Executives fight it out to beat stress

When Brad Pitt began slugging it out with bored executives in the movie Fight Club, some critics thought the plot so ridiculous that they suggested the director might have been punch-drunk.

But in a bizarre case of life imitating art, Britain's office workers are taking to the ring in their hundreds in a new phenomenon called white-collar boxing.

In Auckland, boxer David Tua's trainer and manager, Kevin Barry, runs a gym to which executive types flock, but it is an altogether tamer affair.

London "fight nights" - where a barrister might go toe-to-toe with a judge, or a broker might square up to a doctor - are attracting thousands of spectators and a small army of virgin competitors.

So successful has the new executive sport become that its innovators in Britain are in talks with partners to build a £2 million-plus ($6.6 million) boxing complex for white-collar workers in the City of London.

As in the film, City workers talk of recognising a fellow boxer by the occasional black eye, and they claim to feel fitter, happier and more in control.

White-collar boxing has been growing steadily in popularity in the United States for about 15 years, since one fabled night when two wealthy insurance tycoons decided to fight out their differences in the ring instead of breaking each other's companies in the market-place.

It was introduced to Britain in a small way about two years ago by a company called The Real Fight Club (www.therealfightclub.co.uk) but has taken off in a big way over the past year.

The company hosts evenings almost every month at hotel venues in the capital, with dinner, entertainment and about eight bouts costing about £150 ($495) a ticket.

Office workers who fancy their chances in the ring must let the promoters know in advance and undergo training for anything from one to six months before they are allowed to box.

With an emphasis on safety, the fight nights are often designed to produce no winners. Simply competing is considered brave enough.

"In this society, certain people are afraid of becoming a desk jockey with no visceral output for their aggression," says Adrian King, the chief executive officer of The Real Fight Club. "People are screaming for the kind of individuality it is difficult to attain in a corporate environment, where there are 1000 lemmings pushing a corporation vehicle forward.

"In a way, this is where the film got it right, because when you get into that ring there are no certainties. It is just you, and for a few minutes you feel like Muhammad Ali."

King says 400 Real Fight Club boxers are now active in London, a small army who are stretching the numbers of boxing gyms available. The Real Fight Club is working on plans for a 2229sq m boxing complex and fitness club in Holborn, on the edge of the Square Mile.

During the day, Michael Field, 53, who has two sons and two step-daughters, sits behind a desk dishing out advice on corporate investments.

As a founding partner of Hamilton Field, based in the City, he has to be mentally agile. But white-collar boxing has made him fast on his feet, too.

"I've had three bouts now, and I've done okay," he said. "I was really nervous before my first fight, but it went well. It's incredibly exciting."

"The camaraderie is fantastic. There is no question of trying to hurt anyone unnecessarily. Everyone is properly trained, well-matched and assessed by a doctor. The main thing is to acquit yourself well."

Alex Mehta, 32, a doctor in law and qualified barrister, spends his days providing legal services to companies and individuals. But at night he trains at the gym and has had five white-collar fights in the past year.

"I used to do a little amateur boxing at university, but nothing as regular as this," he said. "It's wonderful. In the past, the most exciting things I did were having a cappuccino for breakfast and a croissant for lunch.

"Like most people, I could tell you what my house is worth, and what my pension will bring in. It's boring; but then you get in the ring and your corporate existence just disappears.

"I'd like to have been an 18th-century explorer or a conquistador. Fight Club is the next best thing."

- INDEPENDENT