Fundraiser for Cops 4 Kids & Communities

Fundraiser for Cops 4 Kids & Communities

It was a real “knockout” night at the recent “Battle of the Badges” fight night held at Agua Caliente Casino, Resort & Spa in Rancho Mirage, Calif. There was plenty of action in the ring as the nonprofit Cops 4 Kids & Communities (C4KC) hosted their popular fundraiser that pits police officers against firefighters in the ring. Here is my special report from the night along with exclusive photos in and out of the ring!

The brave policemen, firemen, corrections officers, EMS and members of the armed forces set aside their shields as they put on the boxing gloves for this fiery night of amateur boxing with all proceeds benefiting the charity organization that in turn helps underprivileged children in the San Jacinto, Hemet and surrounding cities. This annual event is always one of my favorites and this show presented by C4KC (in association with American Medical Response (AMR) and Redlands Ford) was just as sizzling as the last. This installment featured both amateur boxing and kickboxing matches in spirited fights showcasing both men and women. At this desert clash, pro fighters Shibata Flores, Mike Franco, Daniel Franco and Oscar Muniz lent their fists of support in cheering on the troops.

Win or lose–with bragging rights earned or bruised egos nursed–all had a good time in the name of charity.

The weekend warriors are not professional fighters but all the gladiators competing in this show display plenty of courage, heart and grit that had the crowd on their feet. They volunteer their time–lacing up against their peers–to help raise funds to keep the Riverside County charity’s doors open to the at-risk youth.

C4KC’s Executive Director and former officer Jeff Penn works tirelessly to bring these action-packed shows to fruition, making each series a success thus ensuring the kids and teens in the Hemet neighboring areas get the help and mentorship they deserve with sports programs, after-school activities and field trips provided free of charge by the Cops 4 Kids crew.

And most impressive is that Penn (who began the charity in San Jacinto back in 1995) does not make any money for himself. While putting in countless hours matchmaking the fights and organizing along with Richard Perry, their Board of Directors and volunteers, Jeff explains that he gives all the profits back to the nonprofit.

I caught up with Penn during a break in between bouts. “I don’t make a penny,” he confirms. “It’s all for the kids.”

Practicing what he preaches, the mission statement of this children’s charity is: “Let’s reach them before we have to rescue them.”

When the bell rang, it was time for the blazing fisticuffs inside the ropes. And this May Day “Desert Throwdown” started off with a bang as 53-year-old Jon “The Bear” Knowlton squared off against 60-year-old challenger Joe“Dangerous Dego” Maribito. Those aren’t typos; their ages are 53 and 60. But age is just a number as these two scrappy fighters got down to business and a rematch has already been talked about between the men!

Laying it on the line were a roster of fighters with nicknames such as Mario “Fattdaddy” Alonzo, Yesenia “Molotov Mona” Nelson, John “The Holotarian Hammer” Marugg, Ruben “Gonna Give U A Showa” Gamboa and more. The co-main bout was Juanita “Green-Eyed Monster” Aragon vs. Asiah “Scrapper” Ameda with the main attraction of Travon “T-Bomb” Taylor vs. Gustavo Magana closing the show. Many of the fights were close and competitive and the raucous action brought out the best in all the part-time athletes.

Each volunteer boxer got their time to shine in the spotlight. Taking their position center ring (the always entertaining and witty) Masters of Ceremonies Ken Southern and Mark Blanton announced each fighter to a huge round of cheers from the fans. Live walkout music blared forth from Little George and the Big Time who performed “Born to Be Wild,” “Enter Sandman,” “Hit Me With Your Best Shot” and more.

Fourteen-year-old Katelyn Walsh was the special anthem singer for the night. Pro boxer and former champ Shibata Flores was taking in the action with his young son, Jovian. This was Flores first time attending the show and he was very impressed with the turnout and the level of passion from both the fighters and the supporters in the stands. “This is great!” he said with a smile. “Tonight has been a lot of fun watching the fights.”

The spectators were on their feet waving homemade signs for their favorite heroes while a trio of local beauty queens served as the evening’s ring card girls. There were T-shirt giveaways by Fausto’s Bail Bonds and a contest for “Fight of the Night” with the victors winning gift certificates for Agua Caliente restaurants and concerts. During the night there was also a moving tribute to Dept. of Corrections’ Tom Dennie (who valiantly fought to live after being shot in the head). As Dennie carefully made his way into the ring, a standing ovation was given to the fallen officer and a championship belt was given to the survivor.

These yearly “Battle of the Badges” competitions are always memorable. Through the years, I’ve gotten to know some of the loyal volunteers and Board of Directors that work humbly behind the scenes; I see the same familiar faces ringside volunteering their time. It’s because of their hard work, dedication and generosity to the unprivileged youngsters that keep the tradition of these fight nights going strong.

While chatting with some of the fighters after the show, all were proud to take part in this fundraising event. Steve “Hit” Mann (CDC) has fought three times in these shows. He was surrounded by friends and family who came out to see him lace up. “This is great,” Mann said after winning his match. “It’s a lot of fun and it’s a way to give back to the kids!”

With another fight night in the books, the youngsters will continue to receive encouragement and inspiration from the Cops 4 Kids & Communities. Their next show is scheduled for October and if you haven’t attended one of their charity shows yet, you should definitely come out and join the fun!

Photos by Michele Chong

THIS STORY WAS WRITTEN BY: MICHELE CHONG, Feature Writer at MyBoxingFans

“Battle of the Badges” Fight at Morongo

Sold-Out Charity Event Will Benefit Cops 4 Kids

Some fight crime for a living, some have built a career fighting fires. Now they will get the chance to fight each other–all in the name of a worthwhile children’s charity program, Cops 4 Kids & Communities. The police officers and firemen will be featured in Saturday night’s XII “Battle of the Badges” Police and Fire Boxing Tournament at Morongo Casino and Resort in Cabazon, California.

The desert area’s finest officers, firefighters, deputies, sheriffs, and paramedics will all be squaring off–against each other–in 14 scheduled fights of exciting amateur action. The sold-out showdown also offers three female bouts on the card.

While on patrol, the brave “men in blue” face violence daily on the streets; the courageous firemen never turn away from any challenge. Now both are in a friendly battle, pitted against fellow officers and firefighters. And besides benefiting the kids’ charity, the priceless reward of victory? Bragging rights, of course!

Many fighters at last night’s official weigh-in, held in the VIBE nightclub at Morongo, joked that at this fight event, “We can’t get arrested for beating up a cop!”

For a few of these “weekend warriors,” it will be their very first time in the ring, while several other fighters can list successful Golden Gloves experience on their records. At any skill level, all are lending support for a good cause.

Oliver Aleta is one newbie in the ring. “I’m training hard, I’ve changed my diet and lost 15 pounds,” he says. The California Dept. of Corrections employee was enlisted by co-worker Frank Martinez. “I messed around and fought when I was a kid, but I’ve never boxed like this before,” admitted Aleta, who has been training for a couple of months with former amateur boxer Gil “Candyman” Nieves. All three are looking forward to the charity fight night. Team Aleta will have a number of supporters cheering him on–over 75 T-shirts have been sold to support the “rookie’s” debut.

While signing up for the charity fundraiser, all the boxers got the opportunity to add their new “fighting” nicknames on the roster. Scanning the list, I see that “The Aztec Warrior,” “The Hammer,” “The Tower,” “The Terminator,” “The Pitbull,” and “The Mauler” will all be lacing up on Saturday night. I also notice some of the fighters’ senses of humor: “The Chili Dog,” “The White Bean,” and “The Twin Cannons” are sluggers you will see in the evening’s fearless lineup.

At the weigh-in, Executive Director Jeff Penn introduced the Cops 4 Kids Board of Directors saying, “Our main objective is to keep the kids off the streets. We want you to see why we’re working hard to raise money.” The former football player and former police officer then showed a film of the Real Deal Boxing Club, the Playmakers Football Camp, and last year’s fight night. Their successful boxing show has completely sold out every year and this year’s competition will be no different, another sold-out event.

Over 1,200 ticket holders will get to witness the Memorial Day weekend matchup that benefits the non-profit organization, a fact not lost on the participants. During the weigh-in, the crowd encouraged some light trash talking, but real smack downs were few and far between. Most of the combatants shook hands and laughed while attempting to hold the “stare down” pose with a straight face. But the majority of the competitors ended up bursting into laughter while trying to glare and scowl at their opponents. After having their weights recorded, each fighter was then given the microphone to introduce themselves and to state their roles in law enforcement.

A duo that caught my eye were Brandi “The Knockout” Wine and Adam “The Crusher” Colebrook, who will both be fighting on the card. The pretty 5’10″ Brandi looks like a bikini model but shows me her “game face” while weighing in. She will go toe-to-toe against Victoria Irvin. Brandi’s boyfriend “The Crusher” will be facing Bob “The Bomb” Epps in the Main Event. This rematch has been playfully touted as a “grudge match” between the two heavyweights. Colebrook tells me, “Yeah, Bob’s a great guy. But it is a grudge match and he’s gonna lose!”

Emcees Mark Blanton and Ken Southern will keep the fans entertained in between bouts. A stand-up comedian in the making, Blanton had the weigh-in crowd chuckling at all of his remarks and wisecracks.

Special invited guests planning to attend the show include Rodolfo Gonzalez, Danny “Little Red” Lopez, Shawn Estrada, Alfonso Gomez and Oscar “The Boxer” Muñiz. Cops 4 Kids Board Member Armando Muñiz, former Olympian and current World Boxing Hall of Fame President, will be presenting the “Bout of the Night” award.

And there will also be one hundred very special “VIP” guests in the crowd: The children who benefit from the charity.

Cops 4 Kid’s Chairman Richard Perry (who fought in their 2004 show) told me that the kids will be in the audience. “Cops 4 Kids was founded to recognize and address the problems of at-risk youth. The kids build relationships with the officers. We get them to meet with the police officers before they get into trouble!” says Perry, who handles sales at Toyota of the Desert. “The officers are positive role models, a positive influence for the kids. They become friends and mentors to the kids.

“All the proceeds–100%–go to our gym for at-risk kids. We offer boxing, dancing lessons, and music lessons, and it’s all free for the children. We get sponsorship support, but this boxing show is our biggest fundraiser.”

Perry, father of seven, has dedicated his time to the charity for several years now. He tells me about a chance meeting with Jeff Penn that led to Cops 4 Kids. “A few years ago, I was in my convertible and got robbed in a parking lot. A guy walked near me, stole some stuff out of my car and started running away with it!” Adding with a laugh, “I ran after him and started fighting the guy. And I got my stuff back! Jeff, who was an officer at the time, came to help out. He asked me about my boxing and later we began working together with Cops 4 Kids.” Perry adds that he appreciates all the volunteers who are taking part in the event. “The doctors, referees, judges…All have donated their time,” he explains.

The weigh-in was very organized due to their large group of volunteers helping out. Board Member Paul Ritchie told me, “I like helping the kids. Everyone here donates their time!” He was busy presenting the “Battle of the Badges 2009″ fighters with a thank you gift from the Cops 4 Kids–limited-edition T-shirts and hats with a clever logo intertwining handcuffs, fireman ax and boxing gloves. His wife, Debbie Ritchie, also enjoys volunteering at the event. While observing the trash talking attempts she says, “The cops and the firemen have a little competition going on for bragging rights. It’s always a fun time. Now we may have two shows a year; the next one might take place in October.”

That means at least five months of bragging rights for the policemen and firemen whose hands will be raised in victory.

So in the “Policemen vs. Firemen Ultimate Battle”: Who wins? It’s a unanimous decision–The at-risk children with Cops 4 Kids are the real winners!

Good luck to all the fighters at this year’s “Battle of the Badges”!

Morongo Casino and Resort
“Battle of the Badges”
Saturday, May 23
Doors open at 5:00 PM
First bout at 6:00 PM
Please note: *The event is SOLD OUT*

For further information: 951-755-5391 Morongo Box Office

This story is thanks to: Michele Chong Feature Writer at MyBoxingFans