Irish Comedian & Sketch Artist Stevo Timothy will be a familiar face (and voice) in households all over Ireland.
Most known for playing his character "Farmer Michael", Stevo's sketches first came to prominence in 2016 when he famously "called out" UFC star Conor McGregor as Farmer Michael, from there on he has made so many notable and viral videos, and with over 390k YouTube Subscribers and 94 million views, it's clear to see his work us well loved.
Fans of the Galwegian will know Stevo suffers from a disability that causes him to shout encouragingly at a terrible, terrible Football Team.. Stevo is in fact an Everton fan... OK, pehaps I'll park the jokes there and leave that to the real Comedians!!
Joking aside, Stevo does however suffer from a legitimate disability, he has Incomplete Paraplegia from which he depends on the use of a wheelchair and crutches to get around. Not one to shy away from the elephant in the room though, Stevo has publicly spoken of his struggles in the past, but more so he has (and continues to) used his fame to spread awareness about wheelchair use and has raised some vital funds for the Irish Wheelchair Association along the way.
Love him or loathe him for his work, there's no denying that Stevo's heart is in the right place. Last year he managed to raise over €63k for the Irish Wheelchair Association by partaking in a Charity Cycle, which was absolutely fantastic on a personal level as it was a huge mental and physical challenge. It was also a chance for him to be able to use his public persona to raise funds for the charity.
This year Stevo got the crazy idea of hoping one further, and decided to challenge Olympic Boxer Paddy Barnes to do something that has never been done before. An Olympic Winner Vs a completely amateur wheelchair user. That's right Paddy accepted and is going to get into a wheelchair for a charity fight with Stevo!
For Paddy it'll be an opportunity to experience what it's like in a wheelchair, albeit if only for a short time. And Stevo says "it'll give me the opportunity to prove that wheelchair users can do anything they set their minds to, and to break the stereotype of the wheelchair user as helpless and deserving of pity."
Since the fight was booked, the event has gained massive attention and Stevo has managed to turn this Charity event into a Spectacular. So many people have supported the event so far and these wonderful gents with familiar faces have signed up to help the cause by agreeing to take part in the spectacular...
This 'Wheelchair Boxing in aid of The Irish Wheelchair Association' event will take place on September 11th, at the Clayton Hotel in Galway and will be streamed Worldwide on the night.
The following bouts are on the card..
And now a late Card Entry
With Special Guests Judge Ricky Hatton also there on the night.
Another star that was set to be on the bill was the one and only Conor McGregor, he was due to take on impressionist Al Foran in a 'McGregor as McGregor' match up, however as Conor suffered some fractured bones in his left leg during his last UFC bout, he can no longer take part as dates have already been set.
However, 'The Notorious' has stated that when he's fighting fit again and gets the all clear from his medical team, he'll get involved with Stevo and arrange something.. sound it looks like a 'Round 2' of this spectacular could be on the cards in the near future!
The only aim of the event is to raise as much funds as possible for the Irish Wheelchair Association, and so far there has been over €35k raised at the time of writing!
If you'd like to support the cause, please visit the GoFundMe Page for the event. And to keep up to date with news of the event, and how the fundraising is going, check out Stevo's Instagram
Kudos to Stevo and all the Guys involved in putting this together!
Slán go fóill,