A professional boxing event featuring lesbian fighters was cancelled after the event’s producer failed to get the prize money together in time to meet an Ontario Athletics Commission deadline.
“It is with great disappointment that we announce that Fight for Pride has been cancelled due to lack of funding and strict commission regulations,” stated Fight for Pride producer Kody Giallonardo in a written statement.
“It is our sincere hope that despite this setback Fight for Pride will have a chance to fulfill its mandate of representing equality in professional sport in the not so distant future.”
Proceeds for the event, which had been scheduled to take place at Circa nightclub on Wed, Jun 25, would have gone to Pride Toronto and to the Toronto Newsgirls Boxing Club’s Shape Your Life project, a program to teach boxing to women who’ve experienced violence. (For more on the Newgirls check out Jocks With Heart.)
“Its cancellation is a huge disappointment in many ways, but Pride was in no way counting on proceeds from the event,” states Pride Toronto’s associate director Adrienne DeFrancesco by email.
“The event was a third-party event being organized by someone in the professional boxing community who brought the idea, all the connections and know-how and the money to it. Pride Toronto certainly provided support for the event via our promotions channels and we did make it part of our festival offerings for this year because we were keen to break new ground and diversify those offerings even further this year.
“Unfortunately the person in whom the producer had placed his trust to fund the event had to withdraw that funding as a result of a change in personal finances.”
Tickets can be returned to point of purchase for a full refund.
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