Amateur boxing has gone to another level. Last August 10, the Black Tie, Black Eye Affair, the first white-collar boxing charity event in the Philippines was held in Makati Shangri-La Hotel. Twenty players fought to raise funds for the children of Virlanie Foundation, Inc.
The boxing event was made possible by Jamie Mordaunt, Managing Director of Meyado Philippines and Gianpietro Iseppi, who took the lead in organizing the event.
White-collar boxing is a form of boxing in which men and women in white-collar professions train to fight at special events. For most of them, this is their first official boxing match. These professionals trained and prepared for the match and gave the audience a great fight. Personalities like Chelsey “Lights Out” Singson, CJ “The Baker” Valenzuela, Mike “The Fighting Lion” Luff and Deborah “The Singapore Slinger” Ong are among the fighters who participated that night.
The event was attended by more than 450 paying spectators, including Filipino celebrities. All proceeds from this event will go to the empowerment and protection of Virlanie children.
All for Virlanie
Coach George Castro, a well-known celebrity boxing trainer introduced Virlanie and Jopay, his sponsored Virlanie kid. During the preparations for the event and while personally training the boxers, he visited Virlanie. During the visit, he shared his life story to Virlanie kids and conducted fun boxing session with them. There, he met Jopay, who taught him how to count in Tagalog. It was that moment that made him want to sponsor Jopay and advocate for children like her.
“Let’s give back to those in need while having the Ultimate Boxing Experience,” as he gave a speech on the fight night. He also encouraged everyone to sponsor children.
Brandon Vera, a famous mixed martial artist and actor, also attended the event. He said, “When I heard that it is for charity, I knew I had to go. It is good to give back the smiles for the children of Virlanie. All players for this night are superheroes. I will be looking forward to do this again and again.”
Virlanie Voices, Virlanie’s choir composed of children from poor communities and Residential Homes serenaded the guests. This has been a wonderful welcoming performance before the fight.
Dominique Lemay, the Founder of Virlanie Foundation expressed his sincere gratitude to the people behind the successful event. “You’re not just here for boxing, for food, but to give charity and giving back the smiles for the children. Thank you very much.”
