Essex County Boxing Benefit Draws Olympic Hero, Shakur Stevenson

ESSEX COUNTY, NJ — The recent Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life "Ringside for a Cause" benefit in West Orange drew a special guest: Newark hometown pugilistic hero Shakur Stevenson.

According to a news release from organizers, the purpose of the Dec. 10 benefit was to raise awareness and support for the work being done by the Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life nonprofit organization.

Stevenson – who captured a silver medal in the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro – was a special guest at the event, which also included appearances from New Jersey Hall of Fame Boxing Coach "Wali" Moses and CEO Robyn Moses.

The benefit was co-hosted by C.C. Minton, a resident of West Orange and Newark, who is the Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life board president and Gregory Burrus, a local arts community booster and promoter at the Wilshire Grand Hotel Primavera Lounge in West Orange.

Organizers provided the following description of the gala:

“Round 1 of the evening kicked off with a live music performance by Grammy Award Winning Artist, Songwriter, and Pianist Nat Adderley, Jr. along with dynamic jazz fusion Bassist Darryl Clark. Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life Board members Kenny Jones, Yusef Suliman, and Doug Freeman, who spoke with attendees about the organization’s mission and its’ ongoing commitment to guiding young people. Yusef made the message clear by saying, “We have to encourage our kids, support, and get behind them. We at Stevenson boxing will give kids a chance to watch someone go from not knowing how to do something to knowing how to do it and giving them the opportunity to compete all over the world if they choose too."

“Round 2 of the evening’s main event was an intimate conversation with the Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life leadership. This interview was moderated by Stephanie Hutton, Board President of the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc. Round two gave us an opportunity to get up close and personal with Robyn, Wali and Shakur as they expanded on the group’s vision, how it all came about, its importance to the community, what’s happening now and shared insight into the future of Stevenson Moses Boxing for Life. The Q and A portion of round 2, further highlighted how the community supported Shakur in his journey from the city of Newark to the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro."

“Round 3 of the evening concluded with networking and some of the notable supporters in attendance were: Michael Gray, Founder of Save our Nations and Chief of Staff for Congressman Donald Payne, Jr., Heather LeClair, Van Vleck House and Gardens Board of Management, L-Mani S. Viney, Executive Director of the Kappa Alpha Psi Foundation, Professional Boxer Wal Muhammad, Olympian & Professional Boxer Vikas Krishan, Joy Topping-Mann of IFE BASM Masterpieces, Eli Mint The Art Alchemist, Celeste Bateman & Associates and Founder of the NIA Network. Ensuring the night activities were organized well, was Chelsea Burrus with TVRNVP Company, and those helping captured and historically document the night were: Maria B Photography, Kingdom Art and G2B Productions."

Learn more about posting announcements or events to your local Patch site here. Send local news tips and correction requests to eric.kiefer@patch.com

Photo: Maria B Photography