WINNIPEG…Get Ready to Rumble
By Kelly Gray
This September 19, United Boxing Club and M Builds will present the 11th installment of The Melee Gala at the Club Regent Entertainment Centre. This year’s card features a matchup between the Canadian and United States National Boxing Teams, with seven international bouts set.
Adding to the evening’s prestige, Brad Katona — United Boxing Club alumnus, former Canadian National Team member, and two-time champion of The Ultimate Fighter — will serve as colour commentator. Guests can expect an evening that blends elite sport with refined hospitality, local personalities, great food, live entertainers, and what the organizers describe as a Las Vegas prizefight atmosphere brought to the heart of the Prairies.
The Melee Gala combines local talent with some of the top international Olympic-style boxers in the world.
The main international competition will pit the Canadian National Boxing Team directly against the United States National Boxing Team across seven bouts — a marquee matchup that elevates the event well beyond a local club showcase.
To date, The Melee Gala has raised over $300,000 in support of charitable organizations including Alpha House, United Way, Children’s Variety, For Her Heart’s Sake, the Canadian Animal Blood Bank, the Manitoba Métis Heritage Fund, and many others. Each year, the event also helps shine a spotlight on the important work these organizations do throughout our community — and this year is no exception, with proceeds directed toward the competitive development of United Boxing Club’s athletes as the club marks its 20th anniversary.
Co-organizer and M Builds Partner Robert Ferraro got involved in the local boxing scene more than a decade ago when he sought out a new way to get in shape. He discovered United Boxing and met Ryan Savage, who had been putting on boxing events showcasing national teams for a few years. When Ferraro attended one of the early Melee Galas, he brought a perspective shaped by years of attending high-calibre industry events.
Where others saw a promising boxing night, he saw untapped potential. The food needed elevation, the presentation lacked polish, and the event’s marketing wasn’t reaching the audience it deserved. He approached Savage with a blunt but constructive assessment and a clear suggestion: attach a charitable cause, invest in the production quality, and treat it like the premier event it could be. Savage listened. That conversation became the foundation of a partnership that has since turned the Melee Gala into one of Winnipeg’s most anticipated evenings of the year.
“The Melee Gala has raised the profile of Olympic-style boxing in Manitoba and provides a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for local members of the community to compete on the same event as some of the best Olympic-style boxers on the planet,” says Co-organizer and United Boxing Principal Ryan Savage, a Winnipeg lawyer with Taylor McCaffrey LLP, a seven-time national boxing team member, and a 2025 inductee into the Canada Boxing Hall of Fame.
He reports that this year, in recognition of United Boxing Club’s 20th anniversary, the event will include three bouts featuring United Boxing Club’s competitive team members and seven international boxing matches.
Over the years, M Builds, United Boxing, and the incredible support of Manitoba’s construction industry and local business community have helped make The Melee Gala a success.
Their generosity and commitment have been instrumental in supporting charitable causes throughout Manitoba.
The event’s continued growth over eleven years would not have been possible without the loyal support of sponsors, donors, volunteers, attendees, and community partners who have embraced the vision of combining world-class boxing with meaningful community impact.
“We want to bring attention to the sport of boxing with this event, have a great time doing it, and raise money for worthwhile causes in the process,” says Savage.
M Builds is a full-service construction company that does it all, from design-build to general contracting and construction management. Their portfolio spans decades and sectors, with completed projects including the Millennium Library, Leatherdale Hall, Paterson Global Foods, Halo Towers, the McPhillips Street Station Parkade, and a range of residential, healthcare, and educational facilities across Manitoba and beyond.
Operating out of offices in Winnipeg, Edmonton, Thunder Bay, and Kelowna, the company has grown well beyond its Manitoba roots while maintaining the community-first values that drew Ferraro to the Melee Gala in the first place. Ferraro points out that assisting charities meshes with M Builds’ overarching corporate vision.
“We go beyond with our community-oriented approach to building. We are passionate about giving back and supporting the communities where we operate,” says Ferraro.
United Boxing Club is a not-for-profit community-based organization that has been a major force in local boxing for 20 years. From the outset in 2006, the idea has been to create a club that promotes athletics and develops leadership strengths.
Since its inception, United Boxing Club has produced numerous national champions while providing recreational, charitable, and executive programming to a broad cross-section of the community.
United operates on a pay-it-forward model that is woven into the club’s DNA. Many of the coaches who now give their time to the club’s members first walked through its doors looking for the same things their athletes seek today — fitness, structure, and a sense of belonging. As they trained and grew within the club, they became its leaders, eventually donating their time and expertise back to the next generation coming through. It’s a cycle of investment that doesn’t show up in a balance sheet but defines the club’s character as much as any championship it has produced.
“The Melee Gala was established and developed specifically to raise the profile of Olympic-style boxing and United Boxing Club, while at the same time generating support for our local community.”
This September 19, experience the best in boxing excitement, great food, outstanding entertainment, and a community event that has raised more than $300,000 for Manitoba charities.
Plan to attend The Melee Gala. Visit www.meleegala.com for more information.
