WATCH: How these first-time boxers are preparing for big fight night

• Annual fundraising fight night returns
• Both physical and mental preparations important
• Fundraising dollars support two causes

After three months of grueling training, the brave volunteers who signed up to fight for the community are in the home stretch of their pugilistic journey.

Mad Katz Boxing once again challenged everyday Kelowna residents to become Three Round Heroes, to learn boxing, and step into the ring for charity.

The sold-out fight night gala is at the Rutland Centennial Hall on July 23. With only 10 days to go before the big night, there’s a different mentality at the gym.

“To be honest, I’m a little nervous actually, just kind of butterflies,” first time participant Colin Purcell told Kelowna10.

But luckily for the new boxer, he’s no stranger to pre-competition jitters.

“I raced motorcycles for a long time and every race was the same thing,” he said. “I always had butterflies. It just seemed to be a part of it and then once everything starts, it goes away.”

The trick, he added, is to not overthink it and keep busy. Purcell is one of 22 competitors who were matched against a similar sized opponent.

Purcell trains alongside his rival and they both have had to spar against each other already to ensure they’re a close match.

He joked, it allowed him to discover his opponent’s weaknesses. But once the fight is over, he said, it’s done and ‘they can go for beers after.’

Training was in full swing when Kelowna10 caught up with the boxing gym. The heroes moved through different skill testing drills or were sparring in the ring.

In a particular partner drill, one person would have their back to a wall while the other tossed a soccer ball at their head. This helps gain crucial reflexes for dodging punches thrown at their face.

The mastermind behind this program is Mad Katz’s owner and head coach, Geoff Lawrence. At the start of training the new recruits, his focus was on teaching fundamentals. Now it’s on polishing their skills and preparing them mentally.

“From the time you go to bed that night before, you don’t sleep. Your adrenaline’s jacked for like 24 or 48 hours,” Lawrence said. “So, the more prepared we can make them, the less mental anguish they go through, the better.”

Each competitor was tasked with fundraising $1,500 each. This year saw the largest single donation where one woman was awarded a $5,000 contribution to her tally.

The money will support two causes. One is Elevation Outdoors, which offers low-income youth the chance to participate in sports and recreation.

The other is an addiction recovery program run out of the gym. People in recovery houses are offered Mad Katz’s programming free of charge as a healthy outlet and aid along their journey.

“The growth of any city is going to have some black eyes,” Lawrence said. “[Kelowna] is a beautiful location and an unbelievable climate so we’re going to have a large population of homeless and addiction problems.

“So, when you see the city pitching in, even on a small scale like this, it makes you feel good about where you live.”