During Bar Week this month, the Bartender Boxing Organization comes to Sydney for the first time — and what a huge night it is set to be. After some three-odd months of regular training, of diet plans, and a whole load of ducking, weaving, stepping and sparring, these Sydney bartenders will take to the ring at Home and slug it out for charity.
Hear, hear, we say.
Two of the bartenders who will pull on the gloves are Joy Mou and Lucy McCann — below, get to know them a little better and understand just what the Bartender Boxing Organization’s training has done for them.
This is just one of the 38 great events lined up over five days of Sydney Bar Week, taking place between Saturday the 14th and Wednesday the 18th of September. It’s set to be the biggest Bar Week ever — get over to barweek.com.au and get your RSVPs and tickets sorted before they run out.
Take a look at the details for the Bartender Boxing event below.
What: Bartender Boxing
Date: Sunday, 15 September 2019
Time: 8:00pm to 11:00pm
Where: Home Nightclub
Tickets: $20 + booking fee — proceeds go to the Black Dog Institute $20 + booking fee — proceeds go to the Black Dog Institute — click here to get yours.
Joy Mou
Door Knock
How has competing in Bartender Boxing changed your daily routine and attitude towards your own health and wellness?
I am definitely getting up earlier! While I am still very much a night owl, but I’m enjoying finding more time for myself during the sunlight hours. I have a newfound appreciation for those who are so dedicated to finding that work/life/health balance.
You’re about to be involved in your first official boxing bout. Are you excited? Nervous?
I’m nervous and terrified! … In an adrenaline junkie kind of way.
What was the most fun part of training? What was the most difficult?
It’s been amazing seeing how everyone has improved and changed physically. The support and encouragement from everyone participating has definitely picked me up when I feel like I’ve fallen in a ditch.
As much as this experience has been extremely motivating, it definitely has also been just as challenging physically and mentally.
What should the people coming out to the Bartender Boxing event expect to see from you and your Sydney BBO Teammates?
Everyone is excited, we have all put a lot of sweat, tears and for some, blood into this. We will definitely show good sportsmanship, just don’t count on anyone holding back!
What aspects from the BBO program will you continue on with in life? Will you continue to train boxing?
I am definitely looking forward to slowing the training down and having a little more time for going to dinners and some cheeky drinks. But I will absolutely keep training (after I recover from Bar Week).
Lucy McCann
Duke of Clarence
How has the experience of competing in Bartender Boxing changed you as a person?
I have a whole heap more confidence in my ability to pick up and learn new skills. I’d been becoming a bit static in my hobbies and interests outside of work but being thrown headfirst into a boxing program has encouraged me to keep exploring keep learning.
What was the hardest part of training? What was the most fun?
The hardest part for me has been overcoming my mental blocks. I’ve never considered myself a sporty person. To be in a gym sweating it out at least three days a week has taken some serious mental coaching, telling myself I belong there and deserve to be there.
Any group work outs. Love when we’d get the chance to sweat it’s out as a team and have a laugh. Getting to know the other boxers has been fantastic, I’m new to Sydney, and through Bartender Boxing have made a network of hospo friends across the city.
How excited are you to be able to perform under the lights in the ring in front of all of your friends and family?
I am excited to show the public how much we’ve learnt. I’m proud to be an example of a hospitality worker loving a healthy, active and challenging lifestyle. Proving the stereotypes wrong.
What should people expect to see when they come out for the first ever Bartender Boxing event in Sydney in a few weeks?
There are going to be some seriously good fights on the night. We are a competitive and driven bunch, and everyone has given training their all. That’s going to show on fight night. There will be no holding back.
Will you continue boxing training after the program is complete?
I’ve enjoyed incorporating exercise into my daily life. I would love to continue developing my strength and technique in some boxing cardio classes. I’m unsure if I’ll continue with sparring, but it’s early days, 3 weeks to go, I could still be convinced.