Andy Dick, Tami Erin hosting Celebrity Boxing Comic Con on Grand Lake (2024)

And now for something completely different: A pop culture event that combines celebrity boxing and aspects of a comic con.

Actor Andy Dick and Tami Erin, a Grand Lake resident who starred as the title character in the 1988 film “The New Adventures of Pippi Longstocking," will combine to host an inaugural Celebrity Boxing Comic Con on the shores of Grand Lake. The event will take place Memorial Day weekend— Friday, May 24 through Sunday, May 26 at Lakeshore Bliss Resort, 32100 S. Oklahoma 85 in Afton.

Olympic gold medalist and former heavyweight boxing champion Ray Mercer will serve as a celebrity guest referee. Actor Zack Ward, who played Scut Farkus in the 1983 holiday classic “A Christmas Story,” and former super middleweight champ Allan Green of Tulsa will be special ringside commentators, according to event organizer Tommy Parker. Johnny Venokur will be a celebrity ring announcer, and Ten Travis will serve as a guest host.

In addition to three celebrity boxing matches that will be livestreamed on pay-per-view and a sprinkling of amateur fights, Celebrity Boxing Comic Con will feature music, food trucks, vendors and celebrity autograph signings.

The celebrity boxing card? EJ “Skullcrusher” Snyder (“Naked and Afraid”) will face Patrick Kilpatrick (“Minority Report”). Chad Tulik (“A Shot at Love with Tila Tequila”) will face Rich Manley (“Knight and Day”). And Damon Gillespie (“Rise,” “The Society,” “Tiny Pretty Things”) will face Hasaan Rasheed (“Black Panther”).

Celebrities will take part in autograph signings and meet-and-greets throughout the weekend. Fight day will be Saturday, May 25.

Parker said he was inspired to create Celebrity Boxing Comic Con because a friend, Damon Feldman, is the founder and CEO of Official Celebrity Boxing, which has more than a 20-year history of getting celebrities in the ring. Remember Vanilla Ice vs. Todd Bridges? Episodes of “Celebrity Boxing” aired on Fox in 2002.

Parker is familiar with the comic con circuit because Erin is his fiancee, and she is booked at cons because of her Pippi Longstocking connection. So, he decided to combine celebrity boxing and the comic con experience for Celebrity Boxing Comic Con.

“And also, I love music, so I am putting a music festival in there,” Parker said, indicating that 20 bands will perform throughout the con weekend.

Parker was able to secure Andy Dick for the con because they have known each other for about 15 years. Parker once wrote a script for a film project titled “Memoirs of a Medicated Child,” and that led to him meeting Dick.

“He and I kicked it off and became friends through the years, through good and bad times,” Parker said. “To me, he has been a really great friend, and I have been a really good friend to him, as well.”

Parker chose to stage the inaugural con on Memorial Day weekend because of the number of people who will be on Grand Lake. He said it was difficult to put a first-time event together, but he is lucky that he built an “amazing, amazing team. I couldn’t be any more blessed to have the team that backed me up on this.”

Parker said one of his celebrity boxing participants, Rasheed, has joined him as a partner and they could do different celebrity sports events in the future.

“Eventually we are going to get to celebrity kickball, celebrity flag football, celebrity dodgeball— just a ton of stuff— and bring it all to Grand Lake,” Parker said.

To purchase in-person and pay-per-view tickets to Celebrity Boxing Comic Con, go to celebrityboxingtv.com.

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