For 10 rounds, participants delivered blow after blow in the boxing ring with a central goal: beating pancreatic cancer.
On Saturday, Aug. 2, BOUT Boxing, a family-run fitness gym that opened in Roslyn in 2018, held its annual boxing charity event in order to raise funds for a charity. More than 400 people attended the fundraiser to watch 20 participants box in a ring, with proceeds going towards this year’s charity of choice, the LustGarten Foundation, which is regarded as the largest private funder of private pancreatic cancer research in the world.
The event consisted of 10 rounds of boxing with two participants each, with a panel of judges and medical staff on standby. According to Hayley Kucich, a part-owner of the gym, they are estimating that the fundraiser garnered $15-20,000 for the foundation located in Uniondale, with the funds going toward research for a potential cure of the deadly disease.
“We’re hoping this money can help with their funding the research,” said Kucich. “I know they do walks and events throughout the year that require money to put on.”
This year’s fundraiser, which ran from 4:30 p.m.to 7:30 p.m., was hosted by the Sid Jacobson JCC in Roslyn in their recreational facility. This is the first time the Jewish organization has hosted the event after BOUT was urged to reach out to them via shared clients as well as JCC’s ability to host a larger group of attendees. Kucich said they hope to work with them again in the future.
BOUT, which has opened up locations in Long Island City and Charleston City in South Carolina, first came into being in 2018 under siblings Alek and Nell Kucich. This year’s charity event is the fourth. Haley, the sister of Alec and Kucich, said that over the four years, the event has grown in size with this year the largest in scale and likely the most in net funds raised.
Past years’ fundraisers went towards different charities that are relevant to their “belt community,” generating funds toward diabetes, drunk driving, and veteran causes. This year’s choice of foundation came after a client who was dedicated to the gym died from pancreatic cancer.
Aside from raising funds for charity, the event acts as a way of bringing the BOUT community together with attendees, largely consisting of members with their friends and families. Participants who boxed were also able to showcase the skills they’ve learned during their time attending the gym, with skills ranging from beginner to experienced. This year attendees enjoyed Chinese food, which was catered by Hunan Taste, a Greenvale Chinese restaurant.
“It was much smaller in the beginning,” said Kucich. “We’ve evolved by getting more people to come to the events [and] we’ve been able to raise more money each year. It’s definitely become a more talked-about event in the communities where our studios are.”
The BOUT locations offer group and private classes on general fitness and boxing for all ages as well as skill levels throughout the year. The gym organization plans to once again bring back the boxing fundraiser next year. The next charity of choice is yet to be picked.
