‘Edge-of-your-seat’ Champions for Charity matchups announced!

By Jeff Hicks

Champions for Charity

The squared circle beckons Kitchener’s Greg McBride.

He will answer this charitable summons to the sweet science stage. He has no choice.

“It’s a big pipe dream of mine to step into the ring,” said the 38-year-old director of operations for a digital media company.

His wistful wish, at long last, is about to become his hand-wrapped reality.

McBride, who spent two dutiful decades in the Canadian armed forces, is officially enlisted as one of Mandy Bujold’s Champions for Charity now. He joins a platoon of 20 first-time fighters and local business professionals who will step between the ropes at The Tapestry Hall in Cambridge on April 12th.

Their goal for this black-tie, white-collar event with live entertainment and three-course dinner? To raise $175,000 for McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation with a let’s-get-ready-to-rumble, Viva Las Vegas flourish.

And to survive it all with Gloria Gaynor defiance — refusing to become the doe-eyed desert on their opponent’s fight-night menu.

Twenty fighters. 10 evenly-matched fights.

Eight women of clout. Twelve angry men. If not angry, they’d better at least be sneering.

Ten fighters will wear the red-banner trunks of coach Syd Vanderpool, a former champ and coach of two-time Olympian Bujold.

The other team will wear Blue with coach Kaitlyn Clark in a friendly team competition that is most charitable.

Already, the Blue team has raised $16,095 thanks in good part to the fundraising footwork of Mark Melo. The president of an Ayr construction company specializing in sewers and watermains drained about $9,000 for the cause in 24 hours. The Red Team raised $1,615 to start. The rivalry for charity is gaining strength.

“The event is shaping up to be a very exciting night,” said Bujold, whose first Champions for Charity raised $168,000 in 2019.

“We have some incredible matchups that will have you on the edge of your seat.”

Exactly. That’s why the last Champions for Charity sold out in 48 hours and you’d best not be tardy when tickets go on sale for this evening of uppercuts on Jan. 15.

The ring surely will not be empty when McBride steps into the Tapestry Hall spotlight.

Chris Mihas, a 46-year-old former drummer from the other end of the Twin Cities, will rise from the stool in the other corner. Mihas hopes to snare a victory.

McBride will attempt to turn the turntables on his disc jockey opponent.

A Kitchener digital media deity against a Waterloo vinyl-spinner and do-the-hustle hustler.

And that’s just one of 10 intriguing matchups.

Yes, 10. Only nine were planned until 60 wanna-be Champions-for-Charity showed up with snarl and sneakers for a pair of November tryouts. The coaches had a hard time making cuts.

“We had so many good matches that we added one more bout,” Bujold said.

So we are left with a staggering card of pugilistic drama for April 12.

A London cop with a Lady Liberty tattoo against a national marketing manager and mother of a one-year-old. A number-crunching financial planner takes on a surly chef. A branding bigwig against a jab-happy financial planner. A sports psychologist professor versus an insurance plan custodian. A local police detective works the boxing beat against an English-department head. On and on it goes.

Training starts January 8. Thirteen weeks worth of boxing boot camp arrives in the New Year.

McBride, with his military background, should feel right at home.

“Now, the work begins,” Vanderpool said.

“The excitement will fade and be replaced by determination and dedication. This is what they signed up for. It will all be worth it on fight night.”