtime boxing aficionado and he and Team Gomez were the originator of this Meet & Greet beginning five years ago. Now this fiesta has become a tradition for those in SoCal boxing circles. It’s a chance for the fans to meet their heroes, a networking opportunity for the champs and a way for new fighters to build their fan bases. I talked to many attendees who were enjoying the free giveaways and raffles at the various booths. Some of the guests are return visitors while several of the fans told me it was their very first time experiencing this fan fest.
This year’s expo featured a variety of champs, Olympians, veteran fighters, contenders, rising stars and future champions. Introduced to the audience were: Mia St. John, Alfonso Gomez, Israel “El Magnifico” Vazquez, Julius “The Chef” Jackson, Paul Gonzales, Javier Torres, Art Frias, Emanuel Medina, Manny Roman, Victor Castro, Joey Ruelas, Daniel Garcia, Panchito C de Vaca, Hassan Chitsaz, Roy Tapia, Eddie De La Huerta, Oscar Negrete, Walter Sarnoi, Fabian Ocegueda, Jaime Ocegueda, Juan Chavez, Raquet Flores (with some of his amateur boxers), and many more.
Other guests and participants at the show were WBC Supervisor Rudy Tellez, Supreme Boxing’s Nancy Rodriguez and Jennifer Arredondo, Cleto Reyes’ Mario Castaneda, Sombra Apparel’s Joe Chavez (“Train Hard, Fight Hard”), Robb Gomez (Hy3rid), boxing coach and award-winning artist Steve Harpst, trainers Alfonso Gomez Sr., Clemente Medina, cornermen father-and-son duo Gil “Candyman” Nieves and Markey Nieves, Universal Boxing Hall of Fame’s Adolfo Perez Sr., fighters from the Burbank Boxing Club, Robert Smith (representing the Nevada Boxing Hall of Fame) and others.
This “Boxing Superstars” affair strengthens community relations and is a great way to show the positive side of the sweet science. And, of course, all the complimentary souvenirs were fun for the crowd. Fans received handfuls of freebies and boxing giveaways while also getting an entry in the free raffle for prizes. The Boxing Agency’s Alfonso Gomez and Dulce Padilla’s 2015 calendars, magnets and postcards were handed out and boxing manager Jesse Martinez’s red Victor “El Niño”Castro T-shirts were also a hot commodity. Getting a photo and autographs with all the pugilists was icing on the cake for the fans.
It was a mini-reunion and a blast running into many of my boxing pals. I enjoyed meeting the crew of Arizona fighters who attended the show for the first time. Iron Boy Promotions’ Victor Castro, Joey Ruelas, Daniel Garcia and Panchito C de Vaca will be lacing up on February 28 at the Celebrity Theatre in Phoenix. They have been training at champion Israel Vazquez’s Magnifico Gym and took time from their camp to come out and meet the fans.
Other fighters also made time in their training schedules to be part of the show. Manny Roman (trained by Israel Vazquez) and Oscar Negrete will be fighting (in separate bouts) on February 27 at Fantasy Springs and St. Thomas’ Julius Jackson has a March 7 bout on tap. This was Jackson’s first time at the Pico Park get-together and he was a big hit with the fans.
Many of the boxers brought their shiny championship belts with them and the fans lit up when they got to pose with the fighter and their championship straps.
The weekend also showcased a special awards ceremony in which the champs and VIPs were presented City of Pico Rivera medals, California State Assembly Certificates of Appreciation and U.S. Congress Certificate of Special Congressional Recognition. Efrain Lee and Alfonso Gomez gave surprised the honorees with this trio of awards. The WBC’s Rudy Tellez also gave green WBC patches to the athletes and some of the lucky fans.
During the evening there were two bittersweet and moving moments that took place center stage. There was a “Ten Count” for Mia St. John’s son, Julian, 24, who passed away on November 23, 2014 after a brave battle against schizophrenia and mental illness. Young Julian was an acclaimed artist with his paintings exhibited in the community. The heartfelt “Ten Count” was administered by WBC Supervisor Rudy Tellez and Efrain Lee gave Mia a heart-shaped crystal award dedicated to the Mia St. John Foundation, El Saber es Poder. The brunette beauty and WBC champ vows to keep Julian’s legacy alive.
A second ceremony was held for fallen champ, Diego Corrales. The beloved slugger was honored with wife Michelle Corrales-Lewis asking Robert Smith to represent the Corrales family at Saturday’s function.
All in all, another memorable “Boxing Superstars” show. Everyone is already anticipating the next “Round 6” installment. Efrain Lee, who has been pivotal in these shows, tells me that the best part about this event is that the city can offer free parking, free admission, free raffle, giveaways, photos and autographs to the kids, teens and adults that packed the venue.
Thanks to the City of Pico Rivera Department of Parks & Recreation employees, Efrain Lee, Lety Reyes, Ashly Almeda and young volunteers Jackie, Johanna, Denise and Jocelyn for making the night seamless. It was a spirited, energetic party that celebrated the sport of boxing.
Check out my exclusive photos from the night as the champs and fans enjoyed Pico Park’s 2015 Meet & Greet!
Photos by Michele Chong
