Carmel Restaurant Owner Dons Boxing Gloves for Charity
Restaurateur Rich Pepe will get “beat up for charity,” at a celebrity boxing match in the Hyatt Regency Monterey Saturday, April 11.
“A few months ago, famed boxing trainer Max Garcia asked if I would jump into the ring and be one of the celebrity boxers at his fundraiser,” Pepe explained. “Before I had time to think, I said ‘Yes,’ and then wondered what I just gotten myself into!”
But he didn’t back out, and took to training with Garcia, who with his wife, Kathy, owns a boxing gym in Salinas.
The Garcias are dedicated supporters of the Kinship Center, which helps abused and abandoned children find healthy homes, and they organize the annual Celebrity Boxing for Charity to raise money for it.
This is their second year hosting the event, which will specifically benefit the center’s Family Ties relative-caregiver program. Family Ties helps relatives who unexpectedly find themselves caring for children who have suffered abuse, neglect or abandonment.
The event will begin at 6 p.m. in the Grand Ballroom ath the Hyatt with cocktails and appetizers at a reception, followed by dinner—including wine donated by Ventana Vineyards and Pepe’s own Pepe Winery—at 7.
“The boxing matches will cap off the evening and be lots of fun to watch,” Pepe said. Highlight the evening will be a bout between former NFL star Dana Stubblefield and former two-time world heavy weight champion Roddick Bowe. Pepe—who said boxing is the most difficult sport he’s undertaken—will fight Jesus “Chuy” Rodriguez.
The cost is $125 per person or $200 per couple, and sponsor tables of eight remain available for $1,000, $1,750 and $2,500. Tickets must be purchased in advance by calling (831) 512-7841.
The Hyatt Regency Monterey is located at One Golf Course Road next to the Del Monte Golf Course.