Hitz Boxing’s upcoming “Thanksgiving Eve Belvedere Bash” boxing event on Wednesday, November 23, at The Belvedere Banquet in Elk Grove, Illinois, will mark an important rebirth for the sport in Chicago, as it will bring the return after five years of a series of Thanksgiving eve shows that were once wildly popular with boxing fans, as well as celebrities and other members of the city’s socialite scene.
“This is a show we did every year for 15 years straight and it was always a huge success,” recounts Hitz Boxing Founder, Bobby Hitz.
Hitz, also active in the restaurant and bar trade, says he observed how busy the night before Thanksgiving was every year and the idea came to him.
“I noticed everyone went out that night, so I said why not give people an evening of fights? It turned into a happening where there were lots of people who would only come to this show every year and bring family from out of town in. It’s a great guy’s night out. One year, I had Butterbean, Ken Norton, Tommy Hearns, Bobby Czyz, and Jake LaMotta there, all guys in town for Thanksgiving in Chicago.”
This year’s event will feature Chicago’s comebacking former world title challenger Johnny Lewus (25-4-1, 21 KOs) in an eight-round lightweight bout, plus an undercard that includes Chicago-based undefeated super middleweight Mike Kurzeja (5-0-1, 4 KOs) in a six-round crowd pleaser; power-punching undefeated Chicago heavyweight Dave Latoria (9-0, 5 KOs) in a six-rounder; undefeated Chicago super middleweight Mike “Hollywood” Jimenez (4-0, 3 KOs) will go four; MMA star turned Mike Tyson clone, Chicago cruiserweight Terry Martin (4-0, 4 KOs) will return to the ring for four rounds or less, and in a very special added bonus, the night will kick off with the four-round pro debut of Chicago’s popular super heavyweight Golden Gloves Champion Erick Correa.
Hitz says he’s bringing back his Thanksgiving Eve events after a five-year absence due to popular demand. “It’s been posed to me so many times to bring it back and some of my guys need fights, so it’s a great time to bring it back. The other promoters in town were nice enough not to start doing shows on this date, so I’ll start it back up again. Apparently, people love to watch guys knock the stuffing out of each other on the day before Thanksgiving.”
All opponents will be announced soon.
Tickets for the “Thanksgiving Eve Belvedere Bash” are $100 Ringside and $35 G/A and are available at fanfueled.com or the HITZ TIX HOTLINE: 630-442-4203. All bouts are subject to change. On fight night, doors open at 6:30 pm and the action starts at 7:30.
