Hosted by Park City’s RISE Boxing, the event serves as both a community celebration and a fundraiser — supporting scholarships and programs for boxers living with Parkinson’s disease.
RISE founder MG Vellinga says the event highlights the therapeutic benefits of boxing, particularly for those living with Parkinson’s.
“There's a lot of modalities that people with Parkinson's are using to slow the progression of the disease, and boxing is one of those,” Vellinga said. “Dancing, any sort of cross lateral movement, but truly just exercise and releasing more dopamine through exercise. We've been offering those programs for about three years. We found that the community element is just as valuable to the people with Parkinson's as the exercise side of it, and this is a way for us to help kind of showcase what they're doing and give them a platform to show their growth.”
The doors open at 5 p.m. on Saturday, with a special demonstration by RISE’s Parkinson’s boxers beginning at 5:30 p.m. The amateur matches will follow, featuring fighters from both local and regional gyms.
Among the competitors is Neve Stein, who discovered boxing four years ago.
“I would just pass RISE all the time on my way to school, and I was like, that would be kind of cool,” Stein said. “And I tried it, and I just fell in love, like, instantly fell in love. And now I work there. If that says anything about the community at RISE, everyone just brings you in. You feel so welcome. And it's really, they become my family, my second family.”
Boxers will be matched by weight, age, and experience level. Bouts are judged by three ringside officials using the standard 10-point scoring system per round. After three rounds, the fighter with the highest score is declared the winner.
Tickets are $20 for adults and $15 for kids ages 6 to 15. Children under 5 are free. The link to purchase tickets is here. The Corner Store is at the base of Park City Mountain Village.
