Blows, blood and knockouts; Battle of the Badges brings crowds to Temecula
Billed as the Battle of the Badges, a group of cops, firefighters and a few "regular guys off the street"-32 in all--battled it out in a boxing arena at Pechanga Resort and Casino to benefit Cops 4 Kids & Communities.
Sunday, October 18, 2009
Brett Stennett (tan trunks) and Wykin Harris (blue trunks) go toe-to-toe during the Battle of the Badges. Harris won the match in three rounds. (Photo by Toni McAllister)
There were a lot of blows, a little blood and a few K.O.s, but nobody could talk smack about the volunteers who donned boxing gloves and took to the ring Saturday night in the name of a good cause.
Billed as the Battle of the Badges, a group of cops, firefighters and a few “regular guys off the street”-32 in all–battled it out in a boxing arena at Pechanga Resort and Casino to benefit Cops 4 Kids & Communities, a non-profit organization started by law enforcement officers and community members to help at-risk and underprivileged youth.
Now in its 13th year, this year’s knock-out event featured 16 amateur boxing match-ups played out in front of a rowdy, nearly sold out crowd. Heavy-metal rock performed by Hemet-based Wayside Loop, fueled a high testosterone fever that reverberated throughout the evening. The battle was still a family affair as friends and relatives cheered on their favorite fighters.
Loni Adcox was there to support her husband, Bryon “Big Dog,” a 6-foot-1, 225 lb. 27-year-old Riverside police officer with zero boxing experience.
“He’s never trained for anything like this,” Adcox said. “Of course I’m worried about him.”
“Big Dog” went up against Jorge “The Bulldog” Salazar in the Badges’ seventh match of the night. Salazar, a 215 lb. 32-year-old correctional officer for Southwest Detention Center, won the match after battling three full rounds.
Twelve-year-old Robert Clarin watched his older brother Ronnie “Big Ron” take on Julio Marquez during the 15th match. The two big Pechanga employees scrapped it out, but Marquez won by a knockout. Ringside doctors examined “Big Ron” while down on the canvas as Robert and family members looked on.
The downed boxer eventually walked out of the ring unhurt. Event organizers said the safety and welfare of all the fighters was of primary concern.
“The refs take their jobs very seriously,” a ringsider announcer said.
Even a slight stumble was enough to call a fight. Most matches never made it through to the third round.
One match that did see it through was the 14th, which pitted 30-year-old Sarah Curiel against 56-year-old Sue Marabito. Dubbed the ultimate “chick fight” of the night, both boxers showed spunk and tenacity. Curiel, who works for Cops 4 Kids & Communities, won by a split decision, but her prowess in the ring couldn’t win over the crowd. Marabito, director and trainer at E.E.K. Fitness/Powerhouse Gym, was clearly the favorite-her age and the fact that she’s a mother of six softened even the most hardened fight-goers.
Trang Tran, who was defeated by Tanya Pasco during Battle of the Badges, gets corner advice in between rounds. (Photo by Toni McAllister)
Another chick fight was the matchup of Trang Tran, an AMR dispatcher, against Tanya “Baby Face” Pasco, a Riverside County deputy sheriff. Tran’s corner was packed with supporters, but in the end it was not to be; Pasco won by a technical knockout.
After the fight, Tran said she was happy she made a showing for a worthy cause.
“I felt good,” she said. “All my friends and family were here to cheer me on.”
The evenings main event put Jeff “Thick but Slick” Darr from Cops 4 Kids & Communities, up against Raul “D.L.T.” De La Torre, a deputy sheriff with the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department. Darr lost to De La Torre during last year’s Battle of the Badges, and was looking for revenge. His boxing trunks sported the word “revenge,” but Darr couldn’t settle the score. The fight, which went the full three rounds, was handed to De La Torre.
Complete Match Results:
- Israel Sosa over Cory Lavy
- Jennifer Anaya over Karla Berrelleza
- Roger Serrato over Bryan Courtney
- Vic Sandoval over Elias Laow
- Wykin Harris over Brett Stennett
- Tanya Pasco over Trang Tran
- Jorge Salazar over Bryon Adcox
- Rob Girard over Joshua Zunner
- David McDonough over Michael Lane
- Steve Mann over Jon Barnhart
- Michael Macalinao over James Hamilton
- Marco Ortiz over Keith Normandam
- Eddie Navarro over Jason Magoffin
- Sarah Curiel over Sue Marabito
- Julio Marquez over Ronnie Clarin
- Main Event: Raul De La Torre over Jeff Darr
Toni McAllister is SWRNN’s lifestyles editor. You can e-mail her at toni.mcallister@yahoo.com.
Tags: battle of the badges, Cops 4 Kids & Communities, pechanga resort and casino, riverside county sheriff's department, SWRNN, Temecula
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