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The 27th annual RING 8 Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony will be held Sunday afternoon (12:00-5:30 p.m. ET), December 8 at the famed Russo’s On The Bay in Howard Beach, New York.

The highlight of the festivities will be the presentation of the prestigious Ring 8 Fighter of the Year award to Philadelphia’s undefeated world junior welterweight champion Danny “Swift” Garcia (27-0, 16 KOs). In 2013, the 25-year-old Garcia won impressive 12-round decisions over world champions Lucas Matthyssee (34-2) and Zab Judah (42-7), to successfully defend his World Boxing Association (WBA) Super and World Boxing Council (WBC) 140-pound world titles.

“Our members really look forward to this gala event every year,” Ring 8 president Bob Duffy said. “We will be honoring some of the biggest names in boxing, such as Danny Garcia, as well as those less known nationally but equally appreciated in New York. Ring 8 proudly continues its sterling record for lending a helping hand to those in the boxing community who are less fortunate, some requiring assistance towards paying their rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need. Each year our Holiday Event and Awards Ceremony celebrates our great sport of boxing, insuring much-needed funding is raised so we may continue our mission for our needy brothers and sisters in boxing. We will never waver from their corners.”

2013 Ring 8 Award Winners

Fighter of the Year: Danny Garcia
Uncrowned Champion: Gasper Ortega
Official of the Year: Deputy Commissioner Robert Orlando
Amateur Official of the Year: Dan Gant
Member of the Year: Carmine Rastelli
Professional Judge of the Year: John McKaie
Prospect of the Year: Seanie Monahan
Professional Trainer of the Year: Bob Jackson
Amateur Trainer of the Year: Joe Higgins
Emile Griffith Good Guy Award: Sal Corrente
Long & Meritorious Service: Dr. William “Bill” Lathan
Special Presentation: Bobby Bartels & Lenny Mangiapane
(honoring the 50th anniversary of their classic main event fight at Madison Square Garden)

Invited celebrities include last year’s Ring 8 Fighter of the Year, undefeated WBO middleweight champion Peter “Kid Chocolate” Quillin, as well as world champions Pinklon Thomas, Vito Antuofermo, Virgil Hill, Mark Breland, Mark Medal and Junior Jones, plus world heavyweight title challenger Renaldo “Mr.” Snipes.

Tickets, priced at $125.00 per person, are available to purchase by calling 1.718.729.4862 or 1.516.313.2304, emailing DepComish@aol.com or mailing checks (payable to Ring 8) to Tony Mazzarella, C/O Waterfront Crab House, 2-03 Borden Ave., Long Island, NY 11101. Donations of any denomination are welcome for those unable to attend the festivities.

Tickets include a complete brunch with cocktail hour upon entry, seating at the awards ceremony, dinner and dessert, and top-shelf open bar throughout the afternoon. There will also be a silent auction of boxing memorabilia. This event is expected to sell-out and everybody is urged to purchase tickets as soon as possible in order to secure favorable seating. Sports and entertainment memorabilia will be on display as part of a silent auction.

Program ads are available for Full Page ($150.00), Half-Page ($80.00), and Quarter-Page ($50.00). The deadline for all ads is November 30 and must be emailed (DepComish@aol.com) or mailed to Bob Duffy (516.313.2304), 164 Lindbergh St., Massapequa, NY 11762.

Go online to www.Ring8ny.com for more information about Ring 8 or its annual Holiday Events and Awards Ceremony.

Russo’s On The Bay is located at 162-45 Crossbay Blvd. in Howard Beach (718.843.5055).

ABOUT RING 8: Formed in 1954 by an ex-prizefighter, Jack Grebelsky, Ring 8 became the eighth subsidiary of what was then known as the National Veteran Boxers Association – hence, RING 8 – and today the organization’s motto still remains: Boxers Helping Boxers.

RING 8 is fully committed to supporting less fortunate people in the boxing community who may require assistance in terms of paying rent, medical expenses, or whatever justifiable need.

Go on line to http://www.ring8ny.com/ for more information about RING 8, the largest group of its kind in the United States with more than 350 members. Annual membership dues is only $30.00 and each member is entitled to a buffet dinner at RING 8 monthly meetings, the third Tuesday of every month, excluding July and August. All active boxers, amateur and professional, are entitled to a complimentary RING 8 yearly membership.