Live Amateur Boxing Returns to Roanoke: Return of the MAC IV Takes Over Berglund Center October 17
On October 17, the lights go down in Berglund Hall, the bell rings, and Roanoke gets something it has not had in far too long: a real night of live amateur boxing.
Return of the MAC IV is coming to the Berglund Center on Saturday, October 17, 2026. It is a USA Boxing sanctioned belt show, hosted by Champ's Gym and presented by the Melrose Athletic Club. Young fighters from our own community will step through the ropes and compete for the MAC belt, in front of their families, their coaches, and their city.
I have been around this sport and this community for a long time, and I will tell you plainly: this night is about much more than boxing.
A Fourth Chapter in a Roanoke Tradition
The Return of the MAC series has become our signature night. This is the fourth one. Fighters train for months for this. Families fill the seats. The energy in that building is something you have to feel in person.
And every single ticket sold does the same quiet work it has always done: it keeps the doors of Champ's Gym open for Roanoke youth. That is not a slogan. That is how a nonprofit boxing gym survives for more than five decades. When Earnest "Champ" Cabbler opened this gym in 1972, he had one belief: every young person deserves a fighting chance. More than fifty years later, those doors are still open because this community keeps showing up. If you want the full story of how we got here, read how Champ's Gym started and what kept it going for 50 years: https://www.melroseathleticclub.org/blog/story-of-champs-gym-roanoke-va
What I Have Watched Happen Over 50 Years
People ask me what a night like this really means for the kids on the card. Here is what I tell them.
I have watched shy kids walk into our gym and walk out six months later standing taller. I have watched grades come up, attitudes change, and parents tell me they got their kid back. None of that happens because a kid learned to throw a jab. It happens because for the first time in their life, somebody expected something from them and refused to lower the bar. That is what youth boxing actually does for a kid, and the sport is almost beside the point: https://www.melroseathleticclub.org/blog/what-youth-boxing-does-for-kids
On October 17, you will see the finished product of that work standing in the ring. When you cheer for these young fighters, you are telling every kid in that building that their effort matters and their city is watching.
Defeating Gun Violence, One Round at a Time
We print it on every poster because we live it every day: we are defeating gun violence one round at a time.
That work does not happen in a conference room. It happens on the gym floor, Monday through Friday, when a kid who could be anywhere chooses to be with us instead. Every kid on our floor is a kid with somewhere to be, someone to answer to, and something to work toward. That is how we fight gun violence in Roanoke, one young person at a time: https://www.melroseathleticclub.org/blog/melrose-athletic-club-gun-violence-prevention-roanoke
Your ticket is a direct investment in that work.
What to Know Before You Go
Here is everything you need for fight night:
Date: Saturday, October 17, 2026
Venue: Berglund Hall, Berglund Center, 710 Williamson Road NE, Roanoke VA
Weigh-in: 9:00 AM to 11:00 AM
Doors: 1:00 PM
Showtime: 2:00 PM
Tickets: Adults $30, ages 15 and under $15 (at-the-door pricing; Ticketmaster purchases include service fees)
Sanction: USA Boxing Sanction #26-12-928098
First Time at an Amateur Boxing Event?
Come early. Doors open at 1 PM, so give yourself time to find seats before the first bell at 2. Kids are welcome, and the 15-and-under ticket makes it an easy family outing. Expect a loud, proud crowd. That is what a MAC night sounds like.
Where Your Ticket Money Goes
Every dollar from this event goes back into the mission. It keeps the lights on at 915 9th Street NW. It keeps coaches on the floor. It keeps a safe, structured place open for Roanoke youth ages 8 and up, five nights a week.
Champ's Gym is a division of Melrose Athletic Club, Inc., a federally recognized 501(c)(3) nonprofit: https://www.melroseathleticclub.org/champs-gym. There is no corporate backing behind us. There is just this community, showing up, year after year, the way it has since 1972. The City of Roanoke even recognized us with an official proclamation for five decades of service. We did not ask for it. We earned it.
So here is my ask, and I will keep it simple: come to the fights on October 17. Bring your kids. Bring your neighbors. Fill Berglund Hall and show these young fighters what their city thinks of them.
If you have ever wondered what supporting Roanoke youth actually looks like, this is it. I will see you at ringside.
Get your tickets at the door or on Ticketmaster, and learn more about our youth programs at Champ's Gym: https://www.melroseathleticclub.org/champs-gym
