The third “Fight Night,” a charity boxing event presented by Punch4Parkinson’s, will be held Sunday afternoon, October 2, at Big Night Live (110 Causeway St.) in Boston.
Regular people, not professional or amateur boxers, will lace-up their gloves to support Punch4Parkinsons’ fight against Parkinson’s disease. A memorable day will include numerous boxing exhibitions, each a scheduled 3-round (1:30 per round) match.
Punch 4 Parkinson’s is the brainchild of professional boxing manager Ryan Roach, who was inspired by his famous uncle, Hall of Fame trainer Freddie Roach, as well as civil rights activist Jesse Jackson, both who suffer from Parkinson’s.
Freddie was diagnosed with Parkinson’s at the age of 27 and he credits the physical nature of his job as an elite boxing trainer and the hand-eye coordination of the sport for keeping his symptoms in-check. When Jesse Jackson was diagnosed with Parkinson’s in 2017, Freddie, who had been battling the disease for three decades by then, reached out to invite Jackson to train with him.
“When he got here, he could barely climb the steps to the ring,” the elder Roach has said of Jackson. “After 10 days of training, he wanted to race me.” Both men attribute boxing with offsetting some of the devastating effects of Parkinson’s disease.
“Through our charity ‘Fight Night’ we are able to support local boxing gyms with rock steady programs,” Punch4Parkinsons founder/president Ryan Roach explained, “as well as one-on-one and small group boxing lessons. We cover 100-percent of Parkinson’s fighters’ gym memberships. We now have more than 100 Parkinson’s fighters or Warriors, mostly in New England, but we do have some fighters in Florida and Texas.”
The annual cost per Warrior for boxing support is close to $5,000, which is a significant burden on individuals, many of whom are close to retirement, and it isn’t covered by insurance. P4P aligns Parkinson patients with a certified boxing training facility, and covers the cost associated with exercise.
Tickets, ranging from $250.00 to $99.00, are available for purchase by going online at www.punch4parkinsons.org, www.ticketmaster.com, or contacting one of the participating fighters.
Doors open at 3 pm. ET with the first match slated for 4:00 p.m. ET.
