Crypto Fight Night brings blockchain to the boxing ring

Blockchain and combat sports aren’t an obvious pairing — but at Crypto Fight Night ONCHAIN®, they proved to be a knockout combination.

The high-energy event, held as part of Philippine Blockchain Week 2025, pulled in not just fight fans, but an audience of Web3 developers, founders, venture capitalists (VCs), and enthusiasts eager to experience a different kind of industry gathering.

Far from the typical drinks-and-deals networking scene, Crypto Fight Night fused the raw intensity of amateur boxing with the fast-paced energy of the blockchain community. The result? An unconventional but effective environment for building connections—and curiosity.

“I’m surprised because this is the first time that a crypto company held a boxing event,” said three-time world champion boxer John Riel Casimero, who was ringside to show support. “As a three-time world champion, I just want to show my support to the blockchain community and to all the athletes fighting here tonight.”

Claire Celdran exclusive interview with Crypto Fight Night’s special guests: former three-division world champion John Riel Casimero and the first Filipina MMA world champion Denice Zamboanga.

Hear their thoughts about the event coming soon on pic.twitter.com/2joeLLyyrj

— CoinGeek (@RealCoinGeek) June 10, 2025

Casimero wasn’t the only sports figure intrigued by the event’s potential. MMA fighter Denice Zamboanga sees the crossover as an opportunity to raise awareness for both industries.

“A lot of people don’t know much about combat sports, so this technology, this event, will help us to know more about the combat sports,” she said. “Also, from the side of the technology, we can also know more about the blockchain and technologies.”

For organizers, that intersection—between adrenaline-fueled spectacle and real-world conversations—was intentional.

“We want to create an event that is exciting for people to go to,” explained Jason Dominique, CEO of ONCHAIN®, the Web3 infrastructure company behind the event. “And then on the side of that, in between the fights, it’s an opportunity for people to connect, share experiences, and possibly do deals with people they didn’t think they could meet.”

According to Dominique, the goal is to evolve beyond the repetitive, transactional nature of typical blockchain conferences.

“Doing the fight night falls back into providing more than just networking opportunities,” he added. “It’s really trying to create entertainment and bring people together—more than just, you know, come for the drinks and the food, which I think can become quite redundant.”

While the punches may have been the headline act, the bigger story lies in how events like these reshape Web3 community building, turn casual spectators into curious stakeholders, and spark conversations that extend well beyond the ring.

If Crypto Fight Night ONCHAIN® is any indication, the future of Web3 gatherings may look less like boardrooms and more like boxing rings.

Watch | Philippine Blockchain Week 2025: Web3 innovation goes from hype to use case