Poker Professionals To Fight In Charity Fundraiser for REG

Poker pros Brian Rast and Sorel Mizzi will fight in a boxing match on December 30 in a special fundraising event for Raising for Effective Giving, a Swiss-based charity organization, supported and managed by several top poker players.

Where?

Mizzi and Rast will be boxing for 4 two-minute rounds in Las Vegas at Syndicate MMA Gym. Regular tickets cost $20 and VIP tickets are $80, with all proceeds being directed to REG Charity. It’s essential to note that Rast and Mizzi will fight on a boxing right, not on the felt. The two poker players, some of the most successful ones in the poker world, will box in 4 for two-minute rounds in the evening of December 30.

Who?

Sorel Mizzi is a Canadian poker professional with live tournaments earnings of almost $11 million. Mizzi has a couple of in-the-money finishes in some of the world’s most prestigious tournaments. He topped the fields in a few of those.

Brian Rast is a US poker pro who currently resides in his own country. Rast’s live tournament winnings go up to a whopping $16.2 million. He has just finished first in the $500,000 Super High Roller Bowl winning $7.5 million. Rast boasts with two WSOP gold bracelets as well, and he won them in 2011. Rast has some nice figures, cashing in 53 events so far, winning a large number of those.

Why?

It’s essential to note that the charity match has not come from some kind of animosity between the two poker players. Even though taunting has started on social media with witty comments on both sides, Rast and Mizzi will be fighting for a great cause. Money generated from tickets sales will go to REG Charity. As featured on the organization’s official site, the charity strives to find effective ways to decrease suffering around the world with the help of science and rational decision-making. Poker pros Liv Boeree, Philipp Gruissem, and Igor Kurganov are members of REG’s Board.

Other Similar Fights

Pro poker players fighting each other with money on the line isn’t that uncommon. Two months ago, in October, Olivier Busquet and JC Alvarado agreed to a MMA fight in April. There will be $100,000 at stake, and Alvarado has some MMA experience.

Also, this past summer, David Sands and Doug Polk failed to negotiate a $500,000 fight due to a disagreement on the date of the battle. Sands wanted to fight right away, while Polk said he needed 6 months to train.

Other successful battles between poker professionals include Betrand Grospellier and Lex Veldhuis kick-boxing a few years ago. Veldguis won the fight. Theo Jorgensen and Gus Hansen boxed in 2009, with the first taking a 5-figure amount from Hansen.

We are looking forward to watching the boxing match between Mizzi and Rast. We are betting on Rast.