The gloves are being laced up. The smells of sweat and canvas are in the air. The bell rings for the first round. It’s that time again. It’s Executive Fight Night. The 11th edition of this hugely successful fund-raising boxing night has been set for May 26 under the lights at the Grand Hyatt Tokyo, in Roppongi Hills.
The charity event is organized by Shine On! Kids, a non-profit organization founded in 2006 to support children with cancer and other serious illnesses. Executive Fight Night 2023 is taking place in collaboration with Club 360, Empire Entertainment, GPlus Media, jeweler Alok Rakyan, and other key sponsors, with all proceeds going directly to one of Shine On! Kids’ key initiatives, its Hospital Facility Dog Program.
The program pairs a dog that is specially trained to work in a children's hospital with a nurse as its handler. Together they visit one hospital every day as part of the medical team, helping the sickest children. Shine On! Kids placed the first full-time hospital facility dog team in Japan at Kanagawa Children's Hospital in 2010. Since then, six dogs trained to international service dog standards have been placed in children's hospitals. They each make 2,000 to 3,000 patient visits a year, helping children and their families to get through difficult treatments and encouraging them in their rehabilitation. There is currently a waiting list of five children's hospitals that want to launch this program, so the support of the men and women fighting this year—and the guests cheering them on—is critical to the ongoing success of this endeavor.
Twenty-three members of Japan’s business community gamely stepped forward in February to commence the grueling 12-week training regime needed to hone raw abilities into boxing skills, under the careful tuition of the trainers at Club 360 in Hiroo. On March 24, the final 18 male and female fighters were selected who will appear on the card at the Grand Hyatt.
An animated crowd of about 500 fight fans is expected on the night, and attendees enjoy a four-course dinner with wine and cocktails.
Tickets are already on sale with an early-bird discount of 10 percent available until April 7. VIP Ringside Tables seat 12 guests and include a number of appealing perks, while 10-seat High-Roller Ringside tables are also expected to be in demand. Single seats are also available.
A Highlight of Tokyo’s Social Scene
The event had to be suspended for three years during the coronavirus pandemic, but it’s now back as an unmissable date on Tokyo’s event calendar. Previous Fight Nights have raised well over ¥80 million to support Shine On! Kids’ activities.
That dedication has been recognized by the Japanese government, which in December presented Shine On! Kids with the Health Culture Award.
The fighters’ friends, family and supporters can support the charity campaign by pledging financial support. Each of the fighters is also assigned to a family with a child battling a serious illness. The boxers take time out from work and training to meet children between sessions of their treatments, with both sides encouraging the other.
And therein lies the beauty of this initiative: no matter the fighter you support, everyone wins—even if it does cost the odd black eye. The Las Vegas-style occasion also includes a raffle with fantastic prizes from Shine On! Kids’ generous corporate and individual supporters.
Recommended: 3 Unique Beauty Services in Tokyo and Setting Sail—Regent Seven Seas Cruises Offers the Opportunity to Travel in Unrivaled Style
Julian Ryall
