Boxing For a Cause: Bernier vs. Sirois

Jacques Bernier, a managing partner at Teralys Capital, put down his boxing gloves 30 years ago when he opted out of a professional boxing career.

But the veteran investor headed back into the ring this past summer after he and entrepreneur Francois-Charles Sirois agreed to take each other on in a friendly boxing match for charity.

With intense months of training under their belts, a date for what the folks at NextMontreal have fittingly dubbed the Knockout Entrepreneurs event is set for Thursday, Nov. 18, at the Montreal Athletic Association on Peel Street. The event is invitation-only due to limited space.

An avid cyclist and race car driver, Bernier trained to be a professional boxer while at university. “I was very serious for many years, working out in professional gyms,” he says.

But Bernier decided to stop boxing at graduation – around the time that Sirois was born.

Despite the age difference between the two, Bernier says he is heading back into the ring for a good reason.

He is donating his proceeds from the upcoming event to the Centre of Excellence for Cellular Therapy of Hôpital Mainsonneuve-Rosemont, where his wife Linda was treated for leukemia five years ago. “She had a bone marrow transplant there,” he says. “It’s a miracle that she survived.”

Sirois, who is president of venture capital and private equity investment firm Telesystem, plans to donate to the Fondation Sainte-Justine.

Bernier says they’re expecting up to 150 people at the event.

DigitalPuck.ca talked to Bernier, who manages more than $750 million in capital, about his cause and the friendly pre-match rivalry.

DigitalPuck.ca: So did this all start with a bet with your opponent Francois-Charles Sirois?

Jacques: It came from a challenge from many years ago. We’ve known each other for a long time through his father.

DP: Had he boxed before?

Jacques: I think Francois-Charles was looking for a new challenge, something he’d never done before. He thought this would be different than other (challenges) you’d find. He’d hadn’t boxed before but when he started training he was very methodical, very Type A.

DP: What are you doing to prepare now?

Jacques: There’s no training now. The event is next week. I trained the whole summer. I am a cyclist so I trained this summer….Boxing is very tough on everything. It’s one of the toughest sports I’ve ever done.

DP: So do you and Francois-Charles call each other up and tease each other about the match?

Jacques: A few times a week. Both of us are Type A and we are both try to play with the mind of the other. There’s no question that I am going to win. The question is how and if you ask him he will tell you the same.

DP: What colors will you wear?

Jacques: He will be in red so the blood won’t show much. (He laughs) I will be in purple, which is the color of my company, Teralys Capital.

DP: How much do you expect to raise from the event?
Jacques: We should raise about $25,000…Everything we can do to raise funds for this cause is dear to my heart.