November 2017 Meeting
The general membership met at Rino’s Italian Restaurant on Tuesday night, November 14, 2017. There were a total of 16 members and guests, including Board Members Matt Farrago (President), Mike Bernard, Iran Barkley, Rich Schwartz, Tyrone Jackson and Sharon Scrima. Special guest Ron Lipton was also in attendance.
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Opening
The meeting opened with the Pledge of Allegiance, followed by the customary 10 count in memory of those the boxing community has lost. Former light heavyweight contender Ray Elson, who battled the likes of Michael Spinks and Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, passed away on Oct 20 at the age of 69 after a long illness. We are grateful that his sister attended our most recent event where he was honored prior to his passing. Ray’s family has donated his organs for head trauma research, an ongoing issue facing several former fighters.
Rafael Garcia, long-time cut man and trainer, recently died due to complications from leukemia. Born in Mexico, Garcia worked in boxing for most of his life and spent recent decades living in Las Vegas, where he worked with legends such as Roberto Duran, Alexis Arguello, Wilfredo Gomez and Floyd Mayweather, Jr.
Eighth Annual Ring 10 Awards Banquet
We have reserved the Marina Del Rey for our 8th annual awards banquet on Sunday, September 23rd from 11 am- 4 pm. We raised our concerns with the Manager about poor service quality that some of our guests experienced this year and have been assured that these issues will not happen again.
Members were encouraged to reach out to any contacts they may have with well-known boxers and/or service providers to participate in our future fundraising events.
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Other News
Members approved our issuing a monthly food card to Prichard Colon, a super welterweight prospect who suffered a brain bleed in a fight two years ago. The 25-year old Colon, who currently resides in Central Florida with his father Richard, is in a persistent vegetative state after being in a coma for over 200 days.
We are targeting dates in April or May for the 2018 Run with the Champs event at Villa Maria Academy.
Special guest Ron Lipton, a former recipient of the Ring 10 Jose Torres Renaissance Man Award, recounted three specific memories from his long relationship with Muhammad Ali. Members were riveted by the stories of loyalty, friendship and selflessness that stemmed from the special bond shared by these two men. Look for more fascinating stories in Ron’s future book, “Angels in My Corner”. Following his remarks, Ron was surprised by a presentation of a championship belt by his son, Brett.
There will not be a meeting held in December due to the very busy holiday season. Board member Johnny Zervos will be holding his 7th annual Holiday party on Saturday, December 9 at Dunwoody Golf Course from 8pm – 12 am for $65 per person. Send your checks to Johnny!
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Become a Ring 10 Member
Ring 10’s next meeting will be Tuesday, January 9 at 7:00pm at Patricia’s Italian Restaurant, located at 3883 E Tremont Ave, Bronx, NY 10465 (718) 918-1800. Please note the cost of dinner (includes buffet dinner, soda and coffee) has increased to $16.00 to include gratuities – exact change is greatly appreciated.
Come and enjoy a great meal with guest speakers and other prominent Ring 10 members and see what we’re all about! We would love for you to join us.
Annual dues for 2017 are $25; membership cards will be distributed accordingly.