Journalist and TV presenter Adam Leventhal hosted the evening with his usual boundless energy and enthusiasm, introducing a total of 11 fights – that’s an incredible 22 boxers fighting the good fight against each other and mitochondrial disease. Between them, they’d already raised over £10,000 before even stepping into the ring, an amazing effort all round.
But before a punch was thrown, The Lily Foundation’s CEO Liz reminded everyone why they were there – to find a cure for mitochondrial disease, to raise awareness of the disease, and to improve the lives of those affected. After thanking everyone involved in making the event happen, she shared some staggering statistics about what the charity has achieved in the last 15 years, before showing a short film featuring the story of brave mito warrior Bal and her experience of banking her voice.
Sky Sports commentator Andy Clarke and former super middleweight world champion George Groves were ringside to talk us through the action, while legendary referee Kenny Curtis was in charge inside the ring, starting the night with some sound advice for the fighters: “As long as they give it their all they’ll enjoy it, win or lose.” Wise words indeed.
There was an exceptional standard of fighting throughout the evening, and a huge thank you goes out to all our brave boxers for putting their bodies and beautiful faces on the line in the fight against mitochondrial disease.
Special thanks
A lot of people work incredibly hard and donate their time and expertise to make Lily Fight Night happen. We’d like to say a special thanks to:
- Barry O'Connell and team at State of Mind Fitness for coaching and ringside support
- The team at The Clapham Grand
- James Templeman for setting up our live stream
- Jason Warner at Fyrefly Studios for the photography
- Dr Matt Cherko and the paramedics at Ambulance Transfer Ltd
- Kenny Curtis for his expert refereeing (in spite of that draw!)
- Host Adam Leventhal
- Commentators Andy Clarke and George Groves
We know our fighters were calling out friends and family to get involved next year (you know who you are!), so if you were watching and found yourself wanting to get in the ring, now’s your chance! We’re already asking people to register their interest to take part next year, so if you fancy getting fit, having fun and taking a swing at mitochondrial disease, sign up now.