25th Annual Boxing Show to benefit The BackStoppers
About Guns 'N Hoses
Presenting the 2011 Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses check to The BackStoppers were, from left, David Stokes, President of title sponsor Grey Eagle Distributors; Jerry Clinton, Executive Director of the St. Louis Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association; Ron Battelle, Executive Director of The BackStoppers; and Dan Raniere, President of The BackStopper Board of Directors. The check brings the 25 year total raised to more than $3.6 million.
About Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses
Budweiser Guns 'N Hoses features three-round boxing matches between area Police Officers and Firefighters to raise money for The BackStoppers, the organization that provides immediate financial aid and long-term financial and other support to the families of Police Officers and Firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty.
Grey Eagle Distributors and Budweiser have been title sponsors of Guns ‘N Hoses since the event began in 1987. The first event only raised a few thousand dollars but from that low-key start, Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses has grown into one of the premier fund-raisers in the St. Louis area, drawing near-capacity crowds while raising more than $3.2 million for The BackStoppers. It is held in the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis on Thanksgiving Eve.
Jerry Clinton, the former owner of Grey Eagle, created the event and it was co-founded by Clinton and the late Myrl Taylor, the undisputed "Father" of amateur boxing in St. Louis.
Jerry Clinton 
Myrl Taylor
In Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses’ earliest years there were not enough boxers for separate police and firefighter teams and the event was known as the Budweiser Boxing Showdown and featured a team of Police Officers and Firefighters from St. Louis County against a similar team from St. Louis County.
Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses catapulted The BackStoppers from a relatively quite organization to a substantially increased membership and brought wide-spread community recognition.
When Clinton sold Grey Eagle Distributors, the St. Louis County wholesaler of Anheuser-Busch products, to David Stokes in 2005, Grey Eagle and Anheuser-Busch continued to be title sponsor of the event and continued use of the Budweiser name in that sponsorship. Stokes and Grey Eagle give generously to the event as well as many other area charities.
Prior to the first bout, the colors are presented, the national anthem is sung and those who have lost their lives while on duty during the past 12 months are recognized and honored during boxing’s “Ten Count.”
Typically, the event features 17 bouts, including a at least one female match, between a team of Police Officers versus a similar team of Firefighters. Boxers are recruited from the geographic area served by The Backstoppers in both Missouri and Illinois and matches are made based on age, weight and boxing ability. Areas covered are listed on The Backstoppers website.
The crowd is loud in support of their family members or co-workers who step into the ring. All boxers have helmets and other appropriate safety gear. They box a maximum of three two-minute bouts. Boxers are proud to represent their departments and action is brisk. There have been bloody noses, knockdowns and, on occasion, knockouts. Doctors are at ringside if medical attention is needed.
Volunteers from St. Louis’ large amateur boxing community donate their time and expertise as referees, judges, timekeepers and all the “behind the scenes” work necessary to produce the event.
Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses is organized and presented by the St. Louis Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association, a 501(c)(3) IRS designated non-profit charity. The organization’s sole purpose is to raise funds for The BackStoppers.
Budweiser Guns 'N Hoses features three-round boxing matches between area Police Officers and Firefighters to raise money for The BackStoppers, the organization that provides immediate financial aid and long-term financial and other support to the families of Police Officers and Firefighters who lose their lives in the line of duty.
Grey Eagle Distributors and Budweiser have been title sponsors of Guns ‘N Hoses since the event began in 1987. The first event only raised a few thousand dollars but from that low-key start, Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses has grown into one of the premier fund-raisers in the St. Louis area, drawing near-capacity crowds while raising more than $3.2 million for The BackStoppers. It is held in the Scottrade Center in downtown St. Louis on Thanksgiving Eve.
Jerry Clinton, the former owner of Grey Eagle, created the event and it was co-founded by Clinton and the late Myrl Taylor, the undisputed "Father" of amateur boxing in St. Louis.
Jerry Clinton
Myrl TaylorIn Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses’ earliest years there were not enough boxers for separate police and firefighter teams and the event was known as the Budweiser Boxing Showdown and featured a team of Police Officers and Firefighters from St. Louis County against a similar team from St. Louis County.
Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses catapulted The BackStoppers from a relatively quite organization to a substantially increased membership and brought wide-spread community recognition.
When Clinton sold Grey Eagle Distributors, the St. Louis County wholesaler of Anheuser-Busch products, to David Stokes in 2005, Grey Eagle and Anheuser-Busch continued to be title sponsor of the event and continued use of the Budweiser name in that sponsorship. Stokes and Grey Eagle give generously to the event as well as many other area charities.
Prior to the first bout, the colors are presented, the national anthem is sung and those who have lost their lives while on duty during the past 12 months are recognized and honored during boxing’s “Ten Count.”
Typically, the event features 17 bouts, including a at least one female match, between a team of Police Officers versus a similar team of Firefighters. Boxers are recruited from the geographic area served by The Backstoppers in both Missouri and Illinois and matches are made based on age, weight and boxing ability. Areas covered are listed on The Backstoppers website.
The crowd is loud in support of their family members or co-workers who step into the ring. All boxers have helmets and other appropriate safety gear. They box a maximum of three two-minute bouts. Boxers are proud to represent their departments and action is brisk. There have been bloody noses, knockdowns and, on occasion, knockouts. Doctors are at ringside if medical attention is needed.
Volunteers from St. Louis’ large amateur boxing community donate their time and expertise as referees, judges, timekeepers and all the “behind the scenes” work necessary to produce the event.
Budweiser Guns ‘N Hoses is organized and presented by the St. Louis Guns ‘N Hoses Boxing Association, a 501(c)(3) IRS designated non-profit charity. The organization’s sole purpose is to raise funds for The BackStoppers.
