MBA boxers raise money for Boys & Girls Clubs

"Philly Fight Night," an amateur boxing competition in February pitting Wharton MBA students against other Penn graduate students, raised $55,000 for the Boys & Girls Clubs of Philadelphia this year.

Al Mollica, chief development officer of the Boys & Girls Clubs, said the clubs serve over 15,000 kids throughout the city, and "Philly Fight Night" is "one of the biggest sources of fundraising income that the organization has over the year" to support its programs - which include education and career development, health and life skills, athletics and recreation and arts and culture.

Every year, two second-year Wharton MBA students take the lead in organizing the event, securing sponsors, recruiting boxers and selling tickets.

The event, now in its fifth year, is held at the Legendary Blue Horizon - which, according to this year's leaders John Buchanan and Lou Marchetti, is one of the most renowned venues in boxing history. "It's just an incredible place," Buchanan said.

Tickets, which went for $35 for general admission and $50 for a VIP seat, sold out all 1,250 seats within a day, Buchanan said. He estimated that the crowd at the Blue Horizon was about 85 percent students.

"Everybody loves going to the event," Marchetti added. "It's a pretty electric environment."

The event consisted of six fights, all of which had an MBA student on one side. Traditionally, Buchanan explained, the other boxer would be a student from the Law School, but since Wharton's MBA population is almost double the population of Penn Law, the numbers don't always work out.

This year, for example, featured boxers from the School of Engineering and Applied Science and the Graduate School of Education.

Wharton trailed in matches 2 to 3 going into the last fight, but the score ended up even at three matches apiece.

Prospective fighters are drawn from graduate boxing clubs and must spend some time working with a professional trainer to get ready for Fight Night. Most of the fighters have some experience boxing, although "some are complete novices," Marchetti said.

Fighters are matched based on ability and weight class.

"That's very important to us - we don't want anybody to get hurt," Buchanan said.

In addition to the actual Fight Night, some of the fighters went to one of the Boys & Girls Clubs to give a presentation about getting in physical shape, as well as showing them some boxing basics.

"Our kids loved it," Mollica said.

He added that students like to get involved with the event. "You don't just turn over a check," he said. "You can see the faces of the kids that the money is supporting."

Please note All comments are eligible for publication in The Daily Pennsylvanian.