Pre-Festivities and Post-Awards in SoCal
The National Boxing Hall of Fame (NBHOF) weekend was a knockout with a couple of get-togethers before the awards event and after the induction ceremony.
On April 26 and April 27 some new Hall of Famers, past inductees, champions, prizefighters, boxing trainers, authors, historians, referees, judges, glove makers, promoters, artists and more all convened at the hotel adjacent to the banquet venue at the Quiet Cannon in Montebello, Calif.
The mood was festive with an air of excitement the night before the induction gala. It was a sold-out affair with over 700 people in atendance. Guests flew in from Mexico, Canada and all over the U.S. to attend this yearly function hosted by the nonprofit NBHOF President Bill Young, Senior Vice President Linda Young, Executive Vice President/Producer Drew Young, and their committee.
This was the 10th anniversary of their induction awards and this year’s ceremony was their biggest yet with 17 new Hall of Famers, nine Special Awardees and two Rising Star winners.
The Class of 2025 includes Larry Holmes, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, Amir Khan, Shawn Porter, Fernando Vargas, Mikey Garcia, Henry Tillman, Jackie Nava, Paulie Malignaggi, Robert Garcia, Zack Padilla, The Weaver Triplets (Troy, Floyd and Lloyd), Herman Montes, Tori Nelson and Salvador Sanchez. Special honors will be presented to Bob Arum, Jim Gray, Andy Foster, Tom Loeffler, Hervi Estrada, Elizabeth Reyes, Louis Rodriguez, Jorge Garralda, Aileen Eaton and two Rising Star awards to Alex Gueche and Atif Olberton.
With a lot of out-of-towners arriving in Southern California, some impromptu gatherings were bound to happen. On Saturday night, visitors and locals alike got together at the nearby Hilton Garden Inn to share a toast the night before the big day and also after the 2025 awards luncheon.
These casual pre-festivities and post-awards after party provided a place where the VIPs could relax, catch up with one another and introduce each other to their families joining them. The room was filled with the champs, inductees and special guests all mingling in the spacious hotel.
Spotted during the two weekend fiestas were Larry Holmes, Ricardo “Finito” Lopez, Michael Spinks, Tori Nelson, Henry Tillman, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, the Weaver Triplets (Floyd, Lloyd and Troy), Ruben Olivares, Atif Olberton, Eva D. Jones-Young, Larry Young, Hervi Estrada, Mathew Porcellino, Greg Puente, Jack Reiss, Ed Collantes, Benjamin Rendon, Monique Rendon, Steve Harpst, Patrick Ragan, Gene Aguilera, Chris Smith, Sumya Anani, Florence Anthony, Hipolito Perez, Eli Reyes, Guillermo Moreno, Jalan Walker, Mitch Chuvalo, Stephen Carnegie, Sonny Shapiro, Tina Quarry, Brenda Zaragoza and more.
Saturday night was a time to relax, reminisce and rejoice as the new inductees were ushered into the National Boxing Hall of Fame. Many chatted about past fights, memories from their training camps, and how much they were looking forward to seeing everyone on stage.
And on Sunday evening after the awards and speeches were completed, another contingent gathered for a post-celebration at the same hotel.
The boxers, their family, friends and associates expressed their joy seeing their favorite boxers getting the chance to shine in the spotlight and accept their well-deserved honors for their accomplishments in the ring. Boxing is one of the toughest sports with so many sacrifices that one must make to reach the top and these ring heroes all know what it’s like to taste victory.
On Sunday, there was much love and respect going around the room with former rivals even meeting up once again and posing for photos.
All in all, both Saturday night and Sunday night’s casual cocktail hours were a fun time for the guests who all said it was a great weekend in SoCal! Congratulations to the Class of 2025.
And stay tuned for my special report all about the NBHOF Induction Award Ceremony–more to come soon!