For all you fans out there, here’s a slideshow of some production pics from the many shoots for Fight 4 Your Life. Good memories indeed! More to come!
As always, thanks for your support.
– The one studios crew
Apr172015
Tag Archives: Marcus D. Spencer
Mar272015
Behind the Scenes: Tony vs Speed Bag! (VIDEO)
Tony “The Tiger” Lopez still has it! Watch as Tony demonstrates his speed bag prowess in front of his fellow cast and crew while on set at Center Ring Boxing. Tony had to shut some peeps up that day on set who called him out…hm hm…Brandon J. Woods. How could he be doubted?! Tony was a 3x world champ after all. Good stuff Tone Loc!
– The one studios crew
Aug12013
Tony “The Tiger” Mercado
Tony “The Tiger” Mercado
Tony “The Tiger” Mercado is a lively ex-boxer who now spends his days mentoring youth and training up and coming boxers. Not afraid to tell it how it is, and not taking any bull, Tony is a well respected member of his community and is known to stand up for what’s right, especially when it comes to youth. Having grown up in the foster care system himself, he’s made it a point to share close relationships with many outreach organizations and has made it a personal duty to give back to the community and help kids.
Underprivileged children always have a home at his gym, where he’s known to tell stories from his past on a daily basis. He’s been around and recognizes game when he sees it. So, many of Tony’s stories are meant to teach street smarts and inform young boxers about the darker side of the business of boxing, which have served many of his students well. Bobby, a longtime protege of Tony, is a perfect example of such positive influence.
But Tony’s stories are often mixed with a lot of jokes and inappropriate content as well, which the kids tend to love, but doesn’t always sit well with the more straight laced of his peers. There’s definitely no censoring this fun loving, yet hot blooded, character. His robust ways may have earned him a reputation for being blunt and not always polite, but they have also aided in giving him the reputation of being a brave, honorable and largely selfless man. Time has taught him patience and has soothed his temper. But it definitely hasn’t toned down his hilarious, and often crude, sense of humor!
Ahiga knows this sense of humor all too well. Tony and Ahiga have been friends since they were teens and came up together in the boxing world. When Ahiga made the decision to suddenly leave boxing early on in his incredibly successful career, Tony was as shocked as anyone. It was only Tony, with him being Ahiga’s best friend, and a select few other persons that Ahiga maintained contact with after his departure from the ring. Tony went on to continue his professional boxing run, having a very fruitful career in any regard, before eventually opening his own gym upon his retirement.
Years later, when Ahiga brought a young boy by the name of Fleet into Tony’s gym, Tony saw not only promise in the boy as a boxer, but also saw an opportunity to bring his friend back into the light. Ahiga had remained in the shadows since his punching days, choosing not to allow his whereabouts to be known by the masses that might still wonder what had happened to the once phenomenal boxer. And because of his miraculous feats, as well as his utter disappearance, he is now thought of in the boxing ranks as more of a legend than actual man.
As Tony has continued to help train Fleet, as well as represent him in all of Fleet’s public athletic competition endeavors, he has also continued to have the hope that one day Fleet will be able to bring Ahiga back into the world, allowing all of society to benefit from the unique and powerful mindset Ahiga possesses. But no matter the outcome of his good friend, Tony’s focus is on doing everything he can to ensure Fleet is ready to beat the current champ, Hanson Hansome Kelly, who is the protege of an old buddy named Henry Page, and who also happens to be managed by one of sleaziest scoundrels in the sport, Cecil Claremont, who has it out for Tony…..boy would Tony love to knock Cecil out.
Mar22015
Bobby
Bobby
Every great fighter has a great team behind him. Much of Fleet’s success comes from his neverending support system, from his mom, to his mentor, Ahiga, to his trainer, Tony, to even his neighborhood market owner, Mr. Jenkins. Bobby is the guy every fighter wants in his corner. And Fleet is lucky to have him.
Bobby was a pretty good boxer himself, until an injury took his fighting days away from him. He trained under Tony for years, and had the heart of a champion, although he just didn’t quite have the talent to actually be one. Still, he understands what it takes to be a champ and gives his all to help up and coming fighters reach their goals. It was only natural he stayed with Tony after his career ended, helping his former coach with his gym and the training of young fighters. Fleet was just turning pro around the time of Bobby’s transition from fighter to corner man. The two had always shared a good relationship. And Fleet has always been happy to have Bobby in his corner.
When Bobby isn’t helping Tony train his fighters, or doing gym duties, he loves to be a part of the entertainment scene in the city. He’s done some commercials and it is his second life in entertainment which gave him his first glimpse of a young actress, named Grace Justice, trying to make a name for herself in the Sacramento and Bay Area film and TV societies. Grace turned her focus to journalism early on in her career, with her catching wind of a stewing rivalry between two local, up and coming amateur boxers in the first year of her employment at one of Sacramento’s newspapers. The story of the ongoing rivalry between Hanson Hansome Kelly and Fleet Blackwood has been her personal jewel ever since…..and it’s been Bobby’s ongoing opportunity to try to win Grace over.
Aug182013
Grace Justice
Grace Justice
Grace is a local Sacramento newspaper reporter well known within the surrounding communities. Since her earlier days of striving to be a film and television actress, she’s always pushed to make a name for herself. But don’t let her desire for stardom fool you. This tenacious, but always professionally-minded and respectable, lady of the press is in love with her work, having a real passion for truth. She never lets her own vanity get in the way of what’s right. And she is quite selfless when it comes down to it.
In fact, Grace’s main flaw, if you want to call it a flaw, is her conscience and good spirit often get the better of her, not allowing her to do a lot of things her colleagues would in order to move up the ladder. Her sense of righteousness often annoys her peers and tends to make her the laughing stock as they regularly mock her behind her back. However, those of her colleagues that would mock her know doing so behind her back is the only viable option. Facing Grace face to face means battle because she’s quick to defend herself with her intellect and will often go overboard in her defensive debates, not letting things go lightly. She is the last person you want to get into an argument with!
Grace isn’t all talk though. She can easily bite back with more than just words, furthering her wits to her advantage. She is quick to pick up on things through observation and especially through speech. So, you’re not going to pull one over on her easily.
Knowledge is power. This is the creed of Ms. Justice. Always calculating, Grace has used her natural intelligence to make up for her lacking qualities. A perfect example would be how she studied case files, tagged along with local detectives and even went as far as to live on the streets for intermittent periods, all for the sake of learning some valuable street smarts so to better understand where to find the most grimy underground stories.
All in all, Grace possesses the perfect reporter’s attributes, aside from the inability to give in to the dark side of news to get ahead, which, sadly, could make things so much more simple in her quest to be the best. But her persistence, never ending tenacity and pursuit for the ultimate story keeps her going. She’s determined to find her success, but only through being good at her work, not by selling out.
An obsession for years, Grace finds the story of Fleet and his boxing rival, Hanson, very intriguing. She has been following their feud, as well as their separate journeys, for some time. When the time came for the two young men to meet while still amateurs she was there to get the story of the locally long-awaited sports event. However, when things went down a different road she was left disappointed, like so many others.
Due to her commitment to professionalism, she can’t take sides. But deep down she likely is routing for Fleet, as she’s witnessed his road to this point, and knows quite well the type of person he is. She’s of course seen Hanson’s ascension as well. But let’s just say Fleet has been the kinder of the two towards her throughout the years.
Grace has become sort of a regular around Tony’s gym, always being welcome around Team Blackwood. If it was up to Bobby, a member of Fleet’s corner team and Tony’s right hand man, Grace would never leave. He’s had his eyes on her since her acting days.
Now, with Fleet finally meeting Hanson in the ring, this diligent reporter named Grace Justice is there to witness an ending to her story that has been years in the making. This is the finale she’s been waiting for. This is her story, her baby, and it will finally be complete. And no one is going to get in her way, or dare not steal it from her! Her career depends on it.
