Fight To End Cancer is putting out the call for its next team of charity boxers, inviting Torontonians to step outside their comfort zones and into the ring in support of cancer research.

Tryouts for the FTEC2027 Fight Team will take place Saturday, September 26, from 12:30 to 2 p.m. at Kingsway Boxing Club in Toronto. No previous boxing experience is necessary for those hoping to join the charity gala team. In fact, applicants for the gala team must not have previously competed in boxing or another martial art.

Those selected will spend the months ahead learning to box while taking on an equally important challenge outside the ring: raising funds and awareness for cancer research.

Fight To End Cancer has grown from an annual charity boxing gala into a year-round fundraising movement supporting the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation. Its initiatives have raised nearly $4 million for cancer research to date.

The 2027 fighters will follow in the footsteps of dozens of men and women who have taken on the challenge over the years, many entering a boxing gym for the first time before eventually competing in sanctioned bouts.

Becoming an FTEC fighter is a significant commitment. The organization says hundreds of people apply, with just 10 ultimately selected for the gala fight team. Fighters train together through Kingsway Boxing Club while building individual fundraising campaigns, promoting the cause through their personal and professional networks and preparing for their night in the ring.

Gala fighters are expected to work toward fundraising pledges of $10,000 to $20,000 in support of the Princess Margaret Cancer Foundation.

The September 26 tryout will give prospective fighters their first taste of what lies ahead. Participants will take part in an introduction and warm-up, a Boxing 101 workshop featuring practical training and partnered drills, and an orientation outlining the responsibilities and expectations that come with joining the team.

There will also be an opportunity for applicants to speak with Fight To End Cancer alumni and coaches and ask questions about the months-long journey.

Registered applicants can attend the tryout at no cost and are asked to bring comfortable training clothes, a towel and a water bottle. Anyone interested in participating must complete the FTEC Fighter Application before attending.

For those ultimately chosen, the journey will lead to the Fight To End Cancer Charity Gala on May 29, 2027, at The Old Mill Toronto.

After months of training, conditioning, sparring, fundraising and advocacy, the fighters will enter the ring for Boxing Ontario-sanctioned bouts in front of gala guests, supporters, friends and family.

For many participants, however, the person standing across the ring isn’t the real opponent. Each fighter enters the program with their own reasons for taking part and a shared goal of supporting cancer research.

Toronto Guardian has followed and supported Fight To End Cancer and its fighters for over a decade, sharing the stories of participants who have taken on the physical and fundraising challenge.

Now, FTEC is looking for the next group.

Those who have ever wondered whether they could learn to box, push themselves through months of training and turn that challenge into something that helps others have an opportunity to find out.

FTEC2027 Charity Boxer Tryouts

Date: Saturday, September 26, 2026
Time: 12:30 p.m. to 2 p.m.
Location: Kingsway Boxing Club, 265 Norseman Street, Toronto
Cost: Free for registered applicants
What to bring: Water bottle, towel and comfortable training attire

Applications must be completed in advance HERE.