Two female fighters were among the 14 who boxed for the El Camino College Boxing Club during its fundraiser at the Sweet Science Boxing & MMA gym in Hawthorne on Saturday, Feb. 24.
The third match of the fundraiser between Boxing Club members Luchia Garvey and Imani Taitt-Gibbs brought a fight to the ring showing off both boxers’ strength and technical skill while having power in every punch.
Garvey brought her 8-year-old son to the Fight Night fundraiser and he was more than happy to support his mother by running around and helping her warm up.
“I want him to continue to have self-confidence and be sure about himself, in any way, like martial arts stays with you at all stages,” Garvey said.
She said she wants to set an example for her son. “Even as me as a parent, I learned patience.”
Garvey and Taitt-Gibbs were the only female boxers who went into the ring during the event.
“I say do it, it’s worth it, it’s fun, it’s a way to learn new things,” Taitt-Gibbs said on why students should join the Boxing Club.
The event is the Boxing Club’s way to raise funds in support of its boxers.
The fundraiser showed 14 fighters’ technical skills in eight fights. Each paired up with similar height and body weights. The energy from the fighters and the audience was undeniable.
“It’s going to be a good fight night. And if the first one is a knockout, it’s going to be a good night,” Ron Smith, a boxing trainer at Sweet Science Boxing & MMA, said.
Eric Hollinger, an El Camino boxing club fighter, started the first fight of the night with excitement from the audience.
“As somebody that has been really struggling maintaining focus, I honestly feel like boxing is one of the key things [to help maintain focus],” Hollinger said. “[It’s key] to not only maintain spiritual awareness, but mental awareness.”
Neither the Boxing Club nor Sweet Science Boxing & MMA disclosed how much money was raised from the event.
The boxing gym allows the boxing club to use its facilities with the understanding that the gym will take out its expenses from the money that is raised.
The money is not dispersed to the club until the expenses are withdrawn from the fundraiser’s profit.
“I’ve got to cover my staff for a few hours, the chairs and so I think $500 for us and the rest for the club,” Marco Trejo, Sweet Science Boxing & MMA gym owner, said.
Co-president of the club Thanos Sarreas elaborated on how the Boxing Club benefits from the fight night fundraiser event.
“We get a lot out of it; we get experience for the fight-nighters. Family members get to watch. The hard work pays off. A lot of people here don’t want to go professional; they just want to be amateurs and learn this,” Sarreas said.
The crowd raved for the eighth and final fight featuring Sarreas, who suffered a minor injury on his left shoulder.
\
The injury didn’t faze him the slightest. “It looks bad, but it feels fine,” Sarreas said.
Once the 14 fighters finished their fights, they each received a “swag box” from Just Boxing Foundation Inc., which is owned and founded by former El Camino College boxing student Sean Fitzgerald who sponsored the event.
Each box contained a keychain, bracelet and a T-shirt.
“I’m just super proud of all the fighters,” El Camino boxing coach and Boxing Club adviser Rachel Pittock said at the end of the fight night. “It takes a lot of guts, no matter how you feel you did. Everyone fought till the end and no one gave up. It was really a testament to their character.”
