Barcelona, August 1992
Oscar De La Hoya is 19 years old and one victory away from Olympic Gold. Across the ring stands Marco Rudolph, a German lightweight who defeated him at the World Amateur Championships less than a year earlier. De La Hoya carries the memory of that defeat into Barcelona. He also carries a promise.
His mother, Cecilia, died from breast cancer in October 1990. Before her death, he promised her he would become an Olympic champion. Now Rudolph stands between him and that promise.
The opening bell sounds, De La Hoya boxes with the speed, precision and aggression that will later make him one of the biggest attractions in professional boxing. The final score is 7–2. The teenager from East Los Angeles has delivered the victory he promised. Barcelona has witnessed the birth of ‘The Golden Boy’.
De La Hoya will win World Championships across six weight divisions, headline some of boxing’s richest contests and build a promotional business bearing the nickname earned through his Olympic success.
35 years later, another ring is being prepared in Barcelona
It will stand beneath the gilded balconies, painted ceilings and glowing chandelier of La Paloma, one of the city’s most remarkable entertainment venues.
The building was a foundry before being converted into a dance hall in 1903. Inspired by the Palace of Versailles, its interior is decorated with mirrors, garlands, gilded mouldings and coloured glass. At its centre hangs a carved chandelier formed from three crowns of overlapping arms. It illuminates a floor that has carried generations of dancers through the tango, mambo, bolero, conga, swing and cha-cha-cha.
On January 19th, 2027, the music will change as dancers make way for fighters.
Beneath the chandelier, the measured steps of the tango will give way to boxing’s own choreography of circling feet, turning shoulders and punches slipped by inches. Then the opening bell will ring beneath a ceiling designed for romance.
The 18 people walking towards the ring will not be Olympic athletes. They are executives, developers, entrepreneurs and commercial leaders from across the gambling industry. Most have never competed in boxing.
The magnitude of entering a boxing ring should never be underestimated. Crowds may watch from the safety of their seats, but few people will ever climb the steps, pass between the ropes and standalone beneath the lights. Those who do earn the respect of everyone in the room, regardless of what follows. The first victory comes before either fighter throws a punch: overcoming the fear, accepting the vulnerability and stepping into the ring.
Midnight Mayhem’s fighters are not pursuing medals, world titles or multimillion-dollar contracts. They have trained around businesses, international travel and family commitments to support charities, communities and causes with deeply personal meaning.
Nine industry bouts will follow an opening contest featuring two WBC adaptive boxers. More than 1,000 colleagues, clients, friends and family members are expected to fill La Paloma as Behind The Gloves targets more than €200,000 for 25 charitable causes.
La Paloma may provide romantic surroundings, but there will be nowhere to hide once the bell sounds. The dressing-room nerves, the ring walks and the physical exhaustion will all be real. So will the knowledge that another person has spent months preparing to meet them in the opposite corner.
Lee McFarland, Founder of Behind The Gloves, says: “Midnight Mayhem was never supposed to be just another industry party with a boxing ring in the middle of it.
“We want to create one of those nights people are still talking about years later, but underneath all of the theatre, entertainment and madness there has to be a purpose.”
Oscar De La Hoya entered a Barcelona ring carrying a promise made to his mother; Midnight Mayhem’s fighters will arrive carrying promises of their own.
Confidence, resilience and stronger relationships
Behind The Gloves began with boxing-inspired wellbeing sessions held alongside gaming industry conferences. The concept uses movement, coaching and shared physical challenges to help participants develop confidence, resilience and stronger relationships.
Midnight Mayhem is its most ambitious expression yet. Fighters must make a public commitment, complete months of preparation and share the personal reasons behind their decision to compete. Supporting companies are encouraged to become active partners in these journeys rather than simply placing logos around the venue.
Gamingtec has joined as Headline Impact Partner, with Inspired Entertainment and EveryMatrix also supporting the campaign. WorldGaming is the ICE Event Partner, while WBC Cares UK is managing the boxing programme. Betsson Group and ComeOn Group are among the operators that have purchased VIP tables.
Why they fight
Rosa Kolkka of EveryMatrix will open the industry card against WorldGaming and Clarion Events’ Becky Johnson-Kent. Kolkka describes herself as a 30-something office worker who has never considered herself particularly sporty. She had watched others accept boxing challenges but allowed fear and the belief that she was not a fighter to stand in her way.
Midnight Mayhem removed that escape route.
Frequent travel and extended periods living in hotels make consistent training difficult, but this is part of the challenge. Kolkka wants her journey to demonstrate that people can confront assumptions about their capabilities and attempt something that once appeared impossible. She will compete in support of Centrul FILIA.
Chris Anwyl’s motivation combines personal challenge, gratitude towards an industry in which he has worked for approximately 20 years, and an experience shared with his wife. The couple tried to have a child for almost five years and were close to giving up before conceiving naturally. Anwyl has spoken candidly about the emotional strain of that period and how poorly prepared he felt to manage it. He will support The Fertility Alliance when he faces Square in the Air’s Robin Hutchison.
Anwyl says: “I want to showcase the positive side of our industry coming together, putting on a good show and raising money for charity.”
Alex Pratt has completed long-distance running challenges, but boxing presents a different test. It is one-on-one, physically confrontational and offers no opportunity to disappear into a field of competitors. The WorldGaming executive has framed his preparation around a simple question: “What am I capable of?”
Pratt’s father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis more than a decade ago, giving his family direct experience of the condition. He will support the Multiple Sclerosis Society when he meets 1X2 Network’s Kevin Reid at light-heavyweight.
Wayne Fisher admits to pursuing McFarland for months to secure his place on the card. At 46, the Mad Badger Studio founder wants to prove that he is “not fossilising yet”, push beyond his limits and give his children something to cheer when he faces Framme’s Sam Vikstrom in the heavyweight division.
His greater motivation comes from losing friends who had faced struggles that were not always visible to those around them. Fisher is supporting Andy’s Man Club and its work to encourage men to speak openly about their mental health.
“If this can help at least one person, then I will be happy,” he says.
Training across borders
WBC Cares UK is coordinating preparation for fighters based across the UK, Malta, Spain, Switzerland, Finland and Gibraltar. Participants have begun training locally, with the first collective session taking place in London on September 5th. The programme must accommodate different starting levels while fitting around international events, business travel and family life.
The card includes three women’s contests and six men’s bouts across divisions ranging from lightweight to super-heavyweight. Fighters have been matched by size and experience, supported through structured preparation and medically supervised.
Employers, colleagues and families will also become part of the process. Their encouragement will become more valuable as the early excitement gives way to demanding sessions, fatigue and the knowledge that fight night is moving closer.
The opening adaptive boxing contest will place inclusion inside the principal programme. WBC Adaptive Boxing provides wheelchair-based coaching, fitness development and competitive opportunities for people with disabilities and additional needs.
Its presence reflects Behind The Gloves’ belief that boxing can provide community, confidence and purpose far beyond conventional competition.
A campaign built around causes
Midnight Mayhem will support 25 charities selected by fighters and Impact Partners. The wider campaign includes Support Our Paras, WBC Cares UK, CHIPS, Oliver’s Wish Foundation and the Cystic Fibrosis Trust.
Fighter-supported organisations include The Royal Marsden Cancer Charity, Parkinson’s UK, Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity, Help for Heroes, Pancreatic Cancer UK and the Alzheimer’s Society. Each selection is personal. The charity becomes part of the reason to train, share the experience publicly and continue when preparation becomes uncomfortable.
Lee McFarland says: “Our target is to generate more than €200,000 for charity, create meaningful awareness for 25 causes and show what can happen when this industry comes together to do good.”
The road through Lisbon
Before Barcelona, Behind The Gloves will introduce the campaign to SBC Summit Lisbon through a different form of competition. The Fight Card Collection transforms 25 people from across Midnight Mayhem into trading cards rated for power, speed, endurance, technique and ‘Mayhem Factor’.
Delegates will receive free packs during the Summit, but collecting more cards will not be enough to complete the set. Only 10 Lee McFarland cards and 10 Scott Welch cards have been produced.
Duplicates will become currency as attendees search for missing figures and negotiate trades across the exhibition floor. The first person to complete the collection and present it to Behind The Gloves will win a Midnight Mayhem VIP table valued at €6,500.
Supporters can also predict the results through the official Midnight Mayhem Pick’em. Entry includes a €5.00 contribution to the cause, with a free-entry route available. Participation is restricted to those aged 18 and over.
These campaigns will begin building interest long before the first bell in Barcelona. For the fighters, the task remains intensely personal: train, prepare and find the courage to walk towards the ring when their names are called.
La Paloma will provide the lights, the crowd and the theatre; the fighters will provide the story.
Tags: Behind The Gloves
