By RODNEY HO/ rho@ajc.com, originally filed Friday, November 20, 2015
Scotty Kay and Bret Mega of the Power 96.1 morning show were going to mine their inner Rocky Balboa for a charity brawl this Wednesday and fight each other.
But during a practice sparring session earlier this month, Scotty Kay busted his nose and is out of the competition.
Mega will still compete but instead face off a new opponent: JB, a partner in GA Followers (www.gafollowers.com) who is raising funds for the Ludacris Foundation, which provides memorable experiences for youth. Ludacris might even show up. The event will feature 10 charity matches at the Grand Hyatt in Buckhead. (Details here.)
Mega is fighting for the New York-based non-profit group Autism Speaks.
Matt Thomas, the creator of Buckhead Brawl for a Cause, said he was inspired by an event a frat wanted to do at UGA which involved boxing matches. He decided to parlay that idea into a charity boxing event to benefit children with HIV in 2012. He pulled together sponsors and raised more than $6,000, not bad for his first effort.
"It changed my life in Athens," Thomas said. The 2013 UGA graduate held four more in Athens, raising $20,000-plus for 20 different charities.
This is his first effort in Buckhead and he said he will likely break $25,000 for charity with sponsorships and ticket sales.
He said he got involved with Mega by happenstance. He began following Mega only because he had a lot of Twitter followers. And when Mega challenged Scotty Kay's manliness, he cited Brawl for a Cause following him. Thomas took advantage of this and convinced the two morning hosts to take part. It was a smart way for Thomas to get free marketing through the radio station.
Credit: Rodney Ho
Credit: Rodney Ho
