A ‘white collar’ boxing event is being held in Bournemouth to raise money for a popular local sportsman who has been diagnosed with incurable Motor Neuron disease.
Matt Gay, 46, from Southampton, is a former schoolboy motorcyclist and amateur footballer, who later played cricket for Michelmersh and Timsbury, Twyford and BAT.
The boxing event in which executives are set against each other in the ring will be held at The Littledown Centre on March 22, a Sunday.
The white collar bouts will take place between other fights on the main card at ‘Warrior Fight Night’, tickets for which are still available.
All the fighters have volunteered to help with the fundraising efforts.
The BC Club – a group of businessmen which raises money for good causes – is behind the white collar boxing part of the evening dubbed ‘The Challenge’.
One of their members, Jamie Hughes, used to employ Matt at his Delicious Dining Group business, and said: “We want to raise money to buy things that will make life slightly easier for Matt in his day-to-day living.
“There are specialist devices that would be very helpful for him and there is more sophisticated equipment he’ll need over time.
“Matt has an aggressive form of the disease and there is no cure for it. It is very debilitating and means he can’t do things that others take for granted.
“Another one of our BC Club members, Paul Meyer, is fighting on the night and people have been extremely generous so far.”
John Orchard, who trains the white collar boxers at the Bulldog gym in Bournemouth, said a proportion of ticket sales will go towards Matt’s care.
Other fights on the bill involve various types of pugilism including Thai boxing and mixed martial arts.
Tickets cost £25 and are available from the Bulldog gym and there is also a Just Giving page where people can donate money online: www.justgiving.com/yimby/bcclub
Motor Neurone disease (MND) affects motor neurons, the cells that control voluntary muscle activity including speaking, walking, swallowing, and general movement of the body.
It is neurodegenerative in nature and causes increasing disability and, eventually, death.
