Report/Photos: Boxing Bob Newman

The 49th annual NABF awards banquet and fund raising auction took place in the California ballroom Friday evening at the Westin Hotel in San Diego’s Gas Lamp Quarter. Several awards and recognitions were given out, intertwined with about a dozen items of boxing memorabilia which were auctioned off to support the “Hope For Henry Foundation.”

Before any dinner was eaten, awards were bestowed or items were auctioned, a slide show was screened depicting countless poignant and hilarious moments throughout the four-year tenure of Duane Ford.

Over $10000 was raised through the auction of framed and matted on site posters, tickets, signed action photos of such fights as Tyson-Holmes, Leonard-Duran I, Leonard-Hearns I, Camacho-Ramirez, Holyfield-Foreman and several others.

The special “Hope For Henry” poster which was created last year for the hospital visit during the NABF convention in Washington, D.C. was auctioned off to WBC convention chairperson and board member Chuck Williams for $2500. Williams took the microphone and decided to write a check for $4000 instead. He then announced that WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman vowed to match whatever Williams pledged, bringing the total to $8000 for that one poster. Williams than declared that outgoing NABF president Duane Ford will maintain possession of the poster and bring it to every NABF or WBC convention every year to be re-auctioned again.

Awards and recognitions included:
Duane Ford- Framed NABF belt & NABF Excellence Award
Jill Diamond- Appreciation Award
Tommy Ashy- Appreciation Award
Bob Newman (Yours Truly)- Newcomer Award
Ray Beltran- Fighter of the Year Award
Oleksandr Gvozdyk- Champion of the Year Award
John Carvelli & Andy Foster- Commission of the Year Award (California)
Egis Klimas- Manager of the Year Award
Andy Foster- Executive Officer of the Year Award
Ron Rizzo- Boxing Executive of the Year Award
Craig Hubble- WBC Continental Americas Award
David Sutherland- Johnny Carnation Award