Founder Fights is a charity boxing event held annually in Boulder, Colorado. The event is structured to encourage non-profit support for community programs and confidence building for those new to the sweet science of boxing. Coming into its fourth year, Founder Fights is hoping for another sold-out event, with over $100k raised for charity.
Fighting for a Cause
The event encourages business people (founders) in the community to lace up their gloves for a cause they believe in. Each participant raises funds for a non-profit of their choice with the majority of gate proceeds going to a primary charity chosen by the Founder Fights Board of Directors.
Last year Founder Fights 3 raised $40k for Forward Steps, which is a program to help foster children transition into college and adulthood. $97k was raised by the competitors to support various non-profits.
The charity of choice for this year’s event is Off The Ropes, a 501(c)3 non-profit focused on improving lives through boxing with a primary emphasis on Parkinsons Disease and youth programs.
“Off the Ropes will empower members of our community to lead healthy lives through boxing, education, mentorship and programming,” says Off The Ropes Program Chair Andrea Schmidt. “We hope to grow Parkinsons and youth programs while also funding research efforts.”
Parkinson’s Disease, Boxing and CBD
Parkinsons is a neurological disease that affects an estimated 10 million people worldwide. Uncontrolled symptoms can significantly reduce the patient’s quality of life and can render a person unable to care for themselves.
Parkinson’s causes a loss in many of the same elements that boxers condition to improve. And published medical research has shown that forced, intense exercise can reduce, reverse and delay Parkinson’s symptoms. Boxers condition for optimal agility, speed, muscular endurance, accuracy, balance, hand-eye coordination, footwork, and overall strength to defend against and overcome opponents. No-contact, Parkinson’s specific boxing classes have shown to delay and reverse symptoms of Parkinson’s.
To complement the efforts of Off The Ropes, CBD company Receptra Naturals has partnered with Founder Fights as one of this year’s sponsors. Receptra Naturals CBD products are derived from organically grown hemp in Colorado. All Receptra products are developed in their in-house laboratory and third-party tested for transparency and consistency.
“Receptra is excited to be a part of the Founder Fights event. We see the potential for CBD to benefit people from all walks of life and like the event, we encourage an active healthy lifestyle,” says Receptra CEO, Jim Scott. “It is great to be a meaningful part of the programs this event supports, especially assistance for Parkinson’s patients via organized activities and research to improve quality of life, naturally.”
CBD has been patented by the U.S. government as an anti-inflammatory and neuroprotectant. There are currently a number of studies being done to discover and confirm the benefits of CBD oil for Parkinson’s patients.
Vital Community Support
Founder Fights 4 takes place on May 18th at the Boulder Theater in Boulder, Colorado with 15 bouts on the card. The event is sanctioned by USA Boxing.
If you would like to get involved here are several ways you can help:
- Partner with Founder Fights as an event sponsor
- Purchase a ticket to attend the event (VIP tables available)
- Donate to a competitor’s individual cause on Crowdrise
- Choose Off The Ropes as your Amazon Smiles charity of choice on Amazon.com
- Follow Founder Fights on social media and spread the word: https://www.facebook.com/FounderFights and @founderfights
