Student Fight Nights

[Zamboryff]

AIBU to want to end this student boxing to end

I am horrified that this unregulated, uninsured and money spinning activity is allowed to go on (in the guise of charity) and it is growing due to Instagram, Twitter, YouTube live etc.

Anyone can fight to some degree but unless you've been trained in boxing you can't have the sort of responses that keep you safe and this is where the risk lies.

Students and their parents (if they are told) believe this is a great thing to do and is 'safe' as it is being peddled for charity and as white collar boxing (which is entirely different)

They claim to be 'affiliated' to a few charities and 'give' to charity. This charity element serves as a sort of smoke screen to mask that there is actually something quiet violent or dangerous going on and in some way legitimises it.

There have been deaths, there are injuries and it is glorified by the 'event' runners. Of course it is... they are brainwashing and pimping these university kids (yes I know they are adults) and those who own the 'many companies at companies house' are selling over 1,000 tickets a time at £35-£95 a ticket. PLUS coach, plus food packages, plus drinks packages and then entry into local clubs also owned by their mates.

How it works --> you get access to a local gym for FREE. Then when you are there you get 'boxercise classes'. These morph over about a 4 month period into boxing/sparring lessons. All run by a coach for FREE! students are in awe and delighted at the attention, the FREE gym and FREE personal training.

Then they strike. Offering a FREE 7 week boxing course with a live fight at the end --> big arena, ring girls, referee, live streaming, black tie event for your friends, ring side tables at a premium and the other bit is it is being run in the guise of a charity but at the expense of dangerous fighting.

The 7 week course is ONE hour per week sparring and defence lessons, but the actual event is REAL fighting...real boxing. Pitting university colleges against each other, pitting university sports teams against each other.

Then they RINSE AND REPEAT at other university cities in the UK each time walking away with hundreds of thousands of pounds.

I can only liken this to a large supermarket claiming they gave 100,000 tons of food to charity last year when it is in fact the shoppers who are giving to charity. The students each have to raise minimum of £500 each to give to charity and to date I can't find any evidence of charitable giving. they claim last year to have raised £40K for charity but this appears to be students raising money (each fight has 30 students).

I do realise that all sport is dangerous but having 2 girls and 2 boys fighting against each other with swinging hooks and the referee wanting to keep it going for entertainment it is horrifying to watch.

The medical check at the end is a flashlight in your eyes as you leave the ring. The fight I saw last night the headgear and gloves were shared and many times the headgear game off upon impact.

I want to put a stop to this but don't even know where to begin..

The first rule of fight club is that you don’t talk about fight club.

@ChihuahuasREvil is that true? goodness that makes it even more sinister. Is this like ' the first rule of domestic violence is that you don't talk about it/report it' . said no person ever except the perpetrator.

I am shocked to hear that this may even be another 'rule' - simply horrifying that people are 'silenced' in this way.

No, it's a quote from the film fight club.

@ChihuahuasREvil yikes! I suspect this may even be a thing though.

Which universities were involved?
I would report to their vice chancellors and I would email their SUs what you have written here.

If they are purporting to be a charity, contact the charity commission.

Do the boxing governing bodies know about the set up?

If they're all still happy to carry on after the death of that poor lad last year, I can't see you being able to stop them tbh.

Do they wear head guards like all non professional boxers are required to under AIBA rules?

I think it's horrific. One of DS's school friends (at different uni) took part last year. Face did not look pretty afterwards. Thankfully DS thought he was utterly stupid.
https://studentfightnight.co.uk/faqs/

Pretty much all.of them and in particular all the RGs that MN parents love.

Yes they wear head guards and other safety gear @KimberleyClark

The training is more extensive than the OP seems to believe as are the checks.

Perhaps people shouldn't do trampolining? ride horses or go scuba diving either?

@Spirallingdownwards from their website.
FANCY YOURSELF A FIGHTER?WE’RE LOOKING TO SHOWCASE SOME REAAAAALLLLY GOOD FIGHTS. AND WE’RE MAKING SURE OF IT.
All fighters get an experience of a lifetime and FREE access to:

• 6-8 weeks of professional boxing drop in training sessions every week (Individual cities vary).
• Nutritional advice
• PERSONALISED branded boxing wear for the evening and personalised stash
• PERSONALISED walk in.
• Full edited and produced video of your entire fight to keep and share with your friends, family and to prove that you’re quite hard.
• Trophies for the winners of each fight + participation
• Free drinks package at the after party.
• Chance to be personally sponsored for the fight.
• Chance to see your name in lights and on the big screen.
• Chance to raise money for an incredible cause in The OddBalls Foundation.
• CHANCE TO BE CROWNED ONE OF THE STUDENT FIGHT NIGHT CHAMPIONS.

@KimberleyClark it is shared and not new. The fight I saw the head gear kept falling off and unclipping upon impact. All on YouTube to see.

@WhateverMate I think what I have discovered is that these boxers are promoting the fight to make it sound like the universities approve it. So the promotional material says... University of York student XXX or the fight took place with students from University of Nottingham.
For me, this is entirely different to any other boxing. You wouldn't scube dive without your PADI qualification and only a little swim in a pool.
You wouldn't get on a race horse or enter Burghley with only a few lessons or even as a competent rider.
The whole thing is unregulated. It isn't even promoted as boxing. It is promoted as 'fight night'.
One of the parents I spoke to at the uni who i found on Instagram was so embarrassed that she too had fallen for the marketing. Until she looked on companies house, called the charity to check affiliation and looked up the 'owner' of the company.

@Sameshawords yep... manipulated and played. Grooming and billy bullht at its finest.
The 'rinse and repeat' business owners are clever though. Glory and psychology of winning and beating the sports captain of X team etc.

Why not ban BUCS rugby as well when you're at it?

Not sure about this

Noticed a couple of fight nights - not students - advertised locally last year. Boxing gyms seem to be on the increase so I thought it was linked.

Why use the word "grooming" in particular?

Not a fan of boxing, wouldn't ban it, but I note you say it's very different.

Is it maybe helpful in that the same students would just be having fights in car parks and filming those? Some streets of London (at set times) have become places to avoid if you don't want to walk into one of those.

There's an entire TV show in the US with organised street fights isn't there? And a big audience?

Yes, I hate it all. That and Jerry Springer, Jeremy Kyle etc.

And?
They aren't allowed to fight until they have undertaken the full training.

You realise you can get your PADI qualification in just 4 days though?

My dd did this. The students were matched in terms of weight, they were not allowed to fight if the coaches thought they would not be able to defend themselves, they sparred with their opponents. She said she loved the training and although she lost her bout she felt very proud of herself. Boxing is certainly dangerous, but so are many other sports. She is an adult and made an informed choice.

@Sksjsndn27373 the aim other sports isn't to get a knock out and hit the head. They 'spar' in the gym for 6-8 hours with no head gear and just gloves - they are taught defence and then there they are thrust into the ring for a real fight. I watched many many hours (Instagram,. YouTube live etc.) of this over the last few weeks before posting and becoming concerned. I have followed one particular company for 9 months to see their business model.
I have no issue with boxing (professional, trained, ability to defend yourself) I really don't and all my ds and dd play high level contact sports and one of them attends a local boxing club.
This isn't about any of mine. This came about because of being asked to sponsor a friend's child. So I checked where my 'charity' money was going.
Interestingly, several professors and the press have picked up on this rinse and repeat 8 hour programme across many university cities in the UK.
Local boxing gyms have commented how dangerous it is and whilst my opinion is that it should be banned or even more controlled (with checks and balances in place) my views are based on fact and evidence finding.

@Zamboryff have you ever sparred yourself?

I spar. It's great fun! I wear the correct protective clothing (helmet, shin guards, foot guards, boxing gloves).

As long as the components are matched via their weight/height categories and are wearing CE marked protective clothing, then it's fine. It's a CHOICE. It sounds like they are given sufficient training and would not be allowed to fight if not capable.

I've had far more injuries from playing hockey at school than sparring. Other than a hit to the nose (my fault for dropping my guard) which made my eyes water and a few bruises, I've had no major injury.

You said:
"This isn't about any of mine. This came about because of being asked to sponsor a friend's child.

I have followed one particular company for 9 months to see their business model."

It sounds a bit of an obsession against something. Is there any more story to this? Do you know or perhaps have a grudge against one of the organisers who is making money from this?

I am far more surprised at students who will pay £35 to £95 for a ticket.

Then don't join in

@RatatouillePie I have no idea who is running this. I have no grudge. I am just curious based on what I have seen and wanted to seek other opinions and views.
I was just concerned and googled it and it revealed about the death last year and 2 unconscious students this last set of fights. It wasn't even on my radar until I was simply asked to sponsor for charity and was curious.
This is not sparring otherwise I wouldn't be on here asking views and finding out if this is how it is meant to be.
It is my understanding that when people spar with each other the boxers do not throw real punches that will hurt but it seems I am wrong and that you /others do this all the time at their clubs/classes.
In these real fights the boxers are throwing real punches and hurting their opponent. There is an arena filled with 1500-2000 students. ring girls, lights, full on walk outs and 'stage' names
This is full on dislocated collar bones, blood noses, ear bleeds, cracked ribs. Not all fighters but enough.

@WhateverMate oh yes I have my PADI. But it did involve a proper training provider who was qualified/ had liability insurance (I don't know if this is the case in the boxing either way) I did lots of theory before hand and I did 34 hours of training. 2 days in a pool and then 2 days in a lake in Leicester. I took out insurance and had medical cover for dangerous sports.
Also I wasn't being whacked on the head and punched for social media and ticket sales.

Not a fan of boxing, in fact I hate it. But my nephew is at Durham and was in a match last year. A black-tie, ticketed and sold-out event. He trained incredibly hard, loved every minute. It seems very tightly regulated, but I’d be horrified if he was my son.