By J.D. O’Gara

This month, on September 29th, the town of Franklin will once again send an amateur boxer to Haymakers for Hope Belles of the Brawl IX Boston 2022, a fundraising boxing match in which fighters can choose a charity to receive a portion of proceeds. “I actually had never boxed at all before I signed up for Haymakers,” says Franklin resident Colleen Manning, who attended the fundraiser last year in support of a co-worker. The event takes place at MGM Music Hall, 2 Lansdowne Street, Boston.

“We just went to support him; he was fighting. I just thought it was the coolest thing. The passion, energy, and of course all of the funds raised for such a good purpose was exhilarating. I loved that people could pick their own charity to support,” says Manning, who chose St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. Manning feels strongly about St. Jude’s mission, because she has a six-year-old daughter, Piper. “Everything is fine with her, but I always feel awful for families going through something like this. Maybe I can support those other families and help make life easier for them. I have been touched by so many amazing mothers and fathers who have fought through cancer to be there for their own families, and I can’t imagine a world where you have to think about losing a child to cancer.”

After she chose her charity, Manning found that her mother also had a close tie, having raised money for the same cause in the past. The 37-year-old also feels motivated to fight due to two good friends, Molly, and Kristina, who’ve battled cancer.

Manning, a sales director for Jobble, hasn’t had a lot of time to train, but the Dorchester native, who has also lived in South Boston and Holliston, admits thriving on the last-minute pressure.

“My husband (Kevin) definitely thought I was crazy. He thought I should train another year, but I thrive on the unknown excitement,” says Manning, who had intended to start training after attending the fight last fall, but just had been too busy by the time the spring signups came in May. Once she signed up, however, she did start training with coach Pat Cuerval of Medway. Later, she learned she had to be part of a USA-B certified gym, so she also began working with Upperkutz in Ashland.

“I never even took a boxing class before this May, so all this training is extremely new to me. It’s awesome. I love it!” says Manning, who is looking forward to the match with her 23-year-old opponent. “I have always been an athletic person and a competitive person. I played sports, mainly basketball, and I knew I would enjoy that competitive aspect of it. The exercise and workout of it is also good.” The amateur boxer began lifting weights and says she’s never sweated so much in cardio as she has training for this fight.

As part of her fundraising, Manning hosted a fundraiser at Bar Louie on August 18th, but those who want to support her mission can visit

https://haymakersforhope.org/event/boston/2022/belles-brawl-ix/colleen-manning\ or support her through Venmo at @Colleenhaymakers4hope.