OBAC’s Boxing Show featured at OB Street Fair & Chili Cook-off
In Bout #1, it was 17 year-old Fabian Zarco (r) from Barrio Logan, a student at Helix High School, getting the best of 16 year-old Daniel Ramirez from Victory MMA in Point Loma, a student at Point Loma High School. All photos: Jim Wyatt
The Ocean Beach Athletic Club of 5032 Niagara Ave., Ocean Beach, the newest member of the USA Amateur Boxing community, had the privilege of hosting their first show “Rumble at the Beach” right smack in the middle of this year’s Ocean Beach Street Fair & Chili Cook-off. For those who competed in the show, this must have been quite a treat to be down there amongst all these happy-go-lucky fairgoers.
The show’s Master of Ceremonies was none other than Reggie Deas (r) who with his deep baritone voice sang a wonderful rendition of our National Anthem.
In Bout #2, it was first-timer, 17 year-old super bantamweight Jerwin Agcarao (blue trunks) from the House of Boxing in San Diego, a student at Sweetwater High School getting the best of 15 year-old Jesrred Quezadas who hails from Victory MMA in Point Loma. Quezadas has competed before but mostly in the Mixed Martial Arts, namely Muay Thai.
The House of Boxing’s boxing team poses for a group photo with their three coaches plus pro-boxers Israel Arellano and David Barragan at Saturday’s show in Ocean Beach.
(top) On Saturday, June 22, 2013, the staff of the Ocean Beach Athletic Club pose for a photo outside the venue at 4976 Newport Avenue in Ocean Beach, San Diego, CA. The bottom photos show the large spill over crowd that filled the streets and roofs? for this grand affair.
Here we have boxer Gilbert Roybal from the 85 lbs. weight division along with his two coaches from the United Boxing & Fitness Gym in Chula Vista, CA. Roybal competed in Bout #3 against Jose Chollet from San Diego’s Barrio Station.
At the conclusion of Bout #3, it was Jose Chollet (l) from Barrio Station out-pointing Gilbert Roybal to gain the victory. The two boxers are joined by USA referee Will White.
Gilbert Roybal is joined by his coach Luis Gamez (top, right) and Jose Chollet (l) is given instruction from his coach Tony Esparza.
Jose Chollet (l) has his arm raised in victory by referee Will White after he defeated Gilbert Roybal. All photos: Jim Wyatt
Jose Chollet’s two brothers, also boxers, join him for a photo at the conclusion of his bout.
Ocean Beach’s annual event draws 70,000 plus visitors to the popular beach town. Now in its 34th year, the event’s seaside location and friendly confines make this one of San Diego’s annual must attend adventures. The visitors stroll up and down Newport Avenue plus several cross streets discovering a multitude of fun activities.
With more than 250 vendors and artisans on hand, fairgoers were able to find foods from around the world, as well as the latest arts and crafts. Among the fair’s highlights you had the wildly popular chili-cook off competition, no less than 38 performers being featured on the six different stages, plus there was the increasingly popular Artists’ Alley which took up two full blocks on Cable Street.
If there’s any area of San Diego that evokes images of the long-gone ’60s, peace-and-love culture, “OB” is it. Fragments of that flower-power generation still exist. As a former resident, I can tell you first hand that the feeling you get by walking through this small town gets you reminiscing about places like Greenwich Village in New York or perhaps San Francisco’s Haight Ashbury.
This family friendly affair had a fun zone for the kids with rock climbing, pony and train rides. I even saw a group of women participating in the painting of a community mural. There was also a big raffle with prizes from area vendors.
I could have sworn I saw this statue move.
While the parents were a bit nervous, the majority of the children seemed fearless when taking the reigns of these shetland ponies. “Look at me Dad, no hands!”
When walking around Ocean Beach, you’re bound to see many beautiful sites.
For the people who wanted to avoid the traffic and parking situations inherent in such a large gathering, they even had four free trolleys running continuously every half-hour from 9:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. so the fairgoers could park their cars at two outer parking lots (Robb Field and The Sun Runner lot at Pacific Highway and Sea World Drive) and then shuttle directly to the fair. This dummy found out too late and parked a hundred miles away.
Those opting for a greener form of transportation were offered bicycle valet service in front of Winston’s Beach Club on Bacon Street, courtesy of the Bicycle Coalition. With 34 years of working on this street fair, the townspeople now have it down to an exact science. Hats off to this wonderful town.
