By ERIC CARPENTER
ANAHEIM – The line to meet UFC Heavyweight Champion Cain Velasquez began forming four hours before he arrived Friday at Ganahl Lumber in Anaheim.
By the time the event began at 10 a.m., the parking lot was full and more than 300 people had picked up prioritized numbers for a chance to meet the champ, to shake his hand, to get an autograph or to pose for a photo with fists in the air – as if they were about to do battle with Velasquez.
Only the brave dared to try staring down the imposing Velasquez, who captured the title last October in a stunning defeat of a heavily favored Brock Lesnar at the Honda Center in the Ultimate Fighting Championship, an all-out brawl in a caged ring.
Some women even left the line with tears in their eyes, overwhelmed at the chance to meet Velasquez.
"I don't really see myself as any kind of role model, but I'm happy to be that person if I can inspire anybody," said Velasquez, 28, who stands just over 6 feet tall and is 250 pounds of pure muscle.
Velasquez came to Ganahl as part of a promotional tour for Milwaukee tools, which sponsors him in ads with the slogan, "Nothing but Heavy Duty."
The fans who lined up: young children and men in their 60s, a few women, and a lot of young men, many Latino. Velasquez is a Mexican-American and the first Latino heavyweight champ in the UFC.
"He's the best guy out there right now, and he's representing la raza," said Joe Martinez, 37, who drove in with his teenage son and daughter from Compton. "We're proud of him."
Contact the writer: 714-704-3769 or ecarpenter@ocregister.com or read the original post here:
0 comments:
Post a Comment