"I've never seen anything like it," the announcer blared. "I don't know if I ever will again."
Wrestling. Tights. Mitt Romney. These things are rarely, if ever, spoken of in the same breath. But on Saturday, June 11th, spectators at the Rail Event Center in Salt Lake City were treated to all three. The former Massachusetts governor made a guest appearance at Fight Night, an event sponsored by CharityVision, a Provo-based charity organization that works towards restoring sight to the blind.
The main event of the evening was a luchador-style battle between legendary boxer Oscar de la Hoya and well-known television personality Mario Lopez. Near the end of the fight, a masked Romney flung himself into the ring, delivering a vicious clothesline.
"Who are you?!" de la Hoya screamed, ripping off Romney's mask to wild applause.
This wasn't the first time Romney had stepped into the ring for charity. Last year, at CharityVision's first Fight Night, he battled former heavyweight champion Evander Holyfield. Romney's son Josh serves as the President of CharityVision, and Romney's wife Ann is a member of its board of directors.
The Romney family, members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, have been actively involved in many charitable projects for years. CharityVision partners with local doctors in developing nations in an effort to establish permanent and sustainable eye care programs. The organization currently performs over 35,000 surgeries annually in 25 different developing countries.