Los Angeles, CA (May 24, 2017) – Hollywood came out in full force to catch a night filled with action-packed boxing matches, live performances and more at the B. Riley & Co. 8th Annual “Big Fighters, Big Cause” Charity Boxing Night at the Loews Santa Monica Beach Hotel in Santa Monica, CA. The star-studded evening of boxing presented by Oscar De La Hoya’s Golden Boy Promotions benefitted the Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation and its mission to fund life-changing research, care and awareness for pediatric type 1 & 2 diabetes and to help children live healthier lives through diet and exercise.
Hosted by actor and comedian Bill Bellamy, the night also featured a national anthem performance by En Vogue, as well as a live & silent auction display, which included iconic memorabilia and other one-of-a-kind items and experiences to benefit the foundation. Additionally, the evening honored nine-year-old Jackson Blair with the 2017 Golden Glove Award for his extraordinary dedication and hard work to raise money and awareness for type 1 (T1D) diabetes.
Celebrities, VIP guests and Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation supporters in attendance included Usher (Actor/Recording Artist), Cindy Crawford and Rande Gerber, Luke Wilson (Actor), Oscar De La Hoya (Golden Boy Promotions Chairman and CEO), Magic Johnson and Cookie Johnson, En Vogue (R&B/Pop Vocal Group), Tina Knowles Lawson and Richard Lawson, Bo Jackson (Former NFL/MLB Athlete), Chris Spencer (Actor, Black-ish), Johnny Gill (Recording Artist), Laila Ali Conway (Former Professional Boxer), Mia St. John (Boxer), Rodney Peete (Former NFL Athlete), Sergio Mora (Professional Boxer), Terry Norris (Former Boxer), Tommy Davidson (Actor/Comedian), Jeffrey Osborne (Recording Artist), and more.
Main event to the exclusive charity boxing soiree, Kevin “K-Smoove” Rivers, Jr. (14-1, 10 KOs) took on Mexico City’s rugged Roberto “Escorpión” Pucheta (10-11-1, 6 KOs) in a six round lightweight bout. Rivers, Jr., returning to the ring after a 16 month absence, turned up the heat in the third round throwing combinations, giving his opponent a bloody nose late in the round. “K-Smoove” found his groove as the rounds progressed, landing with accuracy. The judges scored the bout all in favor of the East Coast fighter, awarding Rivers, Jr. the unanimous decision win with scores of 60-54, 58-56, and 59-55.
“It’s an honor to be a part of such an event, for such an important cause, especially for my man Sugar Ray,” said Kevin Rivers, Jr. “It was a tough, competitive bout and it was a great way to jump back into the game after 16 months of being out of the ring.”
Rising star Luis “King Louie” Coria (4-0, 3 KOs) took a step up, going toe to toe with the more experienced Antonio “Chore” Martinez (7-10, 5 KOs) in a four round super featherweight bout also part of the star-studded event. It was the first time Coria has gone the distance in his professional career, displaying generalship of the ring. A strong right hand stunned Martinez in the first and third rounds – with Coria even catching “Chore” on the ropes several times. In the end, all three judges scored the bout unanimously 40-36, in favor of Coria.
“My grandpa passed away from diabetes, so this means a lot to me to be able to be a part of helping find a cure for this disease,” said Luis Coria. “I feel good about my performance as I got the win.”
In round five of the scheduled six round middleweight bout, LA’s Marvin Cabrera (4-0, 4 KOs) knocked out Shreveport, Louisiana’s Quantavious “King Tulu” Green (1-1, 1 KO). At the start of the fight, Cabrera and Green traded heavy punches, however after two rounds, Green became exhausted and dropped his defense. Cabrera, taking hold of the opportunity, went forward and bombarded Green with a powerful body shot and overhand combinations. The referee stopped the fight before the fifth round could start due to a left eye injury sustained by Green, awarding Cabrera the technical knockout.
“I’m happy I got to add another knockout to my record at an event like this,” said Marvin Cabrera. “I’m looking forward to tougher fights where I can continue to show off what I have.”
Opening up the 8th annual charity event was Indio’s Alfredo Escarcega (2-0) going the distance in a scheduled four round super lightweight bout against LA’s Rolando Padilla (0-2). Escarcega sent Padilla to the mat twice in the fight, in the first and third rounds, with the same powerful left hook. Escarcega won the fight via unanimous decision with all three judges scoring the fight 40-34.
“I was so excited to be a part of such an event, I just couldn’t say no. It’s a great cause, and I’m glad that I got to be featured on it,” said Alfredo Escarcega. “My opponent kept leaning in, and most of the time I was trying to avoid his head butts, but overall I am satisfied with my performance.”
Photos, videos and scorecards are available for download in the following link: http://bit.ly/SRLFoundationBoxing
About Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation
The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation was established in 2009 by boxing legend and six-time world champion Sugar Ray Leonard and his wife, Bernadette. The Sugar Ray Leonard Foundation funds life-changing care & research for pediatric type 1 & type 2 diabetes. The Foundation is also committed to helping children lead healthier lives through diet and exercise.
Throughout Leonard’s boxing career, he watched his dad and friends struggle with the many complications of diabetes and how it has affected every aspect of their life. Type 1 diabetes strikes both children and adults at any age. It comes on suddenly, causes dependence on injected or pumped insulin for life, and carries the constant threat of devastating complications. Type 2 diabetes in children is on the rise, fueled largely by the obesity epidemic. Leonard draws from his personal experience and boxing career to provide inspiration for funding research to combat the disease.
For more information, visit www.sugarrayleonardfdn.org, like and follow on twitter at @SugarRayLeonard and Facebook at www.facebook.com/SugarRayLeonard6.
About B. Riley & Co., LLC
B. Riley Financial is a publicly traded, diversified financial services company addressing capital raising and financial advisory needs of public and private companies and high net worth individuals. Headquartered in Los Angeles, CA with offices in major financial markets throughout the United States, Australia and Europe, the firm consists of over 200 professionals whose cross-platform expertise is mobilized to provide a myriad of financial solutions.
The Company operates through several wholly-owned subsidiaries, including B. Riley & Co., LLC (B. RILEY), a FINRA-licensed broker dealer; Great American Group, LLC (www.greatamerican.com), provider of advisory and valuation services, asset disposition and auction solutions, commercial lending, and real estate advisory services; B. Riley Capital Management, LLC, (which includes B. Riley Asset Management (www.brileyam.com), a SEC-registered investment advisor providing investment products to institutional and high net worth investors, and B. Riley Wealth Management, a multi-family office practice and wealth management firm focused on the needs of ultra-high net worth individuals and families (www.brileywealth.com); Great American Capital Partners, a provider of senior secured loans and second lien secured loan facilities to middle market public and private U.S. companies and B. Riley Principal Investments, a group that makes proprietary investments in other businesses, such as the acquisition of United Online, Inc. (www.untd.com) in July 2016.
About Golden Boy Promotions
Los Angeles-based Golden Boy Promotions was established in 2002 by 10-time world champion in six divisions Oscar De La Hoya, the first Hispanic to own a national boxing promotional company. Golden Boy Promotions is one of boxing’s most active and respected promoters, presenting shows in packed venues around the world and has worked with networks such as HBO, Estrella TV, ESPN, TeleFutura, FOX Sports 1, FOX Deportes, Televisa and TV Azteca. The company has also promoted some of the top boxing events in the history of the sport including De La Hoya vs. Mayweather, Mayweather vs. Canelo and other notable pay-per-view fights featuring fan-favorites Canelo Alvarez, Bernard Hopkins, Juan Manuel “Dinamita” Marquez, Miguel Cotto, Marco “Baby Faced Assassin” Antonio Barrera, Erik “El Terrible” Morales and Sugar Shane Mosley.
For more information, visit www.goldenboypromotions.com, follow on Instagram and Twitter at @GoldenBoyBoxing and like on Facebook at www.facebook.com/GoldenBoyBoxing.
