Fight Viewing at Last Round Bar & Grill
The first-ever Supreme Boxing’s Fan Party was a big hit for all the guests at Saturday’s bash that took place at the Last Round Bar and Grill in Ontario, Calif.
This inaugural fiesta was a sold-out affair with the event filling up just mere hours after it was announced. There was a wait-list for people hoping to snag a ticket to this highly-anticipated viewing party.
Here’s my special report and snapshots from the March 4 gathering with the champs and prizefighters in attendance!
The party was hosted by Supreme Boxing in association with World Boxing Council (WBC), WBC Cares, Last Round Bar & Grill, Heczar Designs and Hykso. Through social media, the first fans to RSVP received an invite to this private event that included a viewing party to watch the Keith Thurman vs. Danny Garcia fight, meet and greets with the champions, and a chance to win raffle prizes throughout the night.
Over 150 guests joined the revelry at the festive Last Round Bar and Grill (with its boxing themed walls) that showcases several TV screens in its venue. The restaurant recently held another boxing bash with champ Leo Santa Cruz and is quickly becoming the place to be–a hotspot for sports fans to dine and enjoy a cocktail or two while catching live fights on the big screen.
The Supreme Boxing team was there including Nancy Rodriguez, Hector De La Cruz, Anna Aguilar, Jennifer Arredondo, Willie Romero, Anthony Saldana, Cynthia Saldana, Ray Navarette, and more. A strong show of support also came from the pro and amateur boxers, past champions and those working in the sport who all came out to meet the fans at this special gala in the Inland Empire.
Many of the boxers took time away from training camp to join this March 4 fight party. Current fighters who have scheduled bouts coming up included KeAndrae Leatherwood (fighting Andy Lee on March 18), Maricela Cornejo (fighting in April), John Delperdang (fighting April 7), Ryan Garcia (fighting in May) who were there to meet the fans and sign autographs.
Familiar faces spotted in the crowd were fighters/champs Brandon “Bam Bam” Rios, Israel “Magnifico” Vazquez, Julius “The Chef” Jackson, John Jackson, Paul Banke, Zack Padilla, Sindy Amador, Ivan “Striker” Delgado, Luis Feliciano, Jose Ramirez, Luis Segura, Sean Garcia, and Lawrence King. Also on the scene were boxing manager/BoxStats’ Roger Ruiz, Last Round Promotions and MT Sports’ Andres Moreno 
Rodriguez, cutman Sergio Estrada, trainer/sculptor Steve Harpst, trainer Henry Garcia, trainer Javier Capetillo, Duarte Boxing Gym’s Louie Valenzuela, promoter/manager Bernie Valenzuela, National Boxing Hall of Fame’s Bill and Linda Young, Sombra Apparel’s Joe Chavez, etc.
I watched as the excited fans got their chance to meet their heroes up close and personal. Fan favorite Brandon Rios took tons of pics with the fans who are hoping to see him in the ring again soon. Beloved WBC champ Israel Vazquez signed photos, belts and gloves for the crowd. Boxing brothers Julius Jackson and John Jackson (sons of the great Julian “The Hawk” Jackson) also had a blast meeting the attendees; the duo trains in Big Bear and made the trek down to be part of the festivities. And a fierce pair of pretty punchers were also there representing female boxing; Mari “La Diva” Cornejo and Sindy “La Alacrana” Amador had their fair share of attention from the fans.
One of the personal highlights for me was watching the live Thurman-Garcia match with the champs. I sat with some pals like veteran pugs Paul Banke (former WBC champ) and Zack “Zack Attack” Padilla (former WBO champ) and had a great time with the ex-champions. These two both fought in plenty of wars in the golden years of boxing and it was fun to hear their thoughts on how the fight game is today. All of the fighters I spoke to said they enjoyed being at the party and said watching the fights with their “boxing fam” is an excellent way to watch these marquee matchups.
Supreme Boxing thanked all the champions, boxers, special guests, sponsors and fans for making their first-ever “Fan Party” a knockout success.
Nancy Rodriguez gave a special shout out to the Supreme Boxing team giving thanks to co-founder Hector De La Cruz and Anna Aguilar, the coordinator of the event. Anna introduced many of the champs who were brought up to pick the winning tickets in the prize raffle.
“Our team rocks, it’s literally like a family,” Nancy tells me. “Anna Aguilar deserves all the credit for this party–she is amazing! Thank you to everyone.”
Supreme Boxing plans to host additional fan parties in the future especially since Saturday’s get-together was a solid success!
Photos by Michele Chong
