I won my first boxing match
and I’m hooked. It’s going to be days before I come down from this high.
The rush of stepping out in
front of 550 screaming friends, colleagues and work contacts, entering a boxing
ring for six excruciating minutes and emerging victorious tops anything I have
ever experienced.
My “Rocky” moment came at the
seventh annual Hedge Fund Fight Nite on May 30, a black-tie charity boxing
event organized by the financial services industry of Hong Kong in a custom
tent at the Indian Recreation Club in Happy Valley.
The most striking part for me
was the moment our match ended, before the winner was announced. The months of
preparation and competition dissolved into respect for another person who has
just given her all in a way only the two of you understand.
The money raised goes to
Operation Smile, which funds surgery for children with facial deformities, and
Operation Breakthrough, a program that combats crime and juvenile delinquency
in low-income and immigrant communities.
This year’s event staged eight
fights of three two-minute rounds each and raised HK$300,000 ($38,650) from an
auction and raffle. Tickets to the event ranged from HK$22,800 for a 12-person
standard table to HK$50,000 for the ringside version. Over the years, the event
has raised $500,000, according to its organizers.
Although betting was not
officially sanctioned, considering the appetite for risk among the crowd, I
wouldn’t be surprised to learn that a few friendly wagers were placed.
Boxing Bug
I’m not the only one bitten by
the boxing bug. “I’d do it again,” said Ash ‘The Bash’ Dale, chief marketing
officer at Mirae Asset Global Investments, who lost his men’s bout to Dominic
‘The Daddy’ Smith, Area sales manager for HSBC Expat. “The training and the aim
has provided a real focus for me over the past four months. The challenge has
got me in the best shape of my life.’’
Richie ‘Ricardo’ Gifford, a
premier wealth manager at HSBC defeated Jorge ‘El Toro’ Marrero, chief
operating officer at Execution Noble (HK) Ltd., continuing HSBC’s undefeated
streak.
Those egging on the pugilists
included Tobias Bland, chief executive officer of Enhanced Investment Products,
Anthony Byrne, Asia-Pacific head of prime finance for Deutsche Bank AG. and
Zoltan Feledy, director in electronic trading at Daiwa Capital Markets.
Punching Bag
My journey into the ring
started when I reported on last year’s competition. Until then, I’d never
thrown or taken a punch and generally thought of boxing as the bloody, brawling
cousin of martial arts. Everyone I interviewed for that story raved about the
technicality and discipline required. So when the opportunity came four months
ago to cross the line from journalist observer to participant, I jumped.
There’s nothing like your first
boxing training session to show you just how unfit you are. Four women turned
up that day and within a few weeks, one had dropped out, meaning one of the
remaining three wouldn’t get matched. At 55 kilos (121 pounds) I knew my
chances of getting selected were good: one woman weighed 52 kilos and the other
tipped the scales at 66 kilos.
I stepped up my regime to
typically twice a day, mixing the rope-skipping, intervals, punching bag work,
sparring and crunches with yoga, running and hiking.
Dress Sizes
Though my weight didn’t
fluctuate during my four months training, I dropped two dress sizes from a six
to a two.
The focus required topped any
yoga meditation I’d done. Digging for reserves of non-existent energy pushed me
further mentally than any distance running event. And the adrenaline of taking,
returning or blocking a punch trumped previous thrills experienced skydiving
and bungee jumping.
My guy friends in the program
were great training partners, yet I couldn’t learn what I needed by sparring with
them, so I sought out other women I’d met at our gym, JAB.
Luckily, I made pals with
Tricia Yap, who won the very first women’s bout at Hedge Fund Fight Nite in
2011. She became my most frequent training buddy and ultimately my corner man,
shouting advice after every punch I threw.
Bikini Fit
Yap did what so many people
dream of but never do. A few months after her fight, she gave up her IT project
manager job at PricewaterhouseCoopers to follow her passion. She is now a
partner in Bikini Fit, a female-only outdoor fitness program in Hong Kong.
To any woman considering
entering a fight or taking up boxing, Yap has the following advice: “Put your
insecurities and fears aside and just do it. Women are so mentally strong but
they are so conscious of what they feel are their weaknesses. They need to
apply that same mental strength to saying ‘I’m going to look past this fear and
just do it and have the time of my life.’”
Because Hedge Fund Fight Nite
doesn’t allow boxers back a second year, I’ve already started looking for other
amateur events. I’ve every intention of getting back into that ring.
Muse highlights include Scott
Reyburn on the art market, Martin Gayford on European art shows, Elin McCoy on
wine and Jeremy Gerard on U.S. theater. (Source)
