During the coming months, we’ll be highlighting our fighters in training for the upcoming Hope NYC in NYC on November 15th. They’ve committed to four months of fundraising and training in preparation to get in the ring and literally fight for a cure. Whether they've had first hand experience, their father has passed or their friend has put up a victory against the disease – they’ve all got a story to tell and they’ve all got a reason to fight. Below you’ll hear from Stew Paterson, fighting out of Gotham Gym in New York City.
Where are you from?
Halifax, Nova Scotia
Where did you go to college?
Acadia University & Dalhousie University
Did you play any sports growing up?
Hockey
What do you do for work?
Corporate Bond Sales
Why boxing? Did you ever picture yourself fighting?
Boxing began for me a couple years ago as a means to combat the monotony of running on a treadmill or doing weights, but the little improvements I noticed became addictive, and I moved on from boxing based cardio classes to hitting the bag solo. There was certainly never any pre-conceived notions of turning it into an amateur fight until I saw and heard about the experiences some of the folks at Gotham went through with Haymakers last year.
Why on earth did you sign up to fight?
I've been pretty committed over the past 4 or 5 years to raising funds for cancer based research through the Movember foundation, and I always believed it was important to find unique and captivating ways to ask for donations. Certainly walking around publicly with a red moustache had it's challenges, but I felt that the demands of signing up for Haymakers, both physically and mentally, were a natural progression to continuing the fight against cancer.
You’re stepping in the ring to literally fight for a cure – where are you drawing your inspiration from? How has cancer affected you?
As I've been reading these fighter profiles over the past number of weeks, it has proven a stark reminder the sheer breadth of cancers reach and how malevolent it truly is. So while I draw motivation from the commitment all of these fighters have made to fight for their friends and families, along with all those I know have been touched by cancer in some form, it is my father, who just last week found out his cancer has returned, whom I will be drawing my inspiration from.
What is going to be the most difficult thing to give up during your training?
Due to the 'clean shaven' rule of the NY State amateur boxing association, I'll probably miss growing out my moustache this Movember, but aside from that I'm just going to miss those times after a long days work when it used to be "ok" to duck out on a workout.
When you’re not throwing punches and training - what other hobbies/interests do you have?
I've recently gotten into scuba diving, so I have a couple trips in the next 6 months to expand on that hobby. Otherwise time well spent for me usually consists of a horizontal position on the couch and a good book.
Who do you think is the most excited to watch you get punched in the face come fight night?
Probably the boys coming down from Halifax. My girlfriend is surprisingly amped up for this too it seems...
Be sure to check out his fundraising page and wish him luck! Best of luck, Stew!