Induction Awards, Raffles, Entertainment & More

Boxing fans, get ready for the 2nd Annual National Boxing Hall of Fame (NBHOF) awards ceremony and luncheon on Saturday, April 30.

Here’s my exclusive sneak peek at what the event will be like as the NBHOF gets ready to induct their Class of 2016!

The theme is “A Salute to the World of Boxing” and the induction ceremony is set to take place at Steven’s Steakhouse in Commerce, California. The gala will be hosted by NBHOF President Bill Young and Vice President Linda Young. There will be brand new NBHOF merchandise for purchase, a book signing by boxing historian Gene Aguilera (Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles), a huge prize raffle, vintage film clips, surprise guests and more.

Be sure to get your tickets before this SoCal bash sells out!

The 2016 inductees include James Toney, Leon Spinks, Carlos Palomino, Chango Carmona, Bobby Chacon, Rodolfo Gonzalez, Joey Orbillo, Freddie Roach, Thell Torrence, Alberto Reyes, Gene Aguilera, Dr. Michael De Luca, Carlos Baeza, Gwen Adair, Shelley Williams, Joe Noriega, Tony Triem; posthumous awards to Henry Armstrong, Eddie Futch and Cleto Reyes; a “Hollywood Inside-Square Circle” award to Sylvester Stallone, a Don Jose Sulaiman Lifetime Achievement award to Dr. Gerald Finerman, a “Fighter of the Year” award to Thompson Boxing’s heavyweight LaRon Mitchell and “Trainer of the Year” honors to Joel Diaz.

It will be a packed house on April 30. Many past champions will be there in attendance.

NBHOF VP Linda Young gave me an update about all the exciting happenings she and husband Bill are planning for the fiesta.

She has a growing list of VIPs planning to be there in person including singer/musician/actor Frank Stallone (accepting for brother Sylvester Stallone), actor Ryan O’Neal, WBC’s Mauricio Sulaiman and Pepe Sulaiman, promoter Ken Thompson, prizefighters Michael Spinks, Mike Weaver, Yaqui Lopez, James “Quick” Tillis, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Paul Banke, Andy Nance, John Montes, Herman Montes, Paul Gonzales, Alex Ramos, Frankie Duarte, Art Frias, Mando Muniz, Oscar Muniz, Jose Pimentel, Andy Price, trainer Buddy McGirt, former Sheriff Lee Baca, band members from The Walking Phoenixes, Golden State Boxing Association’s Larry and Elsa Montalvo, trainer/artist Steve Harpst, West Coast Boxing Hall of Fame’s Rick Farris, the Olympic Auditorium Project’s Steve DeBro, and many, many more!

The gathering will be memorable for all. The venue will be a veritable wall to wall room of champs and luminaries from the local boxing scene and beyond. Visitors from Texas, Nevada, Missouri and Canada are also slated to be present. There will be plenty of chances for photo ops with your favorite fighter, autographs from the champs and an opportunity to win some prizes including boxing memorabilia (NBHOF jacket, Montalvo Tequila, fight posters, Cleto Reyes gloves, etc.). April 30 will be a strong showing from those in the community.

And for me, personally, I have to say being involved in boxing does build a strong brotherhood (and sisterhood). I’ve met some of the greatest people through the sport and it will be nice to reconnect with the familiar faces in the crowd.

I contacted some of the new inductees to hear their thoughts on the upcoming festivities.

Referee and judge Gwen Adair says she is very honored to be in the 2016 group of inductees. She is female pioneer inside the ropes and has a long history of working fights in the U.S. and Mexico (first woman to work a title fight in Mexico). “I want to thank Bill and Linda and the National Boxing Hall of Fame for this incredible honor!” Gwen told me.

Another veteran boxing official will also be inducted. Dr. Michael De Luca was a fixture at the apron. “My dad was a ringside physician for many WBC fights in the ’80s and ’90s,” son Max De Luca (also a boxing official) relayed. Michael De Luca has recently been beset by health issues but the family will be there in strong support. “I am excited about the Hall of Fame; I hope my dad can make it,” Max replied, “It depends on how he feels that morning; he is planning on going.” The De Lucas are a large family and will have lots of support from friends, family and those in boxing circles who have worked with both Dr. De Luca and Max, a father and son team highly respected in the fight game.

Like many of the 2016 inductees, Las Vegas’ Shelley Williams (writer and former boxing commissioner) will also have a big group of supporters come April 30. Shelley has been involved in the sport for years and is a stand-up lady. She shared her thoughts with me as her induction nears. I asked what she is looking forward to the most? “I most look forward to seeing my boxing family, both old and new friends, congregating under one roof one more time to pay respect to our beloved champions and those of us who were lucky enough to form a ‘Village’ to help them achieve their dreams.”

Author/historian Gene Aguilera is also looking forward to the big day. His book has been very well-received by those in and out of boxing.
“As I was writing my book ‘Mexican American Boxing in Los Angeles,’ never in my wildest dreams did I think it would get me into a Hall of Fame,” the amiable Aguilera mentioned to me. “I wanted to write a book that would be a historical tribute to all the great Latino fighters that did battle in the Los Angeles area. I think we accomplished a lot with this book and it is a supreme honor to be inducted into the National Boxing Hall of Fame on April 30, 2016.”

“Team Baeza” will also be represented as longtime boxing photographer Carlos Baeza will be inducted. Carlos has worked with various champs and promoters and is known for his work with Oscar de la Hoya and Thompson Boxing Promotions. He was also a frequent visitor at the storied Main Street Gym and has captured boxing in all its beauty and brutality. Carlos continues to aim his lens at the champs and future superstars.

The lensman has seen many champions come and go in the Golden Era, champs we’ve lost but whose legacy lives on in the images he has saved in his film and camera. He values and appreciates his long career as a photographer. “I’m blessed with good health as I’m advancing into the so-called ‘Golden Years,'” the always-up front Baeza tells me. His passion for the sweet science has not wavered. “Photography-wise, I wish I can continue to learn more and more as this new digital era continues to develop.”

Baeza is right. Boxing has gone through numerous changes and trends through the decades. I love the old-school days of warriors past…long before PPV, “selfies” and social media became the norm. I wish I could’ve been there in person. But the men who lived through it all, often regale me with stories of what really happened in places like the Olympic, the Silver Slipper, the Main Street Gym and more. Newspaper clippings of that bygone era may have yellowed and all but disintegrated but the memories of that time remain just as strong. We can never travel back in time but organizations like the National Boxing Hall of Fame help bridge the gap between the revered past along with the current climate in boxing.

April 30 will honor some of the best in boxing (past and present) and it will be one epic reunion between old friends, new pals, past champs and rising stars in our sport.

My boxing pal Shelley Williams sums it up perfectly: “The boxing brotherhood and sisterhood lives on in each of us from generation to generation. ONE LOVE.”

Honoring the past and paying tribute to the future is what April 30 will bring forth. Don’t miss it.

Congratulations to all!

Ticket info: $50 per person
Contact [email protected] to reserve your seats!

Check out what the 2015 event was like here:
2015 National Boxing Hall of Fame
Mauricio Sulaiman Honored at National Boxing Hall of Fame

Photos by Michele Chong