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Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame 2018 award winners announced

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UNCASVILLE, Conn. (September 24, 2018) – Undefeated East Hartford junior welterweight prospect “Action” Anthony Laureano (pictured to right, photo courtesy of Star Boxing) has been selected as the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) 2018 Professional Boxer of the Year.

 

Other award winners include Nephateria Miller, Amateur Boxer of the Year; Pete Hary, Jr., Professional Official of the Year; Jason Concepcion, Amateur Official of the Year; and Roland Roy, Contribution to Boxing.

 

 

 

The 2018 CBHOF award winners, as well as its six-member Class of 2018, will be honored October 13 at the 14th annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner, in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

“We have an incredible group of honorees this year,” CBHOF president John Laudati said. “Pro Boxer of the Year, Anthony Laureano, is an exciting up-and- comer who clearly earned this award. The selection of Nephteria Miller as Connecticut’s best amateur boxer really underscores the ascendancy of women’s boxing, not only in Connecticut, but in the world. Jason Concepcion and Pete Hary richly deserve being named amateur and pro officials of the year. We at CBHOF are most pleased to posthumously present the George Smith Contribution to Boxing Award to Roland Roy’s family. His recent passing is a tremendous loss to Connecticut’s Boxing Community. His lifetime of tireless effort on behalf of and devotion to the mission of USA Boxing will be honored and celebrated by this award.”

 

 

 

The 23-year-old Laureano (8-0, 3 KOs), a former New England amateur champion, is an all-action, fan-friendly fighter who is arguably the top prospect today in N.E. His next fights is scheduled for Sept..21 in Huntington, New York. His promoter, Joe DeGuardia(Star Boxing), was induced into the CBHOF in 2013. Anthony earned an associate degree in Criminal Justice from Manchester Community College.

 

 

 

Miller, of New Haven, captured a silver medal at the 2017 U.S. Nationals in the 125-pounds featherweight division. She accepted an invitation earlier this year to attend the U.S. Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado. She is currently the No. 2 rated women’s featherweight in the United States.

 

 

 

A pro boxing judge since 2008, Hary has judged more than 250 fights during his career. The most notable fight Hary has judge to date was in 2015, when current IBF light heavyweight world champion Eleider Alvarez defeated Isaac Chilemba by way of a 12-round majority decision in Quebec City for the WBC Silver championship.  The vice president of the CBHOF, Hary lives in Ledyard with his wife, Lauri, and their son, Matthew.

 

 

 

After joining the ranks of USA Boxing, Concepcion rapidly was voted Treasurer and was then appointed Chief of Officials. Jason was the catalyst in terms of creating the Willie Pep Invitational. He and his wife, Heather, continue to serve on the Connecticut USA Boxing Board of Directors. Last year, Jason was unanimously voted to the CBHOF Board of Directors.

 

 

 

The late Roy was president of USA Boxing in Connecticut for nearly 20 years. He was president of USA Boxing Region 1, which includes all of N.E. and metro New York, until his recent passing. The Glastonbury native was also the coordinator for the Junior Olympics in the Northeast Region and worked 16 years with the US Olympic committee to further Olympic-style boxing. An original member of the CBHOF, Roland had been heavily involved in the annual selection of the CBHOF Amateur Fighter of the Year. Roland Roy was responsible for keeping amateur boxing alive and well in the Nutmeg state.

 

 

 

Tickets for the CBHOF 13th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $90.00, are on sale and available to purchase by calling Ann Murphy at Mohegan Sun (1.860.862.8846) or Sherman Cain at 1.860.212.9029. Doors open at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a full sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. ET.

 

 

 

Go online to www.ctboxinghof.org for additional information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame, its 14th annual Gala Inductee Dinner, event sponsorship opportunities, or past CBHOF inductees.

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Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame Class of 2018 Announced

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

UNCASVILLE, Conn. (August 13, 2018) – The Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame (CBHOF) has announced its six-member Class of 2018 to be inducted during the 14TH annual CBHOF Gala Induction Dinner on Saturday night, October 13, in the Uncas Ballroom at Mohegan Sun.

 

 

 

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

 

 

 

Once again,” CBHOF president John Laudati said, “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, of 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, but, most importantly, 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) record. 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 at Mohegan Sun, 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. Last year, for example, he officiated three of the most high-profile fights in the world: Gennady Golovkin vs. Danny Jacobs, Vladimir Klitschko vs. Anthony Joshua (more than 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 at the age of 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, including 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, however, also trained another all-time great, world light heavyweight champion Bob Foster. A native of Providence, Gore died in 1978 at the age of 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, himself, 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.

 

 

 

Tickets for the CBHOF 13th annual Gala Induction Dinner, reasonably priced at $90.00, are on sale and available to purchase by calling Ann Murphy at Mohegan Sun (1.860.862.8846) or Sherman Cain at the Manchester Journal Inquirer (1.800.237.3606 X321). Doors open at 6:00 p.m. ET, followed by a full sit-down dinner at 7 p.m. ET.

 

 

 

Go online to www.ctboxinghof.org for additional information about the Connecticut Boxing Hall of Fame, its 14th annual Gala Inductee Dinner, event sponsorship opportunities, or past CBHOF inductees.