A Westborough police detective will trade in his gun and handcuffs for fast hands and quick feet when he boxes for charity next month
at the Worcester Palladium. Police Detective Jonathan Kallagher will match blows with Sean Murtha, a member of the Worcester Police Gang Unit, on Thursday, May 7. Proceeds from the event will benefit the Worcester Boys & Girls Club. Each bout consists of three, two-minute rounds, with about 15 fights in all. While Kallagher doesn’t yet know what time he’ll fight, the Palladium doors open at 6:30 p.m. with the first bout scheduled for 7. The Worcester Gang Unit started the city’s Police Gang Unit Boxing program in the spring 2001 to offer at-risk and inner city youth an opportunity to interact with police in a positive, safe and mutually respectful environment. In May 2003, the Gang Unit hosted its first Give Kids A Fightin’ Chance charity boxing event, raising $50,000 for equipment for the program and the Boys & Girls Club. Last year, the annual bouts raised more than $100,000. Organizers hope to top that mark this year. After seeing last year’s charity fights, Kallagher said he wanted to give it a try. He’s been training for the last two months, in addition to training for Monday’s Boston Marathon.
“I had no idea what I was getting myself into,” Kallagher said. “So I started going up there (to the Worcester Boys & Girls Club) three days a week, and I’ve been doing it ever since. I’ve realized that it’s a pretty big undertaking trying to train for the Marathon and for my first fight.”