75 local professionals are trying out for the annual charity event to raise funds for McMaster Children’s Hospital, KidsAbility and Scotland’s Yard (Grand River Hospital Foundation).
WATERLOO, ON. November 7, 2024 – Mandy Bujold and Champions for Charity are excited to welcome over 75 local professionals to tryouts for the next round of the annual amateur boxing charity event. The tryouts for the event’s fight card are on November 14 and 16, 2024, at SydFIT Health Center (180 St Leger St., Kitchener).
Bujold is an 11-time Canadian National Champion boxer who fought on Team Canada at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio and the 2020 Olympics in Tokyo. She started Champions for Charity in 2018 to combine her passions for community and boxing in a premier boxing event.
“We have been overwhelmed by the interest in next year’s Brawl at Tapestry Hall,” said Bujold, founder of Champions for Charity. “It takes courage to step outside your comfort zone, but it’s inspiring to see so many willing to do just that to make a difference in our community.”
Entering its third year, the event puts two teams of ten fighters through an intense 15-week program to prepare for The Brawl at Tapestry Hall in Cambridge, ON, on Friday, April 4, 2025. This year’s potential fighters include a graphic designer, a realtor, a firefighter, a millwright apprentice, and a software engineer.
In 2019, Champions for Charity raised $160,000 for the McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation. The event returned in 2024 and raised $340,000 for McMaster Children’s Hospital Foundation and $20,000 on fight night for the Grand River Hospital Foundation and KidsAbility. With the support of the STOIDI group as a key partner, this year’s event is set to make an even greater impact, helping raise essential funds for children’s charities.
“These organizations do so much good in our community, and Champions for Charity wants to fight to help them do even more,” added Bujold. “This year, we hope to raise even more for our charity partners to support their critical missions of helping children and their families in this region.”
Each tryout includes a weigh-in, and an introductory boxing lesson led by champion boxer and SydFIT owner Syd Vanderpool and his coaching team. While Syd and his team guide participants through the boxing lesson, Champions for Charity scouts will help select the 20 fighters who will advance to train for their big night on April 4, 2025. Fighters are paired together based on a combination of sex, age, weight and experience as required by Boxing Ontario.
To learn more about the tryouts and The Brawl at Tapestry Hall, visit champsforcharity.ca.
