Chicago will host the World Gay Boxing Championships (WGBC) next year.

On June 20, 2024, Strong Hands Gym, 3924 N. Broadway, is set to host the second annual championship, Block Club Chicago noted. The first took place in Sydney, Australia, this year. At the Chicago edition, about 20 LGBTQ+ boxers and allies will compete.

On Instagram, Strong Hands noted, "We will be hosting the Second World Gay Boxing Championships here in Chicago! All the way from Australia to America! Words can't describe how amazing it feels to be able to orchestrate something so powerful for our community!"

On the organization's website, WGBC CEO Martin Stark states, "I set up WGBC to show that LGBTQIA+ people and our allies belong in the ring and can be Olympic Champions and World Boxing Champions. We disrupt homophobia, transphobia and hatred through increasing LGBTQIA+ inclusion and participation. Boxing is for everyone!"

Stark will partner with Diego Cevallos-Garzon, the owner and founder of Strong Hands Gym and a member of Out Magazine's 2023 Out100.

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—Andrew Davis