The Latino Hotel Association gave me the chance to fulfill a lifelong dream.
While covering the association’s 2011 International Conference & Expo in Las Vegas last month, I was asked to serve as one of three judges for the LHA’s “Battle of the Brands” charity boxing event that raises money for a Latino college fund, as well as job training programs for Latinos in the hospitality industry.
As a big boxing fan, how could I say no to spending a couple of hours acting as a judge in the boxing capital of the world? And to sweeten the pot even more, I’d be watching a bunch of hotel industry executives beat each other to a bloody pulp inside the Tropicana Las Vegas.
OK, so no one was carted out on a stretcher—but no one was pulling punches, either. In fact, on more than one occasion, I heard leather gloves slap and saw heads snap back from my ringside seat.
(Oh, one note for next year’s event organizers: Maybe serve dinner before the fighting starts—can’t say the image of sweat flying off the heads of the pugilists and landing oh-so-close to my chicken dinner did much for my appetite.)
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| “Rajiv “The Raging” Trivedi (red trunks) of La Quinta Inns & Suites looks for an opening in the guard of Best Western International’s Mark “The Muscle” Williams during the Battle of the Brands last month in Las Vegas. |
All five of the three-round, one-minute-per-round bouts went the distance, meaning my judging ability would be on full display in front of the crowd. I took my judging philosophy directly from boxing analyst Max Kellerman: Decide who you would rather have been during each round and score the round for that fighter.
With that in mind: My apologies to Driftwood Hospitality’s Executive VP Brian Quinn. I definitely would not have wanted to be you in your bout versus Matt Wehling, Hilton Worldwide’s VP & managing director of development.
I’m happy to report each of the fights went to the winner I had on my own scorecard. A judge’s worst fear, after all, is to be the odd judge out.
Without further ado, below are the results from the Battle of the Brands event:
• David “El Diablo” Wilner (La Quinta Inns & Suites, senior VP of franchise development) defeated Enrique “El Seguro” Monzon (Pan-American Life Insurance Group, 2nd VP, domestic markets). (Judge’s note: Losing to an insurance company executive, whose nickname can be translated as “The Insurance” is inexcusable and impossible to live down.)
• The aforementioned “Big Daddy” Wehling beat “The Bull” Quinn. (Judge’s note: Props to Wehling for the best nickname of the night.)
• Nate “El Soldado” Canales (a volunteer for the Soldiers’ Angels charity) defeated Tom “Lights Out” Lorenzo (Hilton, VP and managing director of franchise development). (Judge’s note: Speaking of nicknames, yours was an appropriate one, Lorenzo.)
• Shannon “The Knockout” Williams (Activate Marketing, president) defeated the Honorable Lucy “The Law” Flores (Nevada Assembly District 28). (Judge’s note: I can’t begin to tell you how much satisfaction I took from watching a politician get beat up in the ring.)
• Mark “The Muscle” Williams (Best Western International, VP, North American development) defeated Rajiv “The Raging” Trivedi (La Quinta, executive VP, franchise and chief development officer). (Judge’s note: The toughest fight to score was decided by one point. In my eye, “The Muscle” landed just a few more clean, hard shots to secure the victory on my scorecard.)
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