Miracle welcome boxers Aug. 14
A familiar bell will ding on Friday, Aug. 14, when the Fort Myers Miracle welcome SJC Boxing to Hammond Stadium for autographs and demonstrations when the Miracle play the Palm Beach Cardinals.
Gates open at 6 p.m. for the 7:05 first pitch. Prior to the game, five former boxing legends and Florida Boxing Hall of Fame members will be signing autographs and posing for pictures with fans of all ages.
Pinklon Thomas, former WBC and IBO Heavyweight Champion of the World, and Tony “TNT” Tucker, former IBF Heavyweight Champion of the World will be at the ballpark. Tucker will be promoting his new book, Fight the Good Fight: How to Get Back Up When Life Knocks You Down.
The Miracle also welcome Jose Ribalta, a top heavyweight contender who once lost a fight to Mike Tyson, Phil “The Enforcer” Jackson, who fought Lennox Lewis for the WBC title in 1994, and Francisco Arreola, a former flyweight who won the Florida State, WBC Continental and NBA titles.
Autographs are free of charge, but donations to SJC Boxing are appreciated. SJC president Steve Canton will promote his book, Tributes, Memories, & Observations of the Sweet Science.
After the 7:05 p.m. game concludes, current members of the SJC Boxing Team will showcase their skills in live exhibitions. Florida Boxing Hall of Fame announcer Bob Alexander is slated to be the Master of Ceremonies for the event.
Aug. 14 also is the final Dog Daze of Summer for which fans are allowed to bring their puppies to the park.
It’s also a Fill’er Up Friday. For $18, fans get a general admission ticket and an all-you-can-eat menu of hamburgers, hot dogs, pasta with marinara sauce, homemade barbecue chips, peanuts and ice cold drinks through the sixth inning. The A.Y.C.E. deal and wristband can be purchased separately for $13 with a pre-purchased game ticket.
At approximately 6:15 p.m., the Miracle will induct Luke Wrenn into the Killebrew Root Beer Professional Baseball Scouts Hall of Fame at the entrance to the stadium, just inside Gate 2.