About Us
"We will Fight Anyone, Anywhere, Anytime…for a Good Cause.”
FDNY Bravest Boxing History:
The FDNY Bravest Boxing Team was established in1982 and is incorporated in NY State and recognized as a not for profit organization by the IRS. The Team has donated thousands of dollars to various charities over the years. We believe in raising funds for worthwhile charities through spirited competition.
It all started when Ms. Pat Bausbacker of the NY Telephone Company was putting together a fund raising event. She needed a star attraction and called FDNY Lieut. Manny Fernandez and asked if five firefighters would box five police officers for charity. Manny took it from there and the first ever, "Battle of The Badges" was born!
In the early days of our existence there would only be one big show a year vs. our brothers in blue, The NYPD Fighting Finest. The rivalry was very intense and became more popular with each passing year. Finally, it was moved to Madison Square Garden in1985 and 1986 where the two teams slugged it out in front of sell out crowds raising thousands of dollars for their respective widows and orphans funds.
The President of the Bravest Boxing Team is Bobby McGuire. He was the former team captain and retired from boxing in 1991, with a record of 42-8-2. He was the NYC Metro Champion as well as the first NYC Firefighter to ever win a gold medal in boxing in the 1987 World Police-Fire Games. The head trainer is Mike Reno from Engine Company 33 in Manhattan. He represented the FDNY in over 50 bouts and won a gold medal in the 2007 World Police-Fire Games.
The FDNY Team is now more active than ever. We compete in both the NYC Golden Gloves and the NYC Metro's and have had champions in both. We also compete in annual matches against teams from The London Metro Police Department, The Garda National Police Team from Ireland, The NY Athletic Club, The New England Law Enforcement Boxing Team and various other boxing clubs from around the world. We also compete in the World Police-Fire Games wherever they may be held.
Our Motto is:
"We'll fight anyone....anywhere....anytime....as long as it's for a good cause"
The Team is made up of members of the FDNY who train for these grueling matches strictly on their own time. We believe that raising money for worthy charities is well worth the hard work involved. We receive no financial assistance from the NYC Fire Department and support ourselves through sponsors and tee shirt sales. We have boxers of every skill level; some enter the squared circle for the first time, others for the first time in years, and a few who box on a regular basis. We will fight anyone for a good cause but will only make matches that are fair to both boxers in the ring. All our bouts are sanctioned by, and adhere to, the rules and regulations of USA Metro Boxing.