Competitors pack a punch at annual charity boxing event

Boxing novices put their gloves on and stepped into the ring at the Villa Marina on Friday, September 11 for the latest edition of ‘Thriller in the Villa’.

The annual charity event combines amateur boxing with fundraising for causes across the Isle of Man, and saw 20 competitors take to the ring in 10 different fights.

Fights included ‘Hurricane’ Holly Sumner versus ‘The Fire’ Alex Faragher, 'Temu Tyson' Conner Thompson against 'Silverback' Joseph Waring and 'Fist of Hands' Tadhg Foley versus 'Captain Hook' Ricards Prizevs.

The charities that funds were raised for included Isle Listen, the RNLI, Hospice Isle of Man, Craig’s Heartstrong Foundation and Isle Stand Up to Suicide.

A spokesperson from Thriller in the Villa commented: ‘A massive thank you to absolutely everyone who helped make Thriller in the Villa 2026 happen.

‘There are so many people involved behind the scenes in putting a night like this together, and we are incredibly grateful to every single person who gave their time, help and support. It genuinely couldn’t happen without you.

‘But the biggest shout out has to go to our crazy, amazing volunteers who took on the ultimate challenge and stepped into that ring.

‘Months of training, nerves, excitement and hard work all came down to those few minutes under the lights, and every single one of you should be incredibly proud of what you achieved.

‘And somehow, after all that, most of you seemed to leave the ring absolutely loving it and already wanting to do it again. You really are crazy!

‘You put on an incredible show, raised money for some fantastic charities chosen by you, and gave everyone a night to remember.

‘To our volunteers, coaches, officials, medical team, security, sponsors, partners, helpers, supporters and everyone who came along and cheered them on, thank you.’