Danny Thomas does just about everything at Monterey Cafe on North Washington Street in downtown Spokane — bartending, bouncing, serving pizza, hosting karaoke. But mostly, he watches the crowd. He watches how it moves, how it sways, who's vulnerable, who's problematic and who's about to pass out. At his bar, safety is priority No. 1. Though he's a big dude who could demand respect if necessary, he prefers de-escalating with a soft pat on the shoulder and gentle, "Hey, partner," instead of throwing his weight around.
Thomas is also a trained boxer and assistant head coach at Lilac City Boxing Club, a nonprofit amateur boxing club that he and longtime local coach Ray Kerwick started in August 2022. As a coach, Thomas is also responsible for watching his boxers — how they sway, how their knees knock, where their eyes go — to make sure everyone stays safe. He says it's much easier to control kids throwing punches at each other in boxing class than it is to control adult karaoke-ers at the bar.
It's these two things —Monterey and training boxers — Thomas loves most. So it makes sense he's organizing Spokane's first-ever Bartenders Brawl, where food industry workers with any amount of experience are invited to participate, as long as they train for at least six weeks before the match.
On Thursday, Dec. 21, the Brawl takes over the Knitting Factory, a downtown concert hall that hasn't hosted an amateur boxing exhibition for over a decade. It's a USA Boxing-approved match-style event, meaning each competitor is matched with one opponent at equal weight and experience. As many as eight bartenders and cooks from the surrounding area may get in the ring, some with multiple fights under their belt, some with no competitive experience at all. Other matches feature fighters from local boxing clubs. All proceeds go to Lilac City Boxing and its efforts to rebuild Spokane's amateur boxing scene. While this niche realm has faded in recent years, it could bounce back thanks to creative crossover events like this, and newfound female talent.
Kate Garrett shadowboxes the mirror at Lilac City Boxing Club on South Sherman Street. She's completely decked out in pink — pink sports bra, pink spandex, pink scrunchie and socks, plus a pink Adidas gym bag in the corner with a pink Gatorade bottle inside. Even her Jeep parked outside is pink, with her nickname "Sassy Broad" across the spare tire cover. She locks eyes with her reflection, slowly extending her arm, twisting her wrist and swiveling her back foot. Then she does it again, but this time with explosive power and sharp, cutting speed.
Garrett is a bartender at Whiskey Glasses in Chattaroy and D-Mac's at the Lake in Hauser, Idaho. She grew up playing sports, especially gymnastics and softball, but as an adult with two jobs and four kids she didn't have much extra time for working out. And yet, as responsibilities piled up, Garrett realized how much she needed a physical outlet.
"I struggled with anxiety and depression," she says. "I needed a sport, I needed activity. So when [a DJ at Whiskey Glasses] brought up doing this boxing event, I was like, 'Heck, yeah!'"
The owner of D-Mac's recommended Garrett train with Ryan Jeffries, a good-natured truck driver and Hauser local who left coaching a few years ago but might be convinced to take a novice on again. Jeffries agreed, but he also put Garrett in touch with Kerwick, Lilac City Boxing's head coach, so Garrett could learn as much as possible in six weeks from not one but two personal trainers.
Garrett signed up for the Brawl and got to work. In class, she's often the only woman, training with a lot of teenage boys. The tiny blonde in her 30s won them over with competitive athleticism, motherly encouragement and a complete lack of fear. When one 10-year-old boy told her he was concerned about sparring because he wasn't allowed to hit girls, Garrett promptly responded that in the ring, she wasn't a girl, she was a boxer.
"Being a bartender, you have to have a certain personality," she says. "I have a spicy personality. I have a sassy personality. So this is fun for me."
Three weeks before the fight, Garrett has upped her boxing lessons to four times a week, plus cardio.
"Kate has been a shining example of what a fighter should be," says Thomas, who's been watching her evolution from the other side of the gym. "She came in, she got registered, she got a physical done. She listens. She doesn't argue. You can't cheat the process. If I had 10 Kates, I'd have a stress-free experience doing this event."
Garrett's biggest concern going into the Brawl is finding a suitable opponent. Amateur boxing is a fading sport in Spokane, especially as other contact sports like mixed martial arts and Muay Thai compete for participants. Thomas' event is a way to bring new eyes and fresh enthusiasm to the local boxing scene. For Garrett, it's been a healthy addition to her life that she'd recommend to anyone, especially other women.
"When I go to bartend and it's busy, it blocks out everything that's bothering me in life. But when it's slow, I'm thinking," she says. "So this is a way to have an outlet. It doesn't matter if you've never done it before, if you're awkward or you're scared to start a contact sport. I would say it's not what you think it is."
According to the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, which is a branch of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the restaurant and hospitality industry has some of the highest levels of drug use and depression of any industry. Boxing doesn't just provide a workout, Garrett says, but a community of disciplined, motivated athletes whom she quickly came to love like family.
Thomas says a lot of young men start boxing for all the wrong reasons — trying to be tough, to show off, to prove something. They argue with the coach, don't put the work in, distance themselves from the team, and burn out pretty quick. Thomas says it's more often women who prioritize the skill and art of the sport, and build a healthy, competitive community.
"In my opinion, I think women are the future of boxing," Thomas says. "It'll be a slow burn. But women are the ones who stick with it."
While Thomas works to make the Bartenders Brawl a regular annual event, Garrett's hoping that more women join her in the ring. But for now, she's focused on her first-ever fight. Family, coworkers and even some beloved regulars are coming to watch.
"I have my own cheer squad," she says. "We already have two VIP booths on ringside seats, eight people at least all cheering me on. That's what makes me excited. Doesn't matter if I lose. They're gonna have fun watching me get beat up, or they're gonna have fun watching me do really good."
Bartenders Brawl • Cancelled; was scheduled for Thu, Dec 21 at 6 pm • $25-$150 • 21+ • The Knitting Factory • 919 W. Sprague Ave. • sp.knittingfactory.com
