ST. LOUIS — The 34th annual St. Louis Metro Boxing Showdown charity event that was postponed to 2021 due to COVID-19 has now been canceled completely.
The Thanksgiving Eve tradition, also known as Budweiser Guns 'N Hoses, pits police officers and firefighters against each other in the boxing ring to raise money for The Backstoppers, an organization that supports the families of fallen and injured first responders.
Last year's event was scheduled for Nov. 25, but was called off due to a spike in local coronavirus cases. Organizers had hoped to reschedule it to February or March in hopes that the state of the pandemic would have improved by then.
“When we postponed the November event we had hoped by this time the COVID-19 outbreak would have been better contained,” said David Stokes, president of Grey Eagle Distributors, in a news release. “Although Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses is cancelled, we’re continuing to pursue our goal of raising money for The BackStoppers thanks to our generous sponsors.”
The organization said it plans to host a check presentation sometime this spring for The BackStoppers from funds raised leading up to the 2020 event.
Plans for the 35th annual Guns 'N Hoses event this November have not changed.
“Guns ‘N Hoses will be back November 24, 2021, and better than ever,” said Steve Holley, executive director of the Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association. “Our support of The BackStoppers and our first responders will never stop. The show must go on.”