Wilder Fight Night is officially the biggest student-led fundraiser in Europe, raising £260,913.83

Dubbed by Wilder Events founder Sal Sinawi as “the genesis of Student Fight Night”, Durham has maintained a championing position not only as home to Wilder’s first ever Student Fight Night, but also becoming its most successful fundraising location to date, having raised a knockout £88,979 for The OddBalls Foundation. While Fight Night’s roots are in Durham, its rapid growth across the UK & Ireland has seen hundreds of students step into the fundraising ring, with Loughborough steadily closing the gap to second Durham’s total amount raised.

In the spirit of charity, Sal maintained that the long-standing sporting rivalry between the two universities is “all just a bit of healthy competition” (so long as there aren’t any BUCS gold medals involved). The most important thing about provoking such a competitive drive is that it helps to fuel even more fundraising initiatives.

But it’s not just the record-breaking statistics that make Fight Night so special. Despite the events exponential growth over the last two and a half years, there is no denying the sense of community being involved in such an event fosters. When asked what makes Fight Night as an event so successful, Sal replied: “there just really is a community feel, where experience is at the heart of it”. And it’s true. Participating in Round 7 of Durham Fight Night myself, I can’t help but feel that I have become a part of something so much bigger. From the relationships formed with the other fighters, coaches and the student executives behind the scenes at Wilder, to getting the opportunity to fundraise for such an important charity, it really is a once in a lifetime opportunity that I don’t think I’ll ever forget. Neither will my friends seeing as I bring it up every time I’ve had a few Woodgate’s…

With nearly 1,000 students directly involved in Fight Night this academic year, this fundraising community is only growing. From the fighters, ring girls and boys, and comperes, there is a real sense of pride in both individual and university wide contributions. When talking about the events biggest achievement, the ability to create such a student led and orientated community kept resurfacing. At the heart of it Sal acknowledges that “Fight Night is an event run by students, for students…it’s something as a leader I am proud to enable”.

The strength of the Wilder community really shone through following a devastating accident in January where former rugby union president and member of Wilder’s senior management team at Portsmouth University, Harry Magee, was left paralysed following a fall down the stairs. Campaigns to raise money for his family became the central focus of Portsmouth’s Fight Night with a figure just shy of £13,000 raised towards his care and treatment. “That was one of the proudest moments of Wilder. It made you think, wow, this really is something special and when somebody needs it we can club together as a community. There was this realisation that it is more impactful than people think”.

Looking towards the future, Wilder Events has some even bigger plans in store. From continuing to expand and support even more local partners alongside The OddBalls Foundation, to setting up new fundraising ventures to raise money for a leading women’s cancer charity. The specificities are “all under wraps for now”, but big things are expected.

Images via Wilder Fight Night

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• Here come the boys: Meet the lads putting it all on the line at Durham Fight Night
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• It’s back and it’s only getting wilder… meet the girls competing in Durham Fight Night this weekend