Scout is very proud to be sponsoring the Aprons For Gloves Boxing Association, specifically their upcoming Restaurant Rumble. The 2012 boxing competition is pitting those working in DTES/Gastown’s service industry against one another to raise money for the East Side Boxing Club, which aims to carry on the decades of hard work of the recently shuttered Astoria Boxing Club. Everyone in the area’s trade is invited to sign up, and that means everyone, from barbers and bartenders to bakers and bussers. A couple dozen already have, including each of the four bruisers depicted above. Gosh, don’t Nigel from the Alibi Room and Hamish from Red Truck look nasty? Want to go toe to toe with them, an expeditor from L’Abattoir, or a cook from Boneta? Go for it! It’s all for a good cause, and even if you get beat down, you’ll likely end up a lot more fit than you were before. Tryouts are on April 14th, and the 12 week training period begins on April 16th. The boxing matches themselves take place in the Fei & Milton Wong Experimental Theatre, Goldcorp Centre for the Arts at Simon Fraser University (Woodwards) on Wednesday, July 25th, so be sure to book that day of probable comedy off long in advance. Some background…

Aprons for Gloves Boxing Association is a charity organization that was founded in 2012 by a group of individuals from various service industry professions, most of whom live and work in the Gastown/Downtown Eastside area.  A few of our founding members had begun boxing as a way to relieve stress and keep fit.  What they discovered, at the local downtown east-side Astoria Boxing Club, was far more powerful and special than just stress relief and physical fitness.

There were so many incredibly courageous young kids that relied on the mentorship of the coaches to guide them through life, even outside of the ring.  When it was brought to our attention that the gym was in danger of closing, we felt that we had to do something to help.  The gym has since been closed, leaving these kids (many of which are troubled youth) without a place to go that offers a positive environment and instills good moral values and work ethic.  It was with this in mind that the Restaurant Rumble fundraiser was born.

Get the full skinny here. Meet all those who’ve already signed on here. Follow @apronsforgloves here. All done? Now put up your dukes!