Cocoa Kid, John Harris, Bill Gore, Brian Clark, Angel Vazquez & Don Trella

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (Lub yim hli ntuj 13, 2018) – The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) has announced its six-member Class of 2018 to be inducted during the 14^TH annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner on Saturday night, Lub kaum hli ntuj 13, nyob rau hauv lub Uncas Ballroom ntawm Mohegan hnub.

The new CBHOF inductees are boxers Cocoa Kid thiab Angel Vazquez, judge Don Trella, and trainers John Harris, Bill Gore thiab Brian Clark.

Ib zaug dua,” CBHOF president John Laudati hais tias, “the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame has elected a fantastic class of inductees. We are excited about the historical significance of inducing Cocoa Kid, the great fighter from the 1930’s. Our other honorees come from across the state. We hope to see a large contingent come out to congratulate a great local boxer, Angel Vasquez, and to celebrate the life of Willie Pep’s famous trainer, Bill Gore. This class also includes two other incredibly accomplished trainers, Bill Clark, New Haven, and John Harris from Fairfield County. Don Trella, who is from my hometown of Waterbury, is one of the best boxing judges in recent history. It promises to be a great night for the entire boxing community: inductees, their families and friends, tab sis, tseem ceeb tshaj, our Connecticut boxing fans!”

Cocoa Kid (56-20-2, 48 Kos) came to prominence in 1933, when as an 18-year-old he registered a shocking upset of former world featherweight champion Louis “Kid” Kaplan, who was inducted into the CBHOF charter class in 2005. Cocoa Kid, who settled in New Haven, captured the New England welterweight and middleweight titles. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2012 and passed way in 1966.

Considered one of the hardest hitting featherweights of his era, Vasquez won his first 21 pro fights and finished his pro career with a 22-2 (16 Kos) cov ntaub ntawv. The Hartford native captured the WBO Latino, NABA and USBA featherweight titles. The highlight of his pro career came at home in Hartford, when he defeated previously unbeaten Berbardo Quinones (19-0-1) for the USBA crown.

Trella has been a boxing official for the past 21 years on the local, national and global scenes. He officiated more than 500 amateur bouts before he was awarded his first professional license in 2001 ntawm Mohegan hnub, where he has been employed the past 17 years in various Human Resources positions, currently holding the title of Director of Employee and Guest Experience. A resident of Noank, Trella is highly regarded as one of boxing’s best judges. Xyoo tas los, for example, he officiated three of the most high-profile fights in the world: Gennady Golovkin vs. Danny Jacobs, Vladimir Klitschko vs. Anthony Joshua (ntau tshaj 90,000 fans in attendance at Wembley Stadium in London) and Golovkin vs. Canelo Alvarez.

Harris established himself as the preeminent trainer in Fairfield County, founding the Meadow Gardens Boxing Club in 1989, which was later renamed the John Harris Boxing Club, after he died in 2012 nyob rau ntawm lub hnub nyoog ntawm 85. A native of Cleveland, where he fought in the Golden Gloves, Harris lived most of his life in Norwalk. The highlight of his career was in 1993, when he trained four fighters who qualified for the National Golden Gloves Championships, kuj muaj Travis Simms, a CBHOF Hall of Fame inductee and two-time World Boxing Association (WBA) junior middleweight world champion.

Gore is best known for training the great Willie PEP, who was also inducted into the CBHOF charter class, to a pair of world featherweight championships. Gore, Txawm li cas los, also trained another all-time great, world light heavyweight champion Bob Foster. A native of Providence, Gore died in 1978 nyob rau ntawm lub hnub nyoog ntawm 84 and he was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2008.

Clark opened the Ring One gym in New Haven nearly 30 years ago to keep kids off the streets, producing many amateur champions, and even one light heavyweight world champion, Chad Dawson. Often bankrolling the gym, nws tus kheej, Clark has become an icon in New Haven, where his gym is in one of the city’s roughest neighborhoods. Ring One is believed to be the oldest continuously operating boxing gym in Connecticut.

Daim pib rau lub CBHOF 13^th txhua xyoo Gala Induction noj, tubntxhais luv nqi tom $90.00, are on sale and available to purchase by calling Ann Murphy at Mohegan Sun (1.860.862.8846) los yog Sherman Ka-ees nyob rau Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Qhov rooj qhib rau ntawm 6:00 p.m. THIAB, followed by a full sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. THIAB.

Mus online rau www.ctboxinghof.org rau cov lus qhia ntxiv txog lub Connecticut Boxing Hall ntawm koob meej, its 14^th txhua xyoo Gala Inductee noj, kev tshwm sim lub sij hawm sponsorship, los yog yav dhau los CBHOF inductees.