Students are lining up to take a swing at each other, and it’s all for a good cause.

From 11:30 a.m. Saturday until midnight, the Georgia Theatre will host amateur and professional boxing matches as part of the Bulldawg Brawl.

The event’s primary goal is to raise $12,000 for UGA HEROs, which works to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS.

Each dollar of the goal represents one of the 12,000 children in Georgia affected by the disease.

Matt Thomas came up with the idea of the "Bulldawg Brawl," a boxing event taking place at the Georgia Theatre. SEAN TAYLOR/Staff

“We’re trying to get as many faces and facets of the University as possible,” said Matt Thomas, a junior pre-law student from Atlanta and event coordinator.

He said his vision for the event is that as many campus organizations as possible will be represented.

About 50 groups will participate in the event, including sororities and fraternities, Relay for Life, the Arch Society and campus ministries.

Thomas said he developed a passion for boxing after taking a class at the Ramsey Center a year and a half ago.

He used the idea of a boxing fundraiser from a similar event held by a University of Tennessee fraternity.

A plan to host the event through UGA HERO initially fell through due to budget and scheduling difficulties, but Thomas organized the event independently through sponsors, including the Omni gym and Aspen Heights, an upcoming East side student community.

Thomas also worked to make the match a USA Boxing sanctioned event.

The event will feature 40 boxers facing off in three experience brackets: inexperienced, competitive and Greek.

“We have everyone fighting ranging from people who have never put on gloves before and just want to represent their group and then we have people who are almost in double digits for amateur fights,” Thomas said.

Tickets can be ordered from the Georgia Theatre’s website on or before Friday for $15 or $20 after.

A wristband will give students the ability to come and go throughout the day as well as receive discounts for food and drinks in selected downtown restaurants.

Students who are members of a sorority will participate as “ring girls” for each match.

Performances in between matches will feature Kappa Delta’s winning dance from Greek Grind, the UGA Accidentals and the acapella group With Someone Else’s Money.

The main event of the evening will be a professional match between boxers Chris Jordan and Tony Foster.

Emcees for the event will include Aaron Murray and Student Government Association President Mallory Davis.