![\"haymakers-for-hope-1.jpg](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/haymakers-for-hope-1.jpg#.jpeg\")
<\/p>\nOn the iconic steps of the Philadelphia Museum of Art, where Rocky Balboa once ran into movie history, a different kind of fight is taking shape.<\/p>\n
Not for titles. Not for glory.<\/p>\n
But for something far more personal.<\/p>\n
On a windy Saturday morning, the sound of a trumpet playing the “Rocky” theme echoed through the air as everyday Philadelphians trained for something extraordinary: stepping into the boxing ring to take on cancer.<\/p>\n
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CBS News Philadelphia<\/p>\n
Through Haymakers for Hope<\/a>, these men and women are preparing for real, sanctioned amateur bouts all to raise money for cancer research, treatment and survivor support.<\/p>\n “These guys have been training since January, amateur fights but real fights nonetheless,” Harrison Ridall, head coach at Undercard Combat Athletics, said. “They’re sanctioned. They’re USA Boxing approved.”<\/p>\n Since its founding in 2011, Haymakers for Hope has empowered ordinary people to become fighters, turning personal battles into powerful fundraising efforts.<\/p>\n Ridall says the impact goes far beyond the ring.<\/p>\n “I build family, I build fighters and I build friends through this,” Ridall said, “and it actually gives me way more than I thought coaching ever would.”<\/p>\n For many of the fighters, the cause is deeply personal.<\/p>\n “One of my uncles is currently fighting prostate cancer right now,” fighter Susanna Walter said. “When I was in high school, one of my really close friends got diagnosed with cancer right before we graduated.”<\/p>\n CBS News Philadelphia<\/p>\n Kevin Okoli, a senior at the University of Pennsylvania School of Dental Medicine, has seen the effects of cancer firsthand in his field.<\/p>\n “Unfortunately, I’ve seen a lot of patients that have encountered oral cancer,” Okoli said. “It’s a very debilitating disease. A lot of times it’s misdiagnosed or diagnosed at a very late stage.”<\/p>\n The road to fight night is demanding months of training, mental discipline and physical sacrifice.<\/p>\n “You can see the amount of intention, time commitment,” Okoli said, “even the overall mental aspect of getting into a ring.”<\/p>\n All of that effort leads to one night under the lights: the fourth annual Liberty Bell Brawl<\/a>, happening April 15 at The Fillmore Philadelphia.\u00a0<\/p>\n “We’re challenging ourselves not just physically but also mentally to show up and do something new,” Walter said.<\/p>\n And in a city that knows a thing or two about fighting spirit, these boxers are stepping into the ring for something bigger than themselves.<\/p>\n Not just to win.<\/p>\n But to deliver a knockout blow to cancer.<\/p>\n \n More from CBS News\n <\/p>\n![\"Haymakers](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/haymakers-for-hope.jpg#.jpeg\")
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