Decked in a tuxedo, Andrew Menton jumped into the ring set up at Rodgers Recreation Center to welcome all to Fall Fury 5 on the afternoon of December 15th. The crowd was packed with members of the Behan clan, Gaudet brothers, former club kids, and Boys & Girls Clubs supporters. Menton described the event as a partnership with the Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County and invited its CEO Joe Pratt to the mike. Pratt thanked Salve Regina University for letting them use the facility and Newport Box Fit for hosting the evening. Proceeds from the event will make programs affordable for kids.
The Boys & Girls Clubs of Newport County is in the middle of a $15 million renovation campaign so that it can better accommodate its membership. Pratt pointed out Newport’s dichotomy: known for its wealth, the city also has a staggering amount of poor, with 15% of the population living below the poverty line and that number jumping to 45% on the northside of town. Many of the children who go to the Boys & Girls Clubs come from single-family homes (42%), and a larger number do not speak English as their primary language (35%). Pratt noted that this presents additional challenges for them, and the programs at the Boys & Girls Clubs enable kids to meet their full potential.
Event co-host Jesse Macrae declared the evening a great show for a great cause and told attendees that even though it was a charity match, the boxers were taking real punches. “It takes a lot of guts to get in the ring,” said Macrae. There were 11 bouts over the course of three hours featuring boxers from the local Box Fit studio like Colin “the Finch” Behan and Paul McBride, as well as those who traveled from out of state such as JJ Ortiz from Leoncello Boxing, Luke Postiglione from Bout Boxing, and Leo “the Long Islander” Berlingleri from Box N’ More. Locals lined up to see Chris Sarro and Eric Deckers face off in the final fight of the evening. It wasn’t a scored bout, so both came out winners.
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