Exclusive Look at “Heroes Collection”
There was a pound-for-pound group of champs and pro fighters converging at the Pico Park’s 2014 Boxing Superstars Meet & Greet in association with Heroes Boxing Sponsorship Agency (HBSA) on Saturday night in Southern California.
The night was a KO success for all the boxers, fans and sponsors in attendance as you can see in my previous “Chatter Box” column here!
And the icing on the cake was a special unveiling of a brand new line of T-shirts by Sombra Apparel (partnering with Alfonso Gomez and HBSA) to bring fight aficionados this first-ever “Heroes Collection”-Series 1″ line of clothing.
I got a special behind-the-scenes look as each of the fighters featured got a chance to see their shirts for the very first time. This new lineup showcases ALFONSO GOMEZ, JOSESITO LOPEZ, EFRAIN ESQUIVIAS JR., SERGIO NUNEZ JR. AND DANIEL PONCE DE LEON. Ponce was unable to attend the event in person as he’s busy in training camp but the quartet of prizefighters who were there Saturday all told me they loved seeing their images on these tees.
The gear ties in with the HBSA’s line of 2014 wall calendars, postcards and magnets that were given away at the free community fanfest.
Alfonso Gomez and HBSA President Robb Gomez and I chatted about the new gear. The photos are from the calendar shoot that took place at Azteca Boxing Gym. The silhouette concept for Sombra (translated to “shadow”) was Alfonso’s idea and the team was happy to partner with Somba Apparel’s entrepreneur Joe Chavez.
I visited with Team Chavez, who manned their popular booth during the Pico Rivera bash. Joe and his two children Joey and Isabella were in constant motion as the fans gathered around the tables full of brand new shirts, photos and more. The line is already a big hit and the shirts and tank tops come in men, women and children sizes in various colors. They are priced right ($20) for today’s economic times and fans can choose from several styles.
How did this new business venture begin?
“The Sombra brand is new and it was really Alfonso who came up with the name just about two months ago. We met up one day and I shared with him my ideas of having a different take on boxing apparel,” Chavez relayed to me. “He sent me some pictures and I did the designs.”
The pair hit it off and a new opportunity was quickly seized upon.
“I have always had a passion for designing and boxing. After meeting with Alfonso I realized he, too, enjoyed fashion and designing and of course him being a pro boxer was a perfect fit!” Joe elaborates. “Our idea with Sombra is to create a different feel to boxing apparel; a bit more on the upscale side. I myself have had other clothing lines creating custom clothing that catered to small upscale boutiques.”
Clearly, the quality T-shirts were a knockout at the weekend fiesta.
The champs, the City of Pico Rivera’s Efrain Lee and WBC Supervisor Rudy Tellez all got together at the exhibit to celebrate the reveal of these Series 1 shirts. They were excited to see their likeness on the cotton shirts and there fans were thrilled to be the first to grab these designs before they sell out.
Owner Joe Chavez was honored to take part in the festivities with the champions. He is really looking forward to continuing the series and came away from the function even more impressed with the athletes he got to meet at the show. He and his kids enjoyed meeting all the fighters and Joe was happy to connect with Gomez, whose brainchild it was to build this new line.
“I am a huge boxing fan and have always been a fan of Alfonso because of his gritty tough fight style,” Joe told me, “but even more than that I’m a fan of Alfonso the person!”
Whether Alfonso, Josesito, Efrain, Sergio or Ponce is your favorite fighters, fans will have five choices to pick from!
PHOTOS BY MICHELE CHONG
For more info: www.sombraapparel.com and www.heroesboxing.com
