(PRESS RELEASE) -- The gloves are on. In partnership with ICE and WorldGaming, Behind The Gloves will bring Midnight Mayhem Fight Night to ICE Barcelona on 19 January 2027, where 16 figures from across the global iGaming and sports betting industry will step into the ring with one shared mission: to raise €150,000 for charitable causes. The event is proudly affiliated with WBC Cares UK and will also feature a landmark showcase from the WBC Adaptive Boxing Program.
The fighters are in. The date is set. And the countdown to the industry’s most meaningful night has officially begun.
For almost all of the 16 fighters, this will be their first time stepping into the ring. Over the next five months, they will embark on a personal transformation programme designed to build discipline, confidence and resilience under expert coaching before answering the bell in Barcelona. Every fighter is matched with an opponent at a similar level and will be medically supervised throughout, because at Behind The Gloves, safety isn’t the absence of risk - it’s what makes risk possible.
This is entertainment with real stakes. Behind every bout is months of personal transformation, a story worth telling and a cause worth fighting for. It's a night built to inspire as much as it entertains, whether you've followed boxing all your life or are discovering it for the first time.
The target: €150,000 for causes that matter
Midnight Mayhem exists to create an impact, and that impact has a number: €150,000 raised for charitable causes chosen by the people in the ring and the partners behind them.
Personal, not corporate. Every fighter and Impact Partner nominates a charity that means something to them personally. Their story and their cause enter the ring together.
Transparent by design. Profits are distributed across multiple charitable causes, with allocations overseen by an independent Charity Advisory Board to ensure fairness, governance and maximum community benefit.
Impact that lasts. Behind The Gloves retains 20% of profits to keep expanding wellbeing initiatives, leadership programmes and charitable impact across the global gaming industry, so the final bell is a beginning, not an end.
And success will be measured by more than the amount raised. Midnight Mayhem's impact report will capture what changed as a result of the event, alongside the stories of the fighters, partners, attendees and charities involved.
A landmark first: WBC Adaptive Boxing at Midnight Mayhem
Fight Night will also feature a showcase from the WBC Adaptive Boxing Programme, a powerful statement that this ring belongs to everyone.
The Adaptive Boxing Programme removes barriers by giving people of all abilities access to safe, high-quality wheelchair-based boxing training, driving accessibility, inclusion and diversity in the sport. Its coaches are trained to an exceptional standard, with an in-depth understanding of the anatomical and social impacts of different disabilities and additional needs.
Programme sessions combine fitness and technique development with opportunities to connect with other adaptive athletes and compete in exhibition events. At ICE Barcelona, the showcase will bring the best of adaptive boxing to the industry’s biggest stage and demonstrate the inclusive community the programme is building, where everyone feels able to join the sport.
Built on values
Midnight Mayhem isn't a spectacle bolted onto a good cause. The event and the five months of preparation behind it are built around the values that underpin everything Behind The Gloves does: Courage, Community and Impact.
Powered by partnership
Behind The Gloves is proud to launch Fight Night in strategic partnership with ICE and WorldGaming, whose commitment to supporting innovation across the industry will help bring Midnight Mayhem to a global audience.
The event is proudly affiliated with WBC Cares UK, the charitable arm of the World Boxing Council, united by a shared belief that boxing has the power to transform lives far beyond the ropes, creating stronger individuals, stronger communities and meaningful social impact.
More than a fight night
At its heart, Midnight Mayhem is built on one simple belief:
“Ordinary people can achieve extraordinary things when they come together for a shared cause.”
Sixteen fighters are about to prove it. And on 19 January 2027, the whole industry is invited to be part of it.
Lee McFarland, Founder of Behind The Gloves, said: “Sixteen people from across our industry have said yes publicly, to a date that won’t move. Most have never laced a glove before. On 19 January, in front of the industry they work in, they’ll show what five months of commitment can do.
“But the number I care about most is €150,000 - what we’re setting out to raise together for the causes our fighters and partners carry into that ring. And with the WBC Adaptive Boxing showcase alongside them, this night belongs to everyone who was ever told the ring wasn’t for them.
“This isn’t a show. It’s proof. See you at midnight.”
Attend. Join the industry at ICE Barcelona on 19 January 2027. Tickets and event details are available via the website.
Partner. A limited number of Impact Partnerships remain for organisations ready to put their values into action.
Give. Back a fighter and their cause, and help the industry hit €150,000