Ottawa Sun
Published: Wednesday, February 18, 2009

You can't beat this good cause

If you want to see me take a few shots to the head -- which should cover about half the city -- then show up on Saturday, March 7 at the Westin Hotel at the 2nd annual Fight for the Cure boxing gala. It's legal and for a great local charity as well -- the Ottawa Regional Cancer Foundation of which, yes, conflict conceded, I am the past chairman.

Last year I wrote that I would retire undefeated after beating CTV sports anchor Terry Marcotte at the inaugural Fight for the Cure. But retirement was overrated so this not-so-humble scribe is back for another dance in the squared circle.

The headgear, mouth guard, boots, trunks and 16-oz. gloves were pulled from the closet last September and it's been a ramp up in training, conditioning, technique and more than a few bruises ever since.

In 2008, Marcotte trained hard and put up a great effort for three rounds in our white- collar bout even though I was five years his junior and had five inches of reach on him to land my jabs and one-two combinations from the outside. But 2009 is different in so many ways. At 42, I'm now the senior citizen of the card and we have two white-collar bouts this year instead of one.

Randy Woods from Non-linear Creations is my opponent, while the other bout is a heavyweight tilt between Paul Power from Confluence Consulting and Mike Curran from the Ottawa Business Journal. And take it from the guy who has sparred with both of these 200-lb. plus boys (giving up 20 to 30 pounds each time), they hit hard and no amount of fancy footwork softens their blows.

Of course for the boxing enthusiasts or folks looking for a different way to spend a Saturday in March, the evening also features four top-flight, national level amateur bouts with 10-oz. gloves, an amazing sports celebrity auction, five-star meal and an A-list networking reception.

The atmosphere is electric and the Westin ballroom transforms itself into a Vegas-style fight night complete with entry videos, lit-up ring and "live" round number indication personnel. They are ... er, I mean ... it's ... a sight to behold.

So what compels four middle-aged guys to push their bodies to new fitness thresholds?

To start, each has a story to tell how cancer has affected their lives, their families and friends and/or their workplaces.As well, the rush of getting into the ring, learning proper technique and hitting your opponent (and being hit by sparring partners half your age) is addictive.

And of course the workout is amazing.

It's a cross between a Sunday long run, a hard day of weights and a "killer core" session with a personal trainer.

Credit for this event is due to the Whittaker brothers -- Matt and Scott -- from Final Round Boxing and their friends Eric Belanger and Rob Imbeault.

With three of them in their 20s and one guy in his 30s, they are proof that the future of our community looks bright when it comes to innovative fundraising events such as Fight for the Cure, which combines fun, sport, awareness and an important message. And in these tough economic times, local sponsors like the Heart and Crown and Team 1200 radio have come on board in a big way.

The training is tough.The bruises are real.But 20,000 people are fighting cancer in our community right now. And 15 new people receive a cancer diagnosis each day in our city. Fighting for the cure (www.fightforthecure.ca) is the least we can do.