Burbank Resident Inducted Into Caifornia Boxing Hall of Fame
Posted by Igor Frank on 07.11.2008
Boxing coach and sculptor Steve Harpst has back to back hall of fame weekends.
Photo by Michelle Chong
Burbank, CA -- Burbank resident Steve Harpst recently participated in back-to back boxing Hall of Fame weekends. Harpst was born in Ohio, was raised in Arizona, and has lived in Burbank since 1991.
Harpst was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame on June 21, 2008, at The Sportsmen's Lodge in Studio City, CA. Harpst received this honor for his contributions as an artist, trainer, and boxing promoter. Over 650 people attended the banquet, where Harpst received his induction, alongside other Class of 2008 boxing notables like trainer Jack Mosley (father of "Sugar" Shane Mosley), Detroit native Jackie Kallen, and Motown founder Berry Gordy. Harpst's bronze statues have been chosen as awards and memorials by several organizations including The World Boxing Hall of Fame, Inner-City Games Foundation, The Urban Youth Baseball Academy, Big League Dreams, The Golden State Boxer's Association, and most recently, The World Boxing Council (WBC).
The following weekend, the WBC opened the doors to their brand new Legends of Boxing Museum on June 27, 2008. In attendance were former rivals Marco Antonio Barrera and Erik Morales, WBC president Jose Sulaiman, and trainer Floyd Mayweather Sr., along with many other champs and boxing luminaries.
They also inducted their inaugural Hall of Fame Class of 2008, where Harpst's bronzes were presented to 15 of boxing's finest at a gala luncheon event following the museum's ribbon-cutting ceremony. Included in this year's 2008 inductees were former champions Ken Norton, Lennox Lewis, Danny "Little Red" Lopez, Bobby Chacon, and Mando Ramos.
Two-time champion Bobby Chacon said of his new bronze statue, "I'm very excited to get this award. I'm going to show it to everyone." Harpst said, "These two weekends were just non-stop excitement. It's a huge honor to have these legendary boxers receive my bronze statues. It was a great turnout at both events and I'm very honoreto be part of it all--this is boxing history."
But this is also a bittersweet moment for Harpst because Ramos, a two-time lightweight champ, passed away just nine days after receiving this WBC Hall of Fame award. Harpst had known Ramos for over a decade and said, "It was a privilege to know Mando. His sense of humor was the best and I'll miss all of his wise-cracking. Both Mando and his wife, Sylvia, had expressed to me how much they loved the bronze statue. That meant so much to me."
Seeing the champions hoisting their new trophies in the air, as the crowd applauds, is Harpst's best reward. He says, "These legends deserve all of the attention and accolades they are receiving. Boxing is a great sport and there's always so many stories about how fighters became champions. There are so many ups and downs in this sport. But on this day, everyone is celebrating and everyone is a victor!"
Harpst also founded the Burbank Boxing Club in 1996 and continues to showcase his fighters in his International promotions in California and in Canada. He has been voted the "Best Fitness Instructor" in the city of Burbank six times.
The Burbank Boxing Club is based out of the Burbank Community YMCA, where Harpst trains men, women, and children of all skill levels. He finds working with the club extremely rewarding. There's always an open-door policy for the club and many past members have stayed in touch with Harpst and his Burbank Boxing Club. He explains, "Kids that I knew when they were teens come back and visit. But now they're 30-years-old, with kids of their own, and they want their children to learn boxing skills."
Harpst said, "Through these 12 years, I've been really lucky to work with some great talent. I look forward to helping more young champs along the way. It's the best feeling to see the young fighters grow and improve."
For more information please contact: Steve Harpst at 818-563-2094 or 818-800-8700.
E-mail Michele Chong at: mwpsales@earthlink.net
