Fall Brawl boxing event to host boxing legends in Palmyra
5 Stones Fight Club, a non-profit sports ministry, will host a night of amateur boxing matches in Palmyra featuring a list of ringside guests hailing from the world of combat sport. The event will be held at In the Net sports complex in Palmyra on Oct. 29.
The night before the fight, the gym will host a meet and greet dinner.
The idea for a faith-based fighting gym came about from Shane Manney’s longtime observations that many congregations weren’t welcoming to athletes and fighters and much of what a traditional church does wasn’t palatable to the average athlete.
“I grew up in the church, and I never really felt like I fit in, if that makes any sense,” Manney said. “I’d go to youth group and what not, and my peer group was different than what was at the youth group. And I thought well maybe it’s just my church, but the more I was looking around and seeing it the more I saw that it wasn’t that way.”
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Growing up playing sports, he didn’t see many athletes that were active in the church. He guessed that the sit down, be quiet and listen nature of the youth groups was incompatible with the rowdiness of the average high school athlete.
Manney built the gym in 2008 from his basement, and then into a garage, then a church, until they opened the roughly 10,000-square-foot building they occupy now, a little over a year ago.
The gym was created in an effort to welcome those who wouldn’t normally step foot in a church, where they train and pray, drawing in many from military backgrounds and those recovering from addiction.
Currently, professional and amateur fighters who train at the gym compete all around the country depending on their martial art of choice.
Competing and winning has contributed to the gym's legitimacy and allowed members to test their ability, said Manney.
That reputation has brought in more fighters, who often stay because of the supportive environment the gym has built, he said.
According to a Facebook post made by Alan Blyweiss, the boxing coach at 5 stones, Mickey Ward, Vincent Pettway, Tim Witherspoon, Michael Olajide, Marlin Starling, Riddick Bowe, Vinny Paz, Iran Barkley, “Sugar” Ray Seals, Terry Ray, Craig Houk, “Ice Man” John Scully and Travis Kauffman will still be attending the event.
The Fall Brawl will be held Saturday at In The Net sports complex located at 798 Airport Road, Palmyra.
Doors open at 3 p.m. and the fights begin at 4 p.m. There are currently 18 fights on the card, Manney said, but amateur matches are often cancelled the night before. He is predicting at least 15 fights.
Tickets for the event are available online at 5stonesfightclub.org and at the door on the day of the event. General admission tickets are $25, and VIP ringside tickets cost $65.
The fight club will also be hosting a meet and greet dinner at the gym located at 25 E Main St., Annville on Friday, Oct, 28. Food will be catered from Texas Roadhouse and Mission Barbeque. Doors open at 5 p.m. and dinner begins around 6 p.m.
Tickets for the meet and greet cost $100 per seat and can be purchased on 5stonesfightclub.org.
Manney said that they’re already planning an MMA event sometime in the spring but couldn’t say who they’ll have as guests.
Daniel Larlham Jr. is a reporter for the Lebanon Daily News. Reach him at DLarlham@LDNews.com or on Twitter @djlarlham
This article originally appeared on Lebanon Daily News: Former pro boxers to attend Palmyra event
