Victoria Pool Society (VPS), an organization that started as a small pool club within U of T’s Victoria College, is set to host Student Fight Night on March 20 at Queen Elizabeth Theatre. The event is the first of its kind in Canada, and will be sanctioned by Boxing Ontario — the province’s governing body for amateur boxing.

In an interview with The Varsity, VPS co-CEO Theo Sokol detailed the format, structure, and planning process behind VPS’s new venture, VPS Boxing.

What is VPS? 

VPS was formed in 2022 by Sokol and Magdalena Berton, two U of T students in Victoria College. The pair began organizing pool events at the Annex Billiards Club, eventually forming a social club that gave people “a space away from campus just to hang out with just other students.” Eventually, the group began branching out to promote nightlife events across Toronto. 

In 2023, VPS relaunched as an incorporated company, and has since continued to grow. They have held over 50 events with more than 20,000 total attendees, operating in four different cities, and staying cashflow positive. Yet, the team still remains true to its U of T roots, with the majority of its team members being current students at the university. 

Student Fight Night 

Like the idea for the Pool Society, Student Fight Night was also inspired by events in the UK, where Sokol is originally from. “It happens at every university [in the UK]… when I came to Canada, it shocked me that it did not exist here, and I really wanted to bring it over.” 

At VPS’s function, attendees can watch 17 fights between 34 fighters, all being students from a range of Ontario universities. The event will also have eight ring girls, student DJs and MCs, an on-site party, and access to food and drinks. 

Sokol explains that he has spent several years trying to find the right people to host a boxing event, eventually getting in contact with Ilias, the head coach at 161 Boxing Club. “I was really impressed by him… [I thought he was] someone who genuinely cared about the health and safety of the boxers he coached and trained, [and also] had the license to promote the fight legally.” 

Sokol also brings a background of working in professional and celebrity boxing, having spent two years working for Wasserman Boxing — a company which has worked with several big names in the British boxing scene. He also had a short stint at Misfits Boxing, which is run by internet personality KSI. 

Preparation and format

In terms of choosing the fighters, Sokol explains that VPS selected participants from a pool of roughly 200 applicants. The group aimed to have an equal number of men and women, and the brackets were formed based on weight categories to ensure even matchups. 

However, Sokol notes that entertainment was another major consideration in the pool selection process. “[The] boxing, by nature, is going to be of a really low quality. All the boxers are students who have never boxed before… they’re training [four times a week] for three months from scratch, and then they’ll fight each other in the ring.” Yet, he notes that the event will be “a fantastic spectacle,” taking place at a proper venue, with officials coming from the boxing body recognized by the Government of Ontario. 

“The training is going very well. We have fantastic coaches [who are] very charismatic, very capable. I’ve been really impressed by their focus on the fundamentals, especially teaching the boxers how to defend themselves, which is the most important thing.”

Long-term goals 

Sokol says that his ultimate goal with VPS is to foster a culture of better work-life balance within the U of T student body. “I want these events to become embedded into the culture of this university… I think it can give U of T a really special thing that no other university in Canada has.” 

Moreover, he hopes that Student Fight Night can grow the sport of boxing in Toronto. “There’s only three boxing gyms in the city as far as I know, and there’s only one boxing shop for a city of 10 million people… I think it’s pretty crazy how one of the biggest sports in the world is [so small here].” Tickets are available through the link in VPS’s Instagram (@vicpoolsociety).