By HAROLD RIVERA
Boxing will make its way back to Lynn when the “King of the Ring Championship Series” comes to St. Michael’s Hall. The series kicks off on July 28 and runs for the following two Fridays after that. All three parts of the series begin at 7 p.m. and take place at St. Michael’s Hall on Elmwood Avenue.
The event will include open class fighters from ages 17 and over, all of which must have more than 10 fights of experience. Each bout will consist of three rounds, each of which will last three minutes. The tournament-style series will conclude on August 11.
Alex Sepulveda, who trains local boxers at Private Jewels Fitness, played a key role in bringing the series to Lynn. Last month, Sepulveda helped reintroduce Lynn to the sport of boxing when Private Jewels, the facility he owns, teamed up with Stop the Violence to organize the “Boxing For Hope” showcase at Lynn Tech.
After receiving a positive response by way of a strong crowd at “Boxing For Hope,” Sepulveda, a Lynn native, is enthusiastic to kick off “King of the Ring.”
“I can’t be any more excited,” Sepulveda said. “It’s a national event. We already have six states committed to the event. We have great sponsors and every fighter takes home a belt. It’s going to be great.”
Sepulveda set out to promote the event two months ago and so far, he said, the response has provided him a reason to hold high expectations for the series.
“We started promoting this event early,” Sepulveda said. “We’ve been promoting it for about two solid months and we’ve been getting a great response and great feedback. We have a couple of professionals that’ll be in attendance and a couple boxing scouts. These kids fighting in this series could be the next Floyd Mayweather, or the next Mike Tyson.”
And per usual, a good cause is at the forefront of what the series will stand for.
“The big part of it is that this event is another fundraiser to keep our boxing program alive and help keep these kids off the streets,” Sepulveda said.
Three of Sepulveda’s boxers will take the ring in the upcoming series.
Zach Calmus, a Marblehead native, will fight in the super heavyweight division. Calmus is a Central Division Golden Gloves champion.
Charlie Espinal, who hails from Salem, will fight in the 152-pound weight class. Espinal, a Golden Gloves and Silver Gloves champion, took home a victory last month at “Boxing For Hope.”
Moises Zorralla, a Lynn resident who hails from Puerto Rico, will fight in the 125-pound weight class.
“This is all top-notch talent,” Sepulveda said. “This is the best that all of New England has to offer. I’ve had some kids calling from Louisiana hoping to fight in this event. We’re going to have some really talented, top-notch boxers fighting here.”
Tickets for “King of the Ring” cost $20 and can be purchased in-person at Private Jewels or online at privatejewelsfitness.com. They can also be purchased at the door on the night of the event or at Salem’s Royal Blendz barbershop on Washington Street. Fans must purchase separate tickets in order to be admitted into all three portions of the series.
Sepulveda recognized that organizing the event was a team effort.
“I appreciate St. Michael’s Hall for helping us get the hall and helping us make this dream a reality,” Sepulveda said. “This is for the city of Lynn and it should be. It was a complete team effort.”
Fans who’ll be in attendance, Sepulveda said, can expect competitive boxing from the moment the first bell rings. A handful of the boxers who’ll participate are Golden Gloves champions who are looking to become professionals.
“This is going to be one of the best boxing events around in a long time,” Sepulveda said. “This is going to be a great event. It’s going to be one to remember.”